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Keeway Superlight 125 Rattles in third gear


KingMilk8
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Hi,


Im new to the forums so please excuse me if i mess anything up!


Ive had a keeway superlight 125 for a year now, its a 2015 LTD model and had around 7500 miles on it.


On my way home from work last night i shifted up to third gear from second as ive done probably thousands of times..

and it made this ungodly rattling noise! (The type of rattle you get going up a rollercoaster?) i thought my chain had dropped but

it was absolutely fine, my engine oil was low so ive drained it and topped it up, it still persists.


Now, the gearing works absolutely fine, it doesnt slip in or out of gear, it doesnt lose power or skip revs or anything,

it runs like it always has. It has been looked after and serviced etc, on my way to work that day there was no noise or anything

so its strange that it has just came out of nowhere,


today after work i will strip it down and see if maybe the drive gear has knocked a tooth or two out somehow? otherwise im lost!


if anyone has any idea please let me know!


Many thanks, Jan.

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Does it only make the noise changing UP to 3rd gear from 2nd? Or changing DOWN to 3rd from 4th too?


From your description it sounds like something's misaligned inside the gearbox and slightly dragging against a gear on the output shaft -

could be a bent selector fork??

Or possibly even just a worn out detent spring allowing some imprecise movements if the gear change mechanism??


I'm no expert, but that's my guess

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You're going to remove the barrel and split the cases because you heard a noise that has now gone away ? Sounds a bit drastic surely ? I'd have a good look for external causes first . Maybe it was a stone or piece of debris wedged in the chain guard for instance . I'm just saying don't rush in until you have ruled out the simpler explanation .

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Does it only make the noise changing UP to 3rd gear from 2nd? Or changing DOWN to 3rd from 4th too?


From your description it sounds like something's misaligned inside the gearbox and slightly dragging against a gear on the output shaft -

could be a bent selector fork??

Or possibly even just a worn out detent spring allowing some imprecise movements if the gear change mechanism??


I'm no expert, but that's my guess

 

Hi Winston,


its a constant noise just in third gear, i can shift up to 3rd and down from 4th to 3rd fine, it doesn't lose much power, but as i accelerate the knocking sound gets faster and louder, it STOPS when i pull in the clutch??? I know only the basic mechanical facts about bikes but i will look further into it, im going to strip the sides down tonight and see if there is any debris or anything in the chain or in the way of it.

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You're going to remove the barrel and split the cases because you heard a noise that has now gone away ? Sounds a bit drastic surely ? I'd have a good look for external causes first . Maybe it was a stone or piece of debris wedged in the chain guard for instance . I'm just saying don't rush in until you have ruled out the simpler explanation .

 

Hi Bob,


The noise is still there, as i said to winston, i will check for any debris tonight and hopefully fingers crossed figure out the problem, its strange as it is only in third gear! so maybe winston was correct in the fact that something has misaligned or something, but yeah if you can suggest things to check that could cause the problem let me know ill do it tonight and will report back!

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You're going to remove the barrel and split the cases because you heard a noise that has now gone away ? Sounds a bit drastic surely ? I'd have a good look for external causes first . Maybe it was a stone or piece of debris wedged in the chain guard for instance . I'm just saying don't rush in until you have ruled out the simpler explanation .

 

Hi Bob,


The noise is still there, as i said to winston, i will check for any debris tonight and hopefully fingers crossed figure out the problem, its strange as it is only in third gear! so maybe winston was correct in the fact that something has misaligned or something, but yeah if you can suggest things to check that could cause the problem let me know ill do it tonight and will report back!

 

Oh , I see . I wasn't aware that the noise had returned . I was basing my reply on your first post . I hope you get it sorted but it's now looking like a gearbox issue particularly if it's only occuring in one gear . Good luck .

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There is another option ....

