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Shortly after leaving for work this morning noticed a nasty ticking/rattling noise from the general vicinity of the engine. Rises and falls with revs.

Immediate thought is it's probably some sort of camchain related issue, but...

I have been riding it most days over the last couple of weeks and haven't noticed anything until today. I would have thought the camchain would go loose quite slowly?

Today has been a hell of a lot colder than last week, and it's suddenly started making noises. Any connection?

Anyone got any ideas?

D

I cold seized my race bike a year ago and nipped a piston up and i was told it could be cam chain but it nipped the piston up still run okay but it would have destroyed it self

Check the clutch pull the lever in does it go

Could it be valve clearences when were they last checked

Do you know if the engine was warm enough to ride

I think now its cold more people need to pay more attention to the temperture gauge

Use duct tape its easy just stick it on

Hope fully you havent nipped a piston up you will know it will get louder like the valve clearences need doing the tapping will get louder just pull over or start up at home and hold it at 4 thous on the rev and see what happens in the way of sound

Good luck hope you get it sorted
Keep us posted

Haven't had time to run it and have a proper look since - it's dark when I get home from work and we were away last weekend.

It's not clutch rattle.

Valve clearances haven't been done since I bought it in January (about 3000 miles ago), but i'm fairly sure the garage I bought it from did them just before - might email them and check.

What's really confusing me is that it was fine on the Friday, sat in the garage over the weekend then was rattling on the way to work on monday.

I'll have another look on friday afternoon (finishing at lunchtime is great isn't it!)

mine rattled, cos of my new crash bungs needed a extra washer and that incresaed with revs and sounds like it coming from engine. u havet got any crash bungs have u?

long shot i know, but could save u alot of hassel

nah i don't - keep meaning to get some though.

i'll have the fairing off on friday, get it properly warmed up (possibly with the aid of duck tape) and go for a ride. See if I can work out where it's coming from.

is it a loud tinny rattle?
i had this happen to me. my bike was ok, then on my way to work one night it started rattling. it was quite loud and tinny, and went up and down with the revs.
at first i thought it was something to do with the valves, but when i took the engine out and stripped it it is my big end bearing that has gone on no2 piston.
it could be that on yours. i sure hope not though as its a big job to sort.

took the fairing off, warmed it up properly and it's still ticking away.

I'm fairly sure it's coming from the right hand side of the engine, so camchain seems to be the most likely suspect.

The next question is whether it's the chain itself or the tensioner.

D'oh

After posting the last message, went out and fired it up again, and decided to give it another run round the block. Managed to forget that I had looped a chain through the back wheel. Result - one bent chain guard.

I hang my head in shame

There is a used tensioner on eBay at the minute, might be a cheap way of checking yours?

Nick.

As a bit of a long overdue update, I've since had the cam tensioner out and started meaningfully at it. It seems to work and to have plenty of travel left in it.

Finally managed to get it back in the engine (anyone else noticed their tensioner is nothing like the one in the manual?) and the rattle remains.

So my suspicion now falls on the valve clearances, and I have a couple of questions -

- How easy is it to check the clearances yourself?

- How much should I be looking at to get a garage to check and adjust as necessary for me?

D

Would think it was that much, a few hours for labour and any parts they need. You cant adjust the clearances, the valves are shim over bucket type. What you have to do is replace the shim for a different size one if the clearance is too big.

yeah i know.

I would describe 'taking one shim out and replacing it with a different sized one' as 'adjusting'

time to get it booked in then...

It's going into Pidcock's in Derby on Saturday to be done some time next week.

valve clearances are frily easy allthough shims are more irritating as you have to get hold of the giraffe things in jsut the right size.