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I've been chasing this noise for some time now, and cannot locate it. So let me toss it out here and see if some of you folk have had a similar noise and figured out what it is.
It sounds like like a Spanish dancer with her wooden castanets.
It's that pace and that wooden clacking sound.
It only does it when going down the road, starting at about 50-60 mph, under very light load, like sustaining speed on level ground. It goes away if I'm coasting down a hill, or under load like climbing a hill. Pull in the clutch at any speed and it's gone.
The pace of the clacking hardly changes with speed, but it will get louder. Cruising at say 80 mph it's quite a pronounced "clack-clack-clack". Downshifting hardly changes the tempo either. It does change, but not nearly as much as the engine rpms have changed.
And, it's only audible while sitting there in the seat, upright. Especially with the windshield on. Lean down to try to locate it, and it's gone. You cannot hear it with your head down beside the gas tank on either side. Run the bike up to speed on a stand and while there's lots of noise to be listened to, the castanet sound isn't one of them.
At this point, I'm pretty well flummoxed by this noise. Anyone have experience with this or can offer some insights?
If it was my bike I would put it up on a lift and visually and physically inspect (fondle) the bike from front to back....maybe go around with a rubber mallet tapping in various places to see if you can replicate the noise. You need to rule out something loose like a loose bracket or loose hardware...The fact that it goes away when you pull in the clutch kind of suggests it's related to the frequency of the engine so that would be the first place I would be looking....do you have spoked wheels ? if so I'd be looking real close at those too. Good luck please let us know what you find
I've been chasing this noise for some time now, and cannot locate it. So let me toss it out here and see if some of you folk have had a similar noise and figured out what it is.
It sounds like like a Spanish dancer with her wooden castanets.
It's that pace and that wooden clacking sound.
It only does it when going down the road, starting at about 50-60 mph, under very light load, like sustaining speed on level ground. It goes away if I'm coasting down a hill, or under load like climbing a hill. Pull in the clutch at any speed and it's gone.
The pace of the clacking hardly changes with speed, but it will get louder. Cruising at say 80 mph it's quite a pronounced "clack-clack-clack". Downshifting hardly changes the tempo either. It does change, but not nearly as much as the engine rpms have changed.
And, it's only audible while sitting there in the seat, upright. Especially with the windshield on. Lean down to try to locate it, and it's gone. You cannot hear it with your head down beside the gas tank on either side. Run the bike up to speed on a stand and while there's lots of noise to be listened to, the castanet sound isn't one of them.
At this point, I'm pretty well flummoxed by this noise. Anyone have experience with this or can offer some insights?
The only clacking noises I've encountered have been caused by bad lifters. They tend to be intermittent but pronounced. I suggest you pull the lifters and inspect them. It's usually the roller bearing on the lifter wheels, and if left unattended it can cause serious damage as the lifter disintegrates, spewing roller bearings and damaging cams.
Thanks for the suggestions. The noise has been there for years, and was probably there before I bought the bike.
I replaced the tensioners two years ago, no change in the noise. I've had the exhaust and shields off numerous times, no change in the noise. Installed rockout lockers last year, no change in the noise. Changed the wheels and the brakes this spