Evening all,
Confession time, these pics are actually from my 600 but since this forum has more knowledgeable people than anywhere else I thought I'd post here.

Ive just drained the oil after one trackday and noticed small metal shavings in the oil. They are magnetic and dark in colour. Pics are below, click for larger version. Are these likely to be from gears and dogs from clutchless changes or should i be panicing?

Cheers james

Tbh dependant on engine id say thats normal wear and tear, if your worried drop the sump and inspect further.

another trick to try is drop a telescopic magnet usually about £1 on ebay, down the filler hole and through the sump and see if you can find anything else. What 600 engine is it. If its a cbr they have a strainer on the pickup and could be some in that, again youll need the sump off.

id be more worried about the penny you found tbh

Its not often i laugh out loud at a forum reply...

Thanks both. Its a zx6r. I actually drained the oil to investigate some transmission noise in neutral that goes away when the clutch is pulled. I'm hoping is just clutch noise but wanted to check transmission bearings in case. I'll drop the sump and check it's not full of ball bearings next weekend but hoping like you say its just one of those things.

The sad thing is if I posted this on a zx6 forum it'd just get 5 people telling me `That shit's complicated, go to a dealer.'

The small amount of metal shavings is nothing to worry about, kawasakis are the worst bike for clutch basket rattle on tickover.

Let me guess you missed a few gear changes and it went yelled at you when you tried to force it in there with no clutch or with still some throttle and loading on the gearbox.

The big bit looks like the peak of a gear, also they are dark in color, probably steel. I would be pulling it apart.

kevprojex wrote:The small amount of metal shavings is nothing to worry about, kawasakis are the worst bike for clutch basket rattle on tickover.

I agree with Kev, I believe he used to or still does track a ZXR? Perhaps it was a 7R?

They do rattle like fook with their clutches.

That wear looks most likely to me from clutch and gear dogs.

Are you clutchless changes smooth or are they like hammering a square peg into a round hole?

Maybe a quick-shifter would aid you?

If the gears are still engaging ok and not jumping out then apart from confirming it by taking it apart you wont' be able to do much unless you replace the gears.. if it's still working ok just be a bit more careful with it :)

It's upto you for peace of mind to determine if it really is gear wear.

have these been removed from a magnetic sump plug ? was there a reason you changed the oil after just one track day ?
to be this is normal for around 1000 - 2000 road miles, however owning a 916 this is actually quite normal. we worry far more when we see chrome flakes in our oil - impending rocker failure =$$

Seriously, do another couple of trackdays, rinse and repeat, it could just be swarf not removed after the last change and i wouldnt be losing sleep over that.

Thanks all.

It shifts fine - clutchless changes upwards are silky smooth and I always clutch-shift down. The oil has been in for only one trackday but I guess there could well be more in the sump - maybe it's there from the previous owner.

The bits came out in the oil rather than on a magnetic plug. I drained it as I was worried about transmission noise in neutral but people keep telling me that's just a kawasaki clutch basket thing. (still not sure why a clutch should be noisier when firmly clamped than when the plates are loose but never mind - wouldn't get a honda doing that .

Having done a bit more reading it does sound like slivers usually come from the square corners of the dogs. The gears being permanently meshed are less likely to chip. I'll clean the sump out anyway (and save for a quickshifter), then I'll know if it's still doing it.

Cheers,
james.