A couple of things I noticed riding my 2011 EC300

[GMP]

Problem here is your talking about two different scales of measurement, 80W gear oil is not rated on the SAE motor oil scale. You need to look at the equivalent viscosity in centistokes @ 40 and 100 deg C. I've run 80W Spectro and the clutch drags a lot.

I think this is very tecnique dependent. I can and have made mine squawk occasionally slipping in in very tight trees, but any bike will do that. A Yam 250F will do it and burn the clutch to a crisp in the process. I just had mine out and its like new @ 133 hrs.

Noise from primary gear? Sounds funny to me. Perhaps what they mean is the vibrations from the plates slipping/grabbing are tranfered through the system and you hear the harmonics from the basket, gears, case, side cover, etc. Things usually sound a lot worse than they are for this reason. Ever hear a Cannondale 440? A perfectly good one sounds like its in self destruct mode due to the gear driven valve train and large side cover.

What oils are you guys with the most complaints using?

[stainlesscycle]

my clutch has never squawked with amsoil 0w-40. didn't squawk with atf either. but it's an older basket (2000), with cr250 plates, etc. etc... and it's a 200 if that makes a difference (different primary gear i believe....)

[Clay]

Originally Posted by GMP

Problem here is your talking about two different scales of measurement, 80W gear oil is not rated on the SAE motor oil scale. You need to look at the equivalent viscosity in centistokes @ 40 and 100 deg C. I've run 80W Spectro and the clutch drags a lot.

I think this is very tecnique dependent. I can and have made mine squawk occasionally slipping in in very tight trees, but any bike will do that. A Yam 250F will do it and burn the clutch to a crisp in the process. I just had mine out and its like new @ 133 hrs.

Noise from primary gear? Sounds funny to me. Perhaps what they mean is the vibrations from the plates slipping/grabbing are tranfered through the system and you hear the harmonics from the basket, gears, case, side cover, etc. Things usually sound a lot worse than they are for this reason. Ever hear a Cannondale 440? A perfectly good one sounds like its in self destruct mode due to the gear driven valve train and large side cover.

What oils are you guys with the most complaints using?

Glenn,
1.What the heck is a centistoke?
2.That's the good news of this whole problem. It's a irritating noise but the clutch seems to operate perfectly.
3. That's what the man (one of them) from Spain said. Doesn't make sense to me but I have a good friend who is a great mechanic and I think we can narrow it down with a little work and find out exactly what it is.
4. i think the oil use is all over the map.
Clay

[REVERUP]

I'm not surprised by the advise of 80wt. Like I said in a different thread it always has worked for me. From what I read 80Wt is comparable to 10W30 and 85Wt is comparable to 10W40.
yes it will drag a bit in colder weather,but it still starts in gear.
I also wondered about technique and if lever adjustment may be playing a part in the excessive noise complaints all of a sudden. Cause my 3 have only made noise after I heated them up significantly with major abuse from slipping the clutch on a gnarly hill or obstacle.

Roscoe

[GMP]

Clay,

Centistoke is a measure of viscosity. There are charts floating around the net that compare all the common weight gear, motor, and suspension oils using this standard. EricK is a mechanical/lube engineer and can tell you more should he chime in, I'm just an electronics/software engineer with a love of mechanics.

I've heard them all squeak when hot, Hondas, Huskys, KTMs, GGs, etc. Can't say any are better or worse, just that the GG seems the most durable for sure.

I think that the oil supply may be a factor (on all clutches not just GG) but I would be careful about drilling baskets and hubs too much for fear of setting up stresses in the aluminum.

[rgranger]

Thanks Clay,
the boys a rekluse recommended against drilling also, but did say that they were going to look into it from their end.

Any ideas on the Starter making the same / similar squeal?

[coopernicus]

My 2 cents:
1999 300EC: Never squawked, used Maxima 80 wt.
2000 300EC: Occasionally squawked under heavy load, used Maxima 80 wt and Rotella Syn.
2003 LTZ400 Quad: Squawks always when cold or under heavy load, used Yamaha 4 stroke oil, has Rekluse.
Pampera: Never squawks, Maxima 80 wt.
1999 KX250: Never squawks even when torturing clutch, Spectro 80 wt

Eric

[moto9]

Originally Posted by GMP

Problem here is your talking about two different scales of measurement, 80W gear oil is not rated on the SAE motor oil scale. You need to look at the equivalent viscosity in centistokes @ 40 and 100 deg C. I've run 80W Spectro and the clutch drags a lot.

I think this is very tecnique dependent. I can and have made mine squawk occasionally slipping in in very tight trees, but any bike will do that. A Yam 250F will do it and burn the clutch to a crisp in the process. I just had mine out and its like new @ 133 hrs.

Noise from primary gear? Sounds funny to me. Perhaps what they mean is the vibrations from the plates slipping/grabbing are tranfered through the system and you hear the harmonics from the basket, gears, case, side cover, etc. Things usually sound a lot worse than they are for this reason. Ever hear a Cannondale 440? A perfectly good one sounds like its in self destruct mode due to the gear driven valve train and large side cover.

What oils are you guys with the most complaints using?

I agree with GMP, I also think it's a frequency thing..similar to a squealing brake.
My thought was feeding more oil to the clutch might quiet it down...I really need some more hours on the bike to be sure.
I work at a large multi brand shop, so I have access to many different brand oils...and I have tried everything on the shelf, honda, golden spectro, maxma, motorx, atf, silkolene and Belray 80w gear oil...none of the oils quieted the clutch squawk.

[Clay]

Originally Posted by rgranger

Thanks Clay,
the boys a rekluse recommended against drilling also, but did say that they were going to look into it from their end.

Any ideas on the Starter making the same / similar squeal?

The starter thing is prolly an alignment issue. We have sent several emails to dealers telling them how to align it correctly. Can you contact your dealer about this? If it isn't alignment, then there may be an issue with your starter. The GG starters have a kind of squawking sound to them anyway but not something that is irritating.

[rgranger]

Clay, my dealer is 1,000 miles away. Any chance that you can send me the info? I don't think that there is a GASGAS dealer anywhere near Katy, TX? Also, I forgot to notice it is not just the squawk, but that it didn't turn the bike over.

Thanks !
Rob