Went out blasting about today. Came down an off ramp to a stoplight. There was a clacking/tapping sound that seemed on the right side of the bike, as if something were hitting a little. In neutral, the sound increased- decreased with RPM. Oil, etc all showed ok.

Waited for green, and acceled gently to next light, 150 yards away. Tapping was gone and did not return for short return home, 1 1/5 mile and several lights.

I recently put on, 400 miles ago, the extended arms on the lockup clutch gadget from Dave in Fla. I plan on removing side cover and checking into that, but are there any other things I should also consider?

I threw a variable or 2 over there at the pond for you, JD.

Right side? Clutch lockup? Fiber plate blowing chunk under #4 piston skirt? See, something like that we think extreme parts causing calamity or it's just a hot run with a few parts growing or how hard in the extreme do I think you take yours? I lift at all rpm ranges and never hear a tick as if to think there is a cam chain problem due to oil pressure, ratchet adjuster, family of tensioners > Barking a tick under my helmet. I've never heard such a quiet specimen idling under 900 rpm and this was just the other day, warming up the 02 gadget.

Are we, dead stop drag racing, burning clutch out kind of lockup practice? Are we running 3 or 4 water bars, heading down that ramp? Are we cooking with a PC, no flies, air cleaner mods, no stock pipe and all the other gadgets that go along with it?

400 miles ago means nothing we pull plate and find out. We run hard, see how soft the head is, 1bad throws in a set of springs? There wasn't a time I didn't miss a time to set the valve lash UP for the next race, knowing how soft the seats and valves were [way back when].

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Hub,

Thanks, I saw. Tomorrow I'll take it for a 120 mile plus ride in the morning and see what pops out! Then remove the clutch cover and peak -n- change the oil. Never had this sound, and gone right after changing N to 1st then 2nd gear -n- back to N by the next stop light. I thinking one of the clutch lockup arms...

* Last updated by: JDC on 3/15/2010 @ 4:09 PM *

I would be concerned about that tick she starts up cold with it still there. Instead, pop the oil fill cap. Take a sniff. If that is clean sweet smelling oil at the hole, or you smell exhausty but the sweet smell is still there at the cap, you would think it is not that burny type smell like, it overpowers the sweet oil smell. With that quick check, it is either burnt or sweet smelling. What does she smell like, not to get personal or anything.

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No tick when it first starts up. This sound only came after a hard ride on ramp to the highway, highway, and then exiting some miles later at the stop. In neutral... hum or maybe in 1st with clutch in. now I can't recall, but the sound was gone by the next light, and as I sat at the first light, increased the RPM, clatter happened faster.

I'm going out for another ride in a few minutes. and I will check the oil smell before I start the bike up. I don't know if my smeller is sensitive enough to detect much of any change.

* Last updated by: JDC on 3/15/2010 @ 5:45 PM *

now you see what happens when you listen to kruz .. tic tac tic tac

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Badzx14r

now you see what happens when you listen to kruz .. tic tac tic tac

lol

Took it back out for about 30 minutes, 15 mins on highway at fast run ups and then quick speed drops, off and on ramps.. stop lights, nothing.

Back as quiet as it has been these past two years, when starting, warm, hot and all.

Now, that tapping/clatter/rattle is not the normal quiet tics and taps form the engine, etc. It was clearly something new, very noticeable and noisy, which I have never heard. At 1050 idle, it was not tapping that fast. The tap had a 'double' sound/tap/clatter to it, almost like something had come loose, and occured maybe twice a sec, if that fast.

I'm going to check out the lock-up tomorrow as I change the oil. With the clatter I heard I'd think if it was the lockup arm it was tapping against something as it went around.

* Last updated by: JDC on 3/15/2010 @ 8:10 PM *

jdc i can tell you this that when my 1st engine went it tic like a loose valve .. the very next time i went on boost it fried a piston and ate the cases .. when you change oil do a compression check . also if the oil is murky gray in color thats bad ..

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JDC: The tap had a 'double' sound/tap/clatter to it, almost like something had come loose, and occured maybe twice a sec, if that fast.

Without standing next to the bike to listen, it is like shooting darts diagnosing a ticketea tic on the net. Ear we go again chasing a noise. Wouldn't you cancel out the cam chain as a double click? Slap my skirt I turn direction on the slap at BDC (bottom dead center). I make a tic on the way down. As soon as I am at TDC (top dead center), here is my slap to the other side of the piston skirt, in a half second or less, I am going to tick again, cause and effect, you at a, pre-Bad-Stage.

