I think I've asked this before (drive line lash)

[GoldOxide_imp]

Hi Bob, the "play" you refer to is the engagement space between the "dogs" and the gearwheels, some of which are moving sideways on splines and others are stationary on the shaft.

The space "lash" between the dogs and the slots they engage in is required because the time involved to move the gearwheels sideways whilst rotating past each other, if there was no or very little space "lash" it would be a hard task to get the dogs to engage in the slots, so it's a compromise between easy shifting and gear "lash".

Some dogs have more teeth than others ( time for a joke here ) and the "lash" would be different for different gears, to try this out you could put the cb1100 on the centerstand and shift through some gears with the engine off to check the wheel for play by hand in the different gear positions.

The crankshaft is directly geared to the clutch and the clutch plates are engaged and together with the primary shaft and gears become part of the " flywheel ", so no play there.
The gear wheels themselves have minimal play on the splined shafts and the chain has some effect as have the rubber transmission dampers in the rear wheel, you can check those by moving the wheel back and forth in gear and look at the play between the outer and inner parts of the rear wheel hub ( the space behind the sprocket ), there should be minimal play there.

Here is a video that shows the inner workings and shortcomings of the gearbox and may provide some appreciation as to the delicate parts of the drum-shifter system;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nZjbMyIo8I

and another;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0mtwcaoXDo

Personally i tend to ride in second or third gear and freewheel with the clutch pulled in when the shudder becomes a bit much, it also sounds better for any " spectators ".

Also be aware thet the chain tightens some when you sit on the bike, if there is not enough play ( if i can push the chain up to just touch the end of the plastic guide i am happy ) the chain will tension up hard and wear out in a remarkable short time, hope this helps some

Nice video references.