400/4 Clutch problem

[boilermaker1]

Hi,
My 400 F has a knocking sound from the clutch so
 I have taking the clutch  apart to try and find what is causing this.
All I can find is that there is slop between the gear on the back
of the clutch outer. I can rock the gear approx 2mm back and fort
without the front of the outer clutch moving
Is this normal? Do I need to replace?

Thanks

[hairygit]

Does this only happen in neutral while at tickover, or while riding along? All the early Honda fours have some degree of clatter at idle, can be reduced by balancing the carbs after doing all other service items.

Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk

[boilermaker1]

Hi, Thanks for reply
It seems to knock and rattle all the time
The bike has not been in use for about 5 years
It is just coming to the end of a restoration but
no engine work was done during rebuild as it is
a very low mileage engine and was running fine
before bike was stripped..
Carbs have been rebuilt (Gerbin) and have been
balanced since been fitted to the bike..
The mechanic that worked on the bike for me seems
to think the slop on the clutch is the problem.

[mike the bike]

I once ground the rivets holding the two halves of the clutch together and removed the 6 rubber cush drives.  Time and the hot oil hadn't done the rubber any good, they were as hard as glass, not a bit rubbery any more.  I looked into ways to make replacements but nothing came up.
I came by another clutch basket with less backlash so I'm now using that.

My advice: carry on using it until a better one turns up.

[Clem2112]

They all do that sir....
The basket looks in good condition with almost no ridges in the slots.

Most bikes will have some slack between the gear and the basket, and mine certainly has a little even after rebuilding with new dampers (with some blue substitute elastomer material).

If the carbs are balanced properly , the knock is usually minimal and just at idle if at all.

[boilermaker1]

Thanks for the reply's very helpful
Will try and put a few miles on the bike in the
next few weeks and see how things work out

[Bryanj]

There was somebody making rubbers for the clutch(TTR400 I think) but he stopped for a while due to longevity problems. Don't know if or when there will be any again