BADBurger:... when my 1st engine went it tic like a loose valve .. the very next time i went on boost it fried a piston

Staging up at the line, we have TicBurger Brains can't tell a tic-tic piston save my case from a tight, sporadic valve tick coming and going.

All I am saying is I fear tic's because I know them well, even if worroll has told me, I have "no clue about engines."

* Last updated by: Hub on 3/16/2010 @ 9:40 AM *

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I haven't been able to repeat it. 120 miles today, 30 minutes yesterday, some blasting up full PSI to speed, quiet as a mouse and what I've known.

Morning oil change and lock up check in the A.M.. This was not a tic or tap, like any auto tappit, pretty quite taps and tics.. normal. Was something more like a loose thing, or thing outta place, clatter/rattle/?, repeating 1-2 X/sec - no more, would increase some as throttle reved up a bit. Gone by next stop light. Not repeating later yesterday, nor today. Starts up perfectly. Bike is running great (until I kill it later). It is running so great just the sight of my bike by two Suzu-1K'ers scared'em away. Or maybe it was the tic!

Could'a been my face.

hah

* Last updated by: JDC on 3/16/2010 @ 8:42 PM *

evac pump maybe..

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Badzx14r,

evac pump

?

scavange u mean? Had not though of that. Will check it also.

Nope all around. Oil change and removed clutch cover. Lockup just fine, no indications of arm contact with anything-function perfectly. Checked turbo evac pump, hose connections, etc.. all tight.

Can not get it to repeat clattering.

So will wait for it to drop on me.

I think Hub was on to something here-it sounds to me like MAYBE...your factory cam chain tensioner may be malfunctioning,or somehow getting not enough continuous lubrication?That's where I would suspect.When the oil pressure went up(from increasing engine revs)you said it went away(also increased in speed with engine revs).Could be????I don't know.Intermittant clattering-guess it's possible?No shavings in your oil-no visible damage or wear in the clutch area.I'd suspect the tensioner.They can go south-though I've never seen anyone post about one failing.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/18/2010 @ 12:59 AM *

Ok, blue, that will be the thing I check out next, unless it resurfaces sooner.

Tks

... your factory cam chain tensioner may be malfunctioning

Way too many bikes with very little ticking noise to come out of one. I'm way too many times on the WOT/Lift dyno rolls where that tensioner has ever lost pressure so as to loosen up and rattle.

Did we roll out the cam sprocket on the same chain tooth, we reset shims? I'll bring up a new wear pattern saying that chain is going to make ((('funny noises'))) down the road some. Besides, a chain hums along would be a long tick, meaning, while a tick is more, on and off are the two sounds.

My AFR video has that bike moving before the oil pressure light goes out and that engine is kind of quiet and smooth sounding. I know the sync is just off song because there are a few miles clocked on it [since]. If you never hear a rattle on start up, count the tensioner out.

Something has to blow soon like, Bad said; his went the next day. The tensioner [system] I would think; is the most leaned on part and is in constant play from start up till the key fob is turned off. The other parts slip in oil, spin, as in gears/cams/crank, or slide as in skirt. The tensioner rubs.

A piston ticks. A tensioner takes time to spin 360. Say a tick happens at 180° and then 180° again. I am handcuffed to what JDC says as his descriptive text. Tick-Tick is not roll-roll-hum-hum. But say a gear tick comes around tick. Tick-tick be a piston tick. Tick-tick be a shim sounding note, tick-tick.

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So I guess what yer sayin is-I'm full of doo doo-and the hydraulic tensioner could in no way be starved for oil at all-not even "sometimes".It is holding pressure on the chain.THEREFORE-if it fails at any point(ESPECIALLY at startup,when there IS no oil pressure)the tensioner DOES NOT MAKE A PEEP-the CAM CHAIN is what's making noise.And it WILL clatter with the revolutions of the engine.I know-mine used to do it.But what the heck do I know,right.The Almighty Hub has spoken!Forget what I said JDC-I'm too dumb to understand what MY bike did.So...JDC...get ready for your engine to blow-you know,like the Master said it would.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/18/2010 @ 11:15 AM *

So I guess what yer sayin is-I'm full of doo doo

What I am saying is to listen to the person's description. Rattle-rattle is common, not tick-tick on cam chains. I've listened to engines run close to half my life and most were cam chain or multi-style chain engines.

It's hard diagnosing things over the net you do not hear the noise to confirm. I don't have to tell you how much tail chasing you did with the cam sensor without hands on to ride/hear/inspect.

