So I took my bike out after being gone for the Christmas weekend and I heard some loud rattling on the left side of my bike. So I turned around to head back home. When I got home, I checked the oil level and transmission level and all was good. So since I heard the noise from the left side I took of the Derby Cover and smoke started coming out. When the smoke cleared I saw what looked like big chunks from under the clutch. So I unscrewed the primary plug and out came chunks. They looked like short cut chewing tabacco so to have a visual. After seeing this I decided to take off the primary cover and found more chunks. After cleaning out a lot of the chunks I started seeing small parts of what looked like plastic. After looking through the manual and found that the Primary Chain Auto Adjuster had broken apart in the primary case. Half of the adjuster was missing and the spring adjuster rod was also not attached. I had to pull the spring out of the chain and the triangular wedge was on the bottom of the case. I found the part that I needed online and removed the bad adjuster. My question is two parts.

1. How could the chain adjuster just break like that?
2. Should I remove the clutch and primary to remove all the other debris?

Now my thoughts are this. When I went to the dealership, the parts guy told me that the plug for the primary case was the drain for the trasmission. So when I thought I was draining the transmission when I was actually draining the primary. So when i went to fill the transmission I thought maybe it didn't take much. Keep in mind also that my service manual was on back order so I didn't have it by that point. I have it now though. So long story short, my primary had no fluid in it. I think that the increased heat from all the friction caused that plastic piece to melt and break the chain adjuster.

 

so you rode the bike with no primary fluid... yeah that could screw things up!

 

Yes but I didn't know there was no fluid. I have only rode the bike three times with it drained.

 

Doesn't take much. No fluid means massive heat buildup very quickly. How many miles did you ride the motorcycle with no primary fluid in it?

 

Sounds like new clutch plates, new chain, and service manual is in order. Also, never ask the guy in the service or parts dept. for advice on how to do work on your bike. My experience is that the guys who know what they are doing are back in the shop working on bikes and the nimrods are behind the counter. Now don't forget the service manual before you put the primary case back on or if you don't use the correct torque sequence you will warp the case.

Also, don't kick yourself in the azz too hard about running a dry primary. Lots of guys f**k their bike up. Guys like me. You now have some really toasted parts for your "Wall of Shame" in the garage.

 

If you try to recoup anything from the dealer because of bum info from the parts nothing going to happen. You just learned a very expensive lesson. I would drain the tranny and put in the correct amount of fluid in it. Even the owners manual has basic service information in it.

 

Uh...one note about the "Wall of Shame": If after about 2-3 years you have accumulated enough fubard parts on the wall to actually build a complete motorcycle...it is time to sell your tools on ebay and find a good local indy shop to do your work. Just sayin.

 

Don`t panic, most of the stuff in there can run a long time with just a little coating of oil. The garbage you are seeing may just be the adjuster pad.

Your primary chain and sprockets are probably fine, but I would disassemble the clutch plates to clean out the debris and to inspect for damage. Don`t use anything like gas, alcohol etc. to clean the clutch plates, just use whatever lube you normally use in the primary.

Don`t feel too bad, every one of us has a story like this...

 

I agree with Dan, go ahead and tear it down for a visual insp and clean-up. Using the primary lube to clean up the clutches is the best advice you're gonna get in here. Hopefully everything else will be okay. Good luck, and I'm damn sorry you had to learn this way...

 

I only ran about 200 miles with no oil in the primary. I didn't remove the clutch yet but I did inspect the primary drive, chain, and clutch sprocket for any damage and there was none. I will take the clutch out tomorrow and check for any damage on the plates.

One question I have about doing that, is there a timing issue in the motor? What I mean is if anything turn will it break anything? That's the main reason I haven't removed the clutch yet. This is a major lesson and I will never listen to a desk jockey again.

I'm just glad I caught this sooner than later and that I now have my manual to help me along.