i recently bought a 99 f4 with 44,000 miles for dirt cheap i thought ($1500), bike looked in good shape and rides great; but recently i noticed two things and I think it might be the same problem.

1st - When the bike is in neutral, and the clutch is released i can somewhat hear (faint) and feel (faint) a grinding noise (similar to when a car is out of coolant and the fan is trying to run); but when I run the bike it all goes away, or if im in first gear with the clutch pressed and stationary, no noise is heard and nothing is felt.

2nd, the other day I was riding with a bunch of guys who know bikes, and somebody riding abreast to me said they might've heard a wheezing noise usually heard when I take off (maybe first gear or neutral)

Question being, transmissions or gears (chain set) if needed, is it SUPER expensive or cheap enough to keep the bike around?? I'm not totally mechanically challenged, I know my way around cars and don't initially see motorcycles being that different. Any suggestions to what I can do to pinpoint the problem so I can fix it??

THANKS!!

 

It doesn't sound like there's anything wrong to me. You'll probably ride for years like that with no issues.

 

Clutch? Have you changed the oil yet? A bad sign would be the oil looking like it's full of sh*t. With 44K miles on it, your clutch might be a ****** weathered. Putting a clutch in it might be worth but sticking a lot of money into a tired bike is not fun. Give the oil a look, maybe change it. Do you feel this noise could be a serious problem? If you felt it might pose some kind of safety risk, I would definately give it some more thought. If not, drive it and see what happens!!