If you can tell me you stood 8 hours a day adjusting cam chain tensioners or raced for 16 years with that cam chain under your ears, I bring noise experience. You bring one example that happened to you and you have all that Master Tech is I just THINK it might NOT BE a tensioner slash hum-hum if tick-tick is ticking you off, just relax, blue.

Help the guy. You put me in a situation like I told that guy not to change out his ECU because it was alright and low and behold. Yeah, blue, your bike opened up some clues me still taking a guess. Not my problem I get in the way of your diagnosis. WOT? We have to argue over trivial crap like dis?

This is fun stuff. Keep it real. I'm not here to blow poo-poo in your pants, though I've taken enough shit I open my mouth full is empty it somewhere.

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Predictable noises over and over they are so predictable are these engines. I war wit sonic and his cam tensioner way of adjusting dual chains and I come alone and experiment on your bikes is that line mechanic building that skill.

You gonna come at me with clutch and cam chain problems, I'm just saying, I never chased a tick-tick in any tensioner be it a 50cc to this 1352cc. I'm just saying.

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Did YOU read his description sir master?"not a tic like a valve lifter,but a CLATTER,like something LOOSE"Geez Hub-I'm goin by what he SAID-not what I wanted it to say.Sounds just like a cam chain too much free play to me.So I aint no tech.I'm not tryin to be.You say"help the guy"...whattaya think I'm doin?You say"expect yer engine to blow like,tomorrow".....nothin like scaring the guy shitless over his engine.You probably want him to pull the heads and check his pistons or somethin...right?I say-go for the easy one first.Anyone ask him what weight oil he's usin?. He DID explain the noise to us all-a CLATTER-NOT a tic tic tic.Geez.Cam chain noise goes CLATTER CLATTER...ON THE RIGHT SIDE of the bike-just as he described-course,your bike has never done that,so it can't possibly happen to JD.As far as tensioners go-according to you,it HAS to be adjusted(the manual ones)"every sixth race or so"-okay-I've got 30,000 fast ass miles on my bird-NEVER had to adjust the manual tensioner one time-So am I full of it,or what.As I said-I aint no tech-but MY experience with MY bike is what I share about here-if it fits someone's deal-fine.If it doesn't,okay.I might learn somethin about what "could" go wrong.My cam chain wasn't "humming along" as you put it.It was Clacking like it was ready to snap somethin.But yeah,you are right-I shouldn't let any of this get to me-everyone has a right to voice what they want and how they see things-sorry Hub-really.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/18/2010 @ 1:05 PM *

Blue, I stand corrected. He did say, 'clacking/tapping' and that too could be chain. See, you got all in a tizzy and it's my fault I'm not bent out of shape I get it wrong most of the time.
Cam chain is on the right side. Clack-tap is not a tick-tick. You did good by staying on top of the matter.

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Yeah-I hope no hard feelings Hub...honestly.Shit,I don't know what gets me sometimes.I'm probably wrong about this deal too.Gonna turn out it was his idle speed screw not fastened to the cable clip!Shit-sorry.

It's gonna turn out to be his nazel vein, you and I are going at it for nothing. Blue, you dot the i's and I cross the t's, we got the place covered. So don't let it get to ya, we have to apologize to anyone.

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Hey, I appreciate yall's feedback and ideas. I have no idea what-so-ever, and the ideas will focus me some.

I was running 10-40 synthetic when this happened. The following day changed to 10-30 M1 - that was yesterday.

Today went round trip to S. Diego, for about 260-270 miles, and ran perfectly,

If it returns or something goes bust I'll sure let you all know. If I can check that cam tension chaing thing easily, I probably will.

Yeah, it was not a tic or tap typical sound at all. I was initially sure something had broken - it was so loud - but the engine felt smooth and normal, and I was just trying to get out of the way from being at the head of the line at the light. At the stop light, in N, I could gently bring the revs up and down and it increased/dec also. But, light green and wanting to get outta the way, by the time I left turned and went 50+ yards it was gone (next light).

gremlins

* Last updated by: JDC on 3/18/2010 @ 7:08 PM *

Just to add my 02=-------
Started my Ninja up last week for the fist time in about 4 months. I got a tappity noise about same tempo to the engine pulses. My initial thought was hopefully it was cam chain and not rod bearing. I touched the throttle -- no change in the noise. I shut the motor down and when i restarted it, the tapping was gone.

Verdict-- Dry cam chain after long winter storage. If memory serves, it did the same thing after last years storage.

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