Loud knocking coming from lower in the engine

[SupaFly98]

My 09 250r is making extremely loud knocking noises while riding. It does matter what speed I am going, the knocking is there but seems to get worse at higher speeds. Around town, I am pretty sure the noise is louder than the exhaust.

I have tried to troubleshoot as much as I can while riding. From what I have noticed, it does not happen while idling or revving in neutral. The noise goes away if the clutch is pulled. If the clutch is pulled just very slightly, the noise still goes away. This can even be done at highway speeds and there is no noise at all.

The only thing I have gathered that seems like it could be my issue is from this post, https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35672.

I pulled my clutch and basket out today. If the basket is on the gear where it sits, I can move the clutch basket about half an inch either way. The backside of the basket only has 3 rivets and has springs whereas this post has 5-6 rivets and no springs. I don't want to drill those out to find out that there are no dampers in the 08+ bikes.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Motofool]

Welcome, LaSean !!!

That thread is about the clutch of Ninja 250 fabricated previous to 2008; for that reason, it does not apply to your bike.

Nothing should move 1/2" in any direction in the clutch assembly.
If somebody worked on that clutch, perhaps the nut that anchors it to the crankshaft is now loose.
Otherwise, one or more parts may need to be replaced.