So for a while now I had been really annoyed by a cling-clang rattle at the front end over small imperfections in the road. I went through every nut and screw and bolt starting from the bottom of the brakes all the way up to the rear view mirrors. I couldnt find anything that wasnt torqued correctly.

Then the other day I removed my "removable" sissy bar. Low and behold the whole front end was solid sounding again. No clinks or clanks anywhere on the bike when going over rough pavement.

I checked the rear of the bike for anything loose including the sissy bar bolts and nothing was loose.

So confused but what does my sissy bar have to do with noise in my front end??

 

Had a similar situation with a whining coming from the back of my last bike on longer rides. Traded for a bike with no rear seat or pegs and problem solved.

 

First time I read that I thought about the parts on my bike. Second time I read that I laughed out loud very hard.

Thank you.

 

the only thing i can think of is that sometimes sound radiates thru the frame to a different point

 

lmfao!

 

I had the same problem on my nightster. Some of the detachable sissy bars really rattle. Mine was where it clamps onto the rear mounting bolts. I wrapped black electrical tape around the mounting bolt to tighten up the fitment. Never rattled again.

 

Thats the thing, I checked the mounting bolts and they were all torque tight. I think the poster above might be right in that the sissy bar was adding resonance for sound to travel through. Who knows. At least I was able to figure out the lowest common denominator before I dismantled the entire bike to find the stupid sound.

 

funniest thing I've seen all day. If you just made that up on the fly...bravo to you, sir. Bravo..

 

It had nothing to due with the torque. It was the fact that the detachable part of the sissy bar wasn't a snug enough fit to the mounting bolts. Placing black electric tape over the rear mounting bolts snugged the fitment. It made the diameter just large enough so the mounting clip wouldn't have any give in it. It took me a while to figure out what that rattle was too.

 

Ahh, now I see what you're saying. Ill go try that. Thanks for the tip.