[funny_bug]

Hi. I purchased my 2004 vn750 a year ago with about 12k miles on it. It now has just under 15k miles on it. With the exception of a battery replacement, I've had no issues so far until yesterday. I took it on a short trip to the city (~40 miles) and, when trying to head back home, found that something was wrong with the clutch.
The bike starts and idles without issue, but when I shift into first, there is a loud, rhythmic clacking/clattering sound and the bike will not move. The sound gets louder as I turn the throttle, but no movement at all. It's the same in second gear. Is this an issue with the clutch cable? Or the plate itself? And what the hell do I do about it?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Spockster]

Thinking the driveshaft splines are gone, or you broke the clutch basket. Can you tell which general area the sound is coming from?

Does the shifter feel normal, or is it looser than normal? Could have a broken shifter rod flopping around inside the engine.

You can't get into second gear unless the bike is moving, it has a positive neutral finder, goes to neutral if you shift up and aren't moving fast enough.

Put it up on the center stand and rotate the back wheel, in neutral and first. Hear anything?

 

[Green1]

When my son's bike broke its shift rod it did not make any unusual sounds. In fact the movement of the shifter was met with no resistance at all. Spockster has named the 2 most likely places that could cause a problem with the symptoms you described. They are located so that isolating where the sound is coming from should rule out one or the other very easily.

Hopefully when you first obtained the bike you did the, almost mandatory, universally acknowledged act of checking the splines and lubricating them if necessary. It would seem that a bike with only 15,000 miles on it should not break the clutch basket, but with there being 12,000 put on it before you acquired it, who knows how it was treated, Also it is possible some of the clutch plates broke, or a clutch spring or two could have failed.

Let us know what you do and what yo find. Good luck.

 

[OleDirtyDoc]

I agree with Spockster

 

[Spockster]

We've seen pictures of the beat up shift rods that were bouncing around inside the engine, making noise.

Clutch baskets can break anytime.

 

[markanthonyh53]

I had to get a coupler and I had to get the final drive because the gear on the final drive was worn out as well at
18,000

 

[Green1]

I had to get a coupler and I had to get the final drive because the gear on the final drive was worn out as well at
18,000

That is why one of the first things to do when you first get a VN750 is lube the splines. Always.