Hitchcocks Forum

When I put my 350 bullet in gear& try to turn the engine backwards there is a metallic noise as though something is catching. There is no noise when the bike is in neutral.
I have checked all the obvious bits & can find nothing. I can only conclude that it is the gearbox or clutch. has anyone else found a similar problem would appreciate any help.

Kickstart pawl not parking properly ?

I assume your turning the rear wheel in order to give drive to the engine..

Pawl is a good shout but i think it would continue to make a noise in neutral as the layshaft is in constant drive..

Its possible that the clutch centre has worn and is sitting too far back on the shaft splines, the drum sometimes comes into contact with the screws that hold the seal plate onto the rear primary case behind the drum.. A sort of clack clack clack as the drum turns. Just thinking the drum won't be turning if in neutral and your turning the back wheel to drive the gear box..

Should be witness marks on the rear of the drum or bolt heads if you remove the clutch complete and take a look..

New clutch centre or machine in a spacer available from our host.. Guess primary and drive chains are correct and not catching anything??

Check the tension of both chains, then retry... Then free the clutch off and try again with the clutch lifted...


Grease gearboxs can suffer from poor wear from lack of lubricant; metalic contamination.

Gwilly, Yes I took out the spark plug & was using the rear wheel to turn the engine. I did check all the chains. Thanks for the tip, your description of the noise is spot on. If its the clutch would you expect it to make the same noise going forward as well as backward?