Forum bmwbike.com

I'm having trouble with an R69S that I am restoring.
When in gear the gearbox turns over as it should, and engages gears nicely, but when in neutral if the back wheel is turned the gearbox makes a clacking sound.
Is this a sign of the gearbox needs shimming?
A friend says he had a R100RT that did it from new!!! and he never worried about it, I think he must be very laid back.
We live 400kilometres from the nearest city in Western Australia, as you can imagine there's not too many old BMW's around.

Rob, is the sound coming from the front or rear of the gear box, you can some times tell by using a large screwdrver like a stethoscope put one end on the box and the other to your ear, sometimes helps tp locate the noise which may aid in diognosis. If I was restoring it ,it would be stripped down new bearings seals and adjustment ,and generally check for wear annnd tear. There is nothing worse than doing a resto and next month having to pull the box out. Do it now. You can contact me direct in Brisbane, 07 32892008 or gibbsm@bigpond.com

Regards Peter

It could be that the shift forks need to be adjusted. If they're off, the pawls on one of the gears may hit the shift dog as it spins. You have to open up the trans to adjust them, at which point you may as well replace the seals and check the shimming. I just finished rebuilding my trans, and it was pretty satisfying to do. Certainly not as much work as rebuilding the engine. Ed Korn's transmission video is worth buying, and if you do go in there, replace the old, unadjustable shift fork bushings with the newer /5 eccentric bushings. HTH - PCE

Paul, thanks for your advice.
You were right the shift forks needed adjusting, I'd replaced the seals, bearings etc but hadn't adjusted the forks properly and the noise was when it was hitting the dog.
It is now completely quiet and the gear change is also very smooth.