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I was riding my bike about 20 hrs after having a case half repaired/welded and replacing the top end when the engine started making a terrible clanky noise. It would start and run but sounded like a harsh metal on metal tapping that you could feel through the pegs and handlebars. When I took the bottom end apart there was probably half a handful of rubbery black plastic bits all inside the engine but mainly around the plastic filters. After looking through diagram after diagram I just have no idea where these bits wouldve originated. All cam chain components are intact and undamaged as well as the stator and all the little plastic tube filters. Has anyone else had a similar issue? 
Are they solid like plastic or have some squish to them like rubber?
@Rickyisms its squishy rubbery for sure not super hard plastic like a cam chain slider but not like tire soft rubber either
I know you stated you did a top end, but did you also do the bottom after the case repair or did someone else?
After 100 plus hours on my 21 i had tiny amounts of these every oil change. Lookked through diagrams and couldnt work out the culprit oring or such.
i had 1-3 every change. Always worried me but never had a problem in the end. Yours is pretty bad hey
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Thanks for the response! The case halves were apart to repair the one but the only engine components that have been replaced are the piston, camchain, and top end gaskets. The bottom end just gets glued back together and all the bearings and the crank were/are in good working order.
This is a first in 120 hrs on this engine that I have seen anything! Thanks for the response
I even cut my oil filter open often but never in there. Same as oil screen tube, never in that either. Weird
Clutch Basket / Gear 'Cush' rubbers breaking up, perhaps?
came here to say that. Probably the rubbers on the clutch basket.
Did it have any kind of rubber down here where I circled to help direct oil flow?
If you zoom in, you can see some of those pieces in there.
Do you think it was the rubbers that come with a new clutch you mean? Like not something that was supposed to be in there
It was all up in everywhere
I don't know the KX450 intimately, but, my assumption is that it has a clutch basket - and Not a one piece basket and gear unit like KTMs etc - with the riveted on retention plate that covers the primary gear and the captive 'cushion' rubbers that absorb shocks to the gearbox train.
They, to my knowledge, are rarely shown or sold as a separate OEM part. I've got them through Hinson when putting in a new basket, for one example of a source for such parts.
To see what I'm referring to, go to say, Hinson's web site and look up instructions for their Clutch Basket replacement process.
They are the only source of so much rubber that you have shown inside your engine that I know of.
You'd want to be Extremely thorough in making sure there are No rubber particles in Any of the engines oil passages or 'jets' before rebuilding the engine!
Any plastic gears in the Kx engine?
Very odd Is there anything plastic/rubber to cushion anything up in the cam area?
How is the valve cover gasket? Thats kind of what the material looks like it could possibly be.
Just did my oil and only 1 medium sized and a few tiny ones.
Gotta be from the clutch damper pucks.
Its not from cam guides or gasket. I have replaced the clutch basket collets the screws bolt through, as the belleville washer wore slots in them. But nothing inside the engine is this hard rubber material.
Pit Row
No I dont believe so
Do you have a picture or diagram of what you are referencing? I cannot seem to find the part number on Rocky Mountain OEM diagram.
You won't be able to purchase them from kawasaki, they use a pressed pin to attach the cushions to the basket. As you can see in this aftermarket proX basket, they use screws to attach them. The cushions wear out over time, especially under hard clutch use. Look on the back of your basket and I'm betting yours are almost all gone.
https://hinsonracing.com/p20594-cushion-kit-2023-kx450
This is an example (generic pic I would assume on Hinson site) of the 'Cushion Rubbers' if that's what you are asking about - as I wrote, it's rare that you can get them as an OEM Part number. This is the info you can find easily, if it Is the source of so much rubber in your original posts.
That was it I found them all up in the back of the clutch basket.
Is it one chewed out or all of them? Curious
Im going to open it up today and ill take a pic but it appears from the amount of play in the gear that they are all gone.
Any chance there was some odd ball motor oil at one time?
Any chance it was left dry and stored in a hot shed or Sea-train?
Strange, what could cause that?
Make sure you blow out all your oil passages.
Well there we go! Just chewed itself to pieces.
I bought it new and used bel ray thumper its whole life. My buddy thought it may be because I tend to ride a gear high and lug the bike quite a bit to smooth out the power. Its stored in a garage. Im thinking they just built this one on friday personally. Thanks for the response!
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