 

See, thats what i was thinking myself, but the bikes worth only around £1000 :? but even just a used engine off ebay or something costs around 300, along with £4-500 installation costs so it comes to roughly the same amount. If this is the case i should prepare to say goodbye to her :(


However, hypothetically, if i sell my bike, considering that it runs absolutely fine, do i list it like 300-400 less than the average price, or do i just list it for parts and scraps? As i dont want to sell it to someone and they will come back saying its broken and faulty, i would of course let them know and show them the faults but yeah any suggestions?

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£4-500 for installation! Someone’s having you on. Or they really mean they just don’t want to do it.

 

Yeah my nearest bike mechanic said that stripping the engine and bike will at least cost me £400 to do :/ what would a reasonable price for this be?

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Installation costs ? It's only a few bolts and an electrical connection . Just unbolt everything , take a few photos , and bolt in the new engine . This is only difficult if you believe it's difficult . Just get on with it, mechanics are made and not born .

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Installation costs ? It's only a few bolts and an electrical connection . Just unbolt everything , take a few photos , and bolt in the new engine . This is only difficult if you believe it's difficult . Just get on with it, mechanics are made and not born .

 

well damn, that was quite inspirational to be honest! now im considering getting a used engine and doing it myself!

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Installation costs ? It's only a few bolts and an electrical connection . Just unbolt everything , take a few photos , and bolt in the new engine . This is only difficult if you believe it's difficult . Just get on with it, mechanics are made and not born .

 

well damn, that was quite inspirational to be honest! now im considering getting a used engine and doing it myself!

 

That's the spirit ! If you get stuck , put some pics in the projects section and we will talk you through it . Have a look at my ER5 engine swap thread .

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I'm probably being incredible ignorant here, but why replace the engine if the problem is in the gearbox? Surely it's a relatively cheap repair to fit another set of gears.

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I'm probably being incredible ignorant here, but why replace the engine if the problem is in the gearbox? Surely it's a relatively cheap repair to fit another set of gears.

 

I'm no expert at all in terms of mechanical issues, I know basic knowledge and i did have a look at the cost of the gear, which is just around £12, but the installation i believe will still cost a hefty amount considering they have to strip the entire bike and engine to replace a single gear. But thats all i know, i could be wrong so please correct me if so! :)

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I'm probably being incredible ignorant here, but why replace the engine if the problem is in the gearbox? Surely it's a relatively cheap repair to fit another set of gears.

 

Might be cheaper but this is not an easy job for a novice . The bike has a vertically split crank case which would require the top end to come off as well . There could be special tools to buy such as a flywheel puller and a torque wrench and you would need specialist sealant and a full gasket set . You would need to understand about timing chains and tensioners etc. etc. Don't get me wrong , the first job I ever tackled was replacing a sheared kickstart shaft on a CB 175 so I'm not saying don't have a go . It's just easier sometimes to regard the whole engine as a single component and swap it out . You can always work on the original engine at your leisure and then flog that on eBay or keep it as a spare .

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Just burn the whole fooking bike and be done with it , then go buy a new one :thumb:

 

I have expressed my opinion of the Keeway Superlight elsewhere on this forum . 😉

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Having a spare, and already knackered engine, is a brilliant way to get going on learning about mechanical things. Just taking it to bits will teach you more than you'll learn in dozens of classes.


Taking rusty minis to bits was how I got going.

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Just burn the whole fooking bike and be done with it , then go buy a new one :thumb:

 

I have expressed my opinion of the Keeway Superlight elsewhere on this forum . 😉

 


This could be your fire damaged winter project bob :thumb:

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Just burn the whole fooking bike and be done with it , then go buy a new one :thumb:

 

I have expressed my opinion of the Keeway Superlight elsewhere on this forum . 😉

 


This could be your fire damaged winter project bob :thumb:

 

I guess I could rip off all the junk and convert one back into a CG125 . 😆

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Just burn the whole fooking bike and be done with it , then go buy a new one :thumb:

 

I have expressed my opinion of the Keeway Superlight elsewhere on this forum . 😉

 

haha dont get me wrong, i agree, its not the best bike in the world, but after my sticky accident its all i had money for at the time, and all that was available in my area, its done me well for a year! It does have its ups and downs but most importantly it gets me from A to B.

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