The GL1200 'clunk'....

[ResDog70]

So, I was out riding yesterday and became aware of a clunk sound made in 1st gear when taking off from a dead stop.

To be clear, this isn't the clunk heard when going into 1st gear, the bike is already in gear and as I would roll away, gear engaged, there would be an audible clunk heard as it passed 5 mph or so.

Reading up on this, it seems it's a very common sound. People just call it the "GL1200 clunk" and have tried inspecting splines, rear drives, u-joints, lubes Moly 60 and not, etc. etc. without any luck of anyone seeming to find out exactly what it is.

I thought I would turn to this forum, as this is where I go to when I need a REAL answer!

Does anyone know what this is, and should I be worried about it? Recommendations? Suggestions?

My 85 Aspy has less than 36K miles on it and the rear drive seems to be in great shape. I just need to know if this is rather normal or not.

Thanks!

[virgilmobile]

In the engine,attached to the output shaft is a heavy buffer joint.Kinda like a coupler with a big spring.
If your engine is a bit out of sync,the usual off idle rattle MAY show up in that coupler.
Listen closely at the engine.It may be bucking a little at that rpm when you hear the clunk.
The second idea is that coupler has a bit of wear and the clunk is the settling in of it's parts as torque flows through it each time.
If it is this,the only way to fix it is to replace the coupler and sync the engine.Or live with it.

[virgilmobile]

Oh,by the way,here's the pix of it.

[ResDog70]

!!!.... and that is why I LOVE THIS FORUM!!

Thank you Virgilmobile!!

[virgilmobile]

Take note....this is just my thought.Mine doesn't do this and it looks like you've eliminated everything else.
That's why I'm leaning toward a wear spot in the torque dampener.
It may be like a worn CV joint when you hear them clunking.

[WingAdmin]

If it's coming from nearer the back end, it could be the dampeners in the rear wheel, I suppose.

[Goldenponyboy]

I had the second clunk too! I searched for it with the words clunk and found this thread. It sure made my nice 85 goldwing ltd. seem like a junk box. So I had a hard time shifting into first and finding neutral and I figured I would do a master and slave rebuild. There was a lot of gunk built up in there and mine had a bit of the "brown sugar" that I have seen in other pics/vids. Well it sure does shift smoother now and NO MORE CLUNK!!!! I hope it stays this way. This winter I am getting rid of all the hydraulic hoses and switching to braided lines. I want this old girl to start and stop like new again. She certainly is not a junk box!