Funny Grinding Sound

hey guys, i have a 2000 blue (not that color makes any difference to my problem) vfr and have had it for about 4 months. it has done 31000 km which is roughly 20,000miles
sometimes when i dump the clutch i get a grinding sound coming from the bike, very hard to tell where it is coming from but my guess would be the clutch.
the clutch dose not slip or anything like that and every thing else seems fine, except for when i give it some revs and try to launch fast, which isnt very often at all,
also seems to happen more when the bike hasn't been running for ages

my guess is the clutch may be going but would like to hear some input, and how long do clutches usually last, i know you can kill a clutch in 1 night if you are mean to it and they can last for 100,000km if you never put any stress through it but how long on average, and are they expensive to replace

Not exactly sure what they do, but that sounds like "clutch finger wear." Your description is identical to that provided by that huge BIKE or other UK mag article after they tore down a, 80k mile '90 VFR. Others will have to tell you how to repair clutch finger wear, however, as I've not done that yet.

how's your chain? if it is still original, replace it and sprockets, you are overdue.

Misspent Youth, Dec 11 2006, 01:50 PMNot exactly sure what they do, but that sounds like "clutch finger wear." Your description is identical to that provided by that huge BIKE or other UK mag article after they tore down a, 80k mile '90 VFR. Others will have to tell you how to repair clutch finger wear, however, as I've not done that yet.

Ok, I give: What is a "clutch finger"? I've done tons of work on my bike, including a clutch replacement, and I've not run across the term before. Just curious.

Lopeman,
I am sure the "big guns" will chime in here with some good info but I can't help but add my two cents.

I bought a 2001 , essentially the same bike as yours, new from the dealer. I am a very conservative rider, laughably so. I now have 50K miles on the bike. Since day one the bike has made a similar sound as you describe when cold. Once the bike is fully up to temp. it does not do this. This happens reguardless of the type of oil I am running.

When cold, the clutch will buzz on high rpm starts and I think the clutch slips a little. The ambient temp. at startup does not seem to matter (-10f to 70f) , it always does this. I kind of think of it as a safty guard till the tires are warmed up.

I wonder if your problem is temp. related also?
The Fifth Gen. VFR is an incredible bike for what it is. I am willing to forgive a few shortcomings to experience riding this thing.

Hope you get to the bottom of your issue.
Cheers, . .. . ... .. . ..

The clutch "fingers" refer to the outer basket. Some have grooves or notches worn into the leading edgees of from the plates.

After reading a few posts about this, and feeling a slight "shudder" upon takeoff on mine, I have a feeling mine are grooved as well. I'm not going to worry about it until my plates are worn enough to replace the whole thing.

jstanwood, Dec 11 2006, 02:58 PMThe clutch "fingers" refer to the outer basket. Some have grooves or notches worn into the leading edgees of from the plates.

After reading a few posts about this, and feeling a slight "shudder" upon takeoff on mine, I have a feeling mine are grooved as well. I'm not going to worry about it until my plates are worn enough to replace the whole thing.

Ah, ok. The clutch basket on mine was in great shape when I replaced the clutch around 40K miles. I wonder if the 5th gens are more prone to basket damage than the 3rd gens?

Mine (2001, blue) does that too. It's done it only twice though, because my last bike (VTR1000) had such an awful clutch that high-rpm starts were impossible. To take off, it was a nce easy start, then whack the throttle open as soon as it was moving.
My bike has 42k miles; the VTR was of a similar mileage, only in kms, and both are/were on original clutches.