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Posted

Perhaps it is my reading comprehension that needs work. 

Detonation is not likely at idle, it is more common under load.

My bad.

Posted

Haha, maybe I was unclear as well.

The rattle is at IDLE as well as at REVS.

Also, the rattle is there under light load as wel (cruising around).

 

It indeed is a sound that started a while ago and is slowly increasing in how often it is present and it is becoming louder. I'll have an extremely good look at the exhaust headers for cracks, but I'd be very surprised to find one.

Posted

It is hard to imagine what, internal to the drive train, would rattle both at idle and under load. Throw out bearing? Does the sound at idle change with the clutch pulled in or out?

 

The idea keeps bringing me back to something "attached" to the motor/ driveline: side stand, steering damper, sub-frames, center exhaust hanger, exhaust pipe clamps . . .

Posted

So at least this has bugged me enough to find what's rattling at idle on MY bike! My rectifier is mounted in front between two horns. One horn is mounted close enough to contact the rectifier at just the right rpm. Makes a nasty rattle. I think the horn bowl amplifies it. Fixed in seconds. I hope yours is as easy a fix.

  • Like 2
Posted

If you are running the stock crossover, it may be the internals have worked themselves loose and are rattling around. I recall an older thread about a intermittent rattle that drove the owner crazy until he discovered the source in the crossover...

  • Like 1
Posted

I was going to suggest a cracked baffle inside the crossover, same as JBBenson. Cracked sheet metal parts can make a fierce noise under vibration with the tiniest movement, and often you can't see the cause. You can only detect it when you prod, squeeze, or deform the part.

FootGoose's rattle is a similar example of a weird noise that you can find by poking and prodding.

To relieve your concern about whether you should run the engine any more, you could remove the sump oil drain plug and look for metal on the magnet. Lots of fur on the magnet could tell you that something is breaking up inside.

By the way, that's a nice looking bike.

  • Like 1
Posted

Anything that's external should be locatable by close inspection with the engine running?

 

My V11's mounting of the 'side stand stop rubber', touching the exhaust, caused a fierce irregular metallic rattle. Took me a while to find out.

Posted

I eventually traced my rattle to the headlight... That too sounded like it was coming from the engine when riding.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Sorry for not replying, I moved house and was busy otherwise (unpacking boxes etc), did not have a chance to look at the bike :notworthy: .

 

(....)
To relieve your concern about whether you should run the engine any more, you could remove the sump oil drain plug and look for metal on the magnet. Lots of fur on the magnet could tell you that something is breaking up inside.
By the way, that's a nice looking bike.

 

 

Thanks! I looked around for anything on the outside, but the sound really sounds like coming from inside the engine. Yesterday evening I dropped the sump, as any metal fur doesn't have to be magnetic. I checked the magnet and the sump oil filter, but did not find any metal. I did find a lot of sludge and some water, but the bike is parked in a cold shed and hasn't run in a month, so that doesn't surprise me. I did find GREY sludge (I'm used to it being white/yellow-ish, like mayonnaise), is that normal? Here's a picture:

 

Sludge.jpg

 

Anyone seen something like that?

My plan is to install an oil pressure gauge (it could start to rattle due to low oil pressure). If that's OK, I'll just ignore the rattle and drive it until something breaks :grin: 
 

Posted

I don't know but it looks like "sludge".  I don't like it.  Can you clean the pan , refill it with oil , ride it for an hour , remove the pan & inspect the pan again ?

  What are your riding habits ? Time , distance , etc....

Posted

I don't know but it looks like "sludge".  I don't like it.  Can you clean the pan , refill it with oil , ride it for an hour , remove the pan & inspect the pan again ?

  What are your riding habits ? Time , distance , etc....

 

The amount of sludge/water in the oil doesn't surprise me, it has been sitting in a cold (it goes up to +/- 10deg C nowadays here) and somewhat moist shed for more than a month.

My normal riding habits are at least an hour, often 2-3hrs to a day, but only once every 2 weeks or so. Sometimes more, depends on the weater.

I usually cover 100-300km per drive.

 

What would be the benefit of the above check? I just put clean oil in there, I don't really feel like pulling the sump again just so I can verify the sludge will be gone... It's an aircooled engine, the sludge will be gone after an hours drive anyway....

Posted

Sorry for not replying, I moved house and was busy otherwise (unpacking boxes etc), did not have a chance to look at the bike :notworthy: .

 

(....)

To relieve your concern about whether you should run the engine any more, you could remove the sump oil drain plug and look for metal on the magnet. Lots of fur on the magnet could tell you that something is breaking up inside.

By the way, that's a nice looking bike.

 

 

Thanks! I looked around for anything on the outside, but the sound really sounds like coming from inside the engine. Yesterday evening I dropped the sump, as any metal fur doesn't have to be magnetic. I checked the magnet and the sump oil filter, but did not find any metal. I did find a lot of sludge and some water, but the bike is parked in a cold shed and hasn't run in a month, so that doesn't surprise me. I did find GREY sludge (I'm used to it being white/yellow-ish, like mayonnaise), is that normal? Here's a picture:

 

Sludge.jpg

 

Anyone seen something like that?

My plan is to install an oil pressure gauge (it could start to rattle due to low oil pressure). If that's OK, I'll just ignore the rattle and drive it until something breaks :grin: 

 

Looks like aluminium paste based sludge.

 

Ciao

Posted

Looks like aluminium paste based sludge.

 

 

Ciao

 

 

 

Indeed it does, but... which moving parts are made of aluminium?

Also: I installed a new chain and Stucci type tensioner. Could it just be running-in material from the tensioner? I only know the gray matter is not magnetic and you can't feel any particles when you run it through your fingers or put it on a cloth.

Posted

When you had the push rods out to check the ends did you also check that they were straight and the rods had no rub marks on them from the push rod tunnels?

Ciao 

Posted

When you had the push rods out to check the ends did you also check that they were straight and the rods had no rub marks on them from the push rod tunnels?

Ciao 

Good idea. 

I still have a hard time imagining the noise they would make though.. and why it would start getting louder.

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