We investigate a relative rotation system with backlash and dry friction. Firstly, the corresponding nonsmooth characters are discussed by the differential inclusion theory, and the analytic conditions for stick and nonstick motions are developed to understand the motion switching mechanism. Based on such analytic conditions of motion switching, the influence of the maximal static friction torque and the driving torque on the stick motion is studied. Moreover, the sliding time bifurcation diagrams, duty cycle figures, time history diagrams, and the K-function time history diagram are also presented, which confirm the analytic results. The methodology presented in this paper can be applied to predictions of motions in nonsmooth dynamical systems.