Why Do I Hear Scraping When Shifting to 2nd Gear?

What does it mean when you hear a scraping sound while shifting a powersports vehicle from 1st gear into 2nd gear? You'll probably have to split open the crankcase and take a look at the clutch.

Partzilla’s powersports expert John Talley hosts live Q&A sessions on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern. In this session, John was asked what could be causing a scraping noise when shifting an unspecified machine into second gear. 

2nd Gear Shift Scraping Sound Q&A

What does it mean when you shift into 2nd gear and you hear a scraping sound? It only does it when I shift from 1st to 2nd gear.

John Talley: Typically that tells me that the teeth that are trying to engage are starting to get rounded on the edges. Instead of just locking straight in, they’re grinding. Unfortunately, that’s probably what’s happening on your machine. Instead of it just shifting and locking in and letting out the clutch, they’re starting to get worn on those teeth where those dogs engage, and that’s what you’re hearing as far as the scraping sound goes. So that means it’s time to split open the crankcase on whatever machine you’re riding. 

Watch the video below to learn about how powersports vehicle clutches work.

Watch the video below to learn about the differences between a wet clutch and a dry clutch.

Watch the video below to learn about how to inspect a CVT clutch system.

Want to see more live repair questions answered? See more motorcycle and ATV repair questions answered here.