SEM - Scanning Electron Microscope EDS - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS/EDX) Basically, when combined, they enable precise material identification and a highly magnified image of the debris surface, to help quickly identify where the debris came from in the machine, and if its release is from normal, or abnormal, operation. Generally quite expensive and requires the involvement of a boffin in a while lab coat.
If its magnetic its iron, fizzy with a drop of acid its aluminium, shiny chrome plating. Non magnetic and a bit dull then probably bearing metal. Or in my case, bit of gold and its bottom end shells
Nothing wrong with taking advice. You just have to know what is the correct advice and what isn't. I have no solution to that problem. Well, only to go to Spain. Thirty years since I last went, maybe. Or it might be more. The first one was on a Honda CX500 - maybe 1980-ish. I went there maybe 20 years ago by plane to . . . . Can't remember. That it! It was Denia! Dunno what the airport would of been, Bristol to . . . . Does Alicante have an airport?
Sorry. European travel is the only subject to interest me now. After Spain on the CX500 that always let me down. It was a puncture in Spain on the first day and then cam-chain after cam-chain in the years after, in the UK. Then, I got my first Ducati. A Darmah SD the was brilliant and then we started going to the Bol at the Paul Ricard circuit, Not that the the Ducati was brilliantly reliable. I remember Mr Sprag-Clutch retiring once at the Bol. That time, me and a mate in a Suzi gs750 (I think it was ) tode all the way back to the ferry port (Dunkirk, mebbe) in one go. Got a freight ferry back that left France maybe 2am and got into wherever it was at around six in the morning. God, I was tired! As well as maybe a couple of Bols, I did a European tour of maybe France, Germany (to see my younger brother who was living over there) and then Austria, Italy and back to France. I think on that one, I got done for Speeding by the Austrians. You just opened your wallet and they helped themselves, but that was it, Done. Finished. Forgotten! One day, I would like to do another European adventure by bike, but the trouble is that I don't think that I could just shrug off the tiredness like I used to.
Had similar with my Monster (twice!). This; Turned out to be a knackered bearing on the gearbox shaft; Obviously engine needs to be split to change it. Then a few years later, I had a gearbox failure where the 6th gear shed some teeth so, another engine split for a new gearbox; With the gearbox failure it was obvious something was wrong as it was banging and cracking in 6th gear and, even pulling away in 1st was a problem but with the bearing failure there were no noticeable symptoms other than the bits in the oil. Good luck.
Maybe worth dissecting the oil filter? When the gearbox bearing failed on mine (as per above picture), there was also plenty of debris that didn't get stuck to the magnet and the oil filter was fairly choked up with shards. The amount of metal on your magnet looks excessive for just normal wear and tear, IMO.
