Top end or Bottom?

farkum · 05-02-2007, 10:52 AM

I noticed yesterday riding home that there was a really slight tick in the motor. As soon as I pulled in my driveway (1 mile later) I put the bike in neutral and revved it up a little. Sure enough I could hear a tick that wasn't real loud but was loud enough that it shouldn't be there. My questions is should I be looking at valves, bearings, tranny maybe? If I had to guess it would be the top end but I want to be sure before I pull the head off. Also does the engine need to be out of the bike to get the head off? It looks as though I will have just barely enough clearance to get the valve cover off on the bike but I am not sure.

Veefer97 · 05-02-2007, 12:36 PM

Could be a cam chain tensioner gone bad. Use a stetoscope to isolate noise.

gboezio · 05-02-2007, 01:46 PM

Tick, tick, tick... check the valve lash first and +1 on a stethoscope or rest your ear on a screwdriver and try to isolate the noise.
Unlikely bottom end. Klunk, klunk, klunk...$$$$$$$

farkum · 05-02-2007, 08:19 PM

Anyone know if I can get the valve cover off the bike without dropping the motor out? I am kinda stuck until I get the valve cover off. FYI the noise is definitely the top end, just cant tell if its valves or valve chain.

BIGJOSH · 05-02-2007, 11:13 PM

yes u can, can b time consuming though, air box , carbs, tank, possibly coil packs. can be done though. how many miles on the bike? a loud valve is a happy valve. better too loose than too tight, give me some more info and ill try to help you out. could be normal valve noise and you may not even need an adjustment. as the engine warms up valve noise becomes more apperent. valve adjusments should be done by a shop considering you will need to pull the cams. i am a experienced mmi graduate and will warn u if you do it wrong you could seriously damage your engine. normally after a valve adjustment is done you will hear valve noise , because normal carbon buildup on the valves causes clearances to tighten up, the tech will loosen them back to manufacturers specs causing you to hear them "ticking", this is absolutly normal and should be nothing to worry about. you may have just got your engine hot after a good run and burned some of that carbon off, causing you to notice a sound that you didnt hear before. consult a dealership before you tear your bike down and cause yourself a bunch of un-needed work. most techs can tell you just by listening to your engine and probably wont charge you. good luck

BIGJOSH · 05-02-2007, 11:22 PM

how hard do you run it? ever hit the rev limiter? all these things will be a factor in answering your problem....a ticking valve is a happy valve ....better too loose than too tight....... and vice versa for women

farkum · 05-03-2007, 10:14 AM

The bike has 20,000 miles on it. As for riding style I am not real easy on it and I noticed the noise after running 75 miles at 100+ mph. It is definitely too loud to be a normal noise but that makes me comfortable hearing its probably too loose rather than too tight. I do work for Bristow's Motorsports so I will be bringing it here and having a tech help me set the valves.