JPSpen said:
That's quite a bit. BUT, There's a lot a metal slamming around inside that gearbox..
How many miles on that oil ? Is the transmission otherwise acting normally ?
Are you a good "shifter" or do you grind the gears a lot... If you're a "grinder" then it's probably ok...
Are you using Neutral ? Stop it !
Don't use neutral while the engine is running.... It's not for that.. If you're shifting into neutral at a stop light and then grinding your way into first when the light changes... There's your metal...
I think I'd change it and come back in a few thousand miles and look at it again...
The only time any of my bikes are running in neutral is when they're being tuned...
The only other time they're in neutral is if they're being pushed around the shop prior to being worked on.. Otherwise they stay in gear.....
I would never even think about pushing the start button unless the clutch is pulled in...
Even if I was working on it and I "Thought" it was in neutral... Sometimes that light will lie to you...I've trained myself to have that clutch pulled in...
Yes, Your riding style can greatly affect the amount of metal you see on the trans plug..
John
I agree with most of what you write, but there is no harm to a transmission leaving it it neutral when stopped with the engine idling.
The weakest link of almost every standard shift vehicle I have owned is the throw-out bearing, also called the release bearing and a few other names. Running the engine for long periods of time with the clutch disengaged can put a lot of stress on the throw-out bearing. I never run long periods with the clutch pulled in, I shift into neutral.
There are safety considerations if you are stopped at a light that may warrant staying in gear, but from a purely mechanical perspective there is simply no reason to do so. If you are losing a lot of metal shifting into 1st gear, then you either have a clutch problem that needs to be repaired or a poor technique that needs to be corrected.
As to the OPs pictures, it is hard to tell from the pictures, but it does appear to be a lot of metal, although if this is the first time the oil has been changed, maybe it isn't so bad. The bigger question is whether the metal is very fine or large flakes. The magetic field can align a fine metal powder such that it looks like long flakes of metal so you need to rub the metal between your fingers to see what its composition is.
If it has large flakes in it, then you likely have a problem. If this is just a magetically aligned paste of fine metal, then I wouldn't worry too much.