Hello, I just inherited a 2003 Roadstar 1600 from a buddy of mine. The bike only has 2k miles on it but for a reason. The day he bought the motorcycle and took it home he rolled it and pretty much thrashed a lot of the parts..ouch...well, now I have it and so I'm trying to get it going again. One of the first problems it had was that it wasn't shifting easily. I figured it was the clutch cable out of alignment so I replaced it and got it to shift just fine. Well, now when I ride it around the block though it makes a whining noise when it decelerates. My friend had said he had taken it to a shop before and was told that the clutch plate looked worn and may need replacing soon. So, he bought a Barnett plate with springs yet never installed it yet. I figured if I was going to replace the clutch plate I might as well change the steel and fiber rings as well. I called a shop for an estimate and after talking to the rep for a bit he advised me that it might not be the clutch and more so the belt since the bike was lowered. Yet, my friend said it made the noise before he lowered the bike. I would hate to buy parts only to find out that the problem wasn't fixed. So, now I'm not sure what to do and would appreciate any advice and help you guys can offer me. Thanks

Roadstardude

If the bike only has 2 grand on it there isn't anything in the clutch that needs to be replaced. If you do go with the Barnett spring leave the stock plates. They are very good. First thing I would look at is the belt tension. It might be loose. Has the tranny recall been done on the bike?

Hello, thanks for the reply. The tranny recall has been done according to my friend. How would I go about checking the belt tension? I see your point about the plates being fine due to low mileage but could they have been damaged or prematurely worn out if the linkage was out. I'm not sure how long my friend was riding the bike with the linkage out of whack so I'm not sure if that messed up the plates at all??? Thanks again for the help.

Ok, well I took the bike around the block to try and figure out where the noise is coming from. It actually does sound like it might be from the belt. So, I guess I need to find the article on how to adjust this. Hopefully its this simple.

It's possible the plates got damaged but make sure they're bad before you fork out any money. Just grab the lower belt half way between the pullies and twist it. If you can go 45 degrees your good. More than 45 it's loose. Less than 45 is too tight. Also make sure the belt isn't riding against the side of the pulley. The belt tends to ride to the indide of the rear pulley on Roadies but not rubbing against the side. Give a dealer or Yami customer service your VIN and they will tell you if the recall has been done.

my belt made a squeeking sound and rore on the inside of the pulley, i went to ace and got a metric tape measure, i measured from the swingarm to the center of the axle bolt finally got it the same on both sides, remember to loosen the brakes first and to retighten after. it rides straight on the pulley now and makes less noise, also under the front pulley cover, there are two little plastic rollers that need to be taken out and cleaned every now & then, when they get dirt in them they sound like the transmission is whining loudly, when you let off the gas hope this helps

Ok, well it turned out to be the belt tension after all. I am so glad because I was not looking forward to shelling out some cash for new plates. Im so glad that problem was solved. Now, on to the next issue. The throttle sticks. I wonder if its because the bike was sitting for some time and this caused the valves to gum up a bit. Thanks again to everyone that pitched in to help me out!

Might need to lube the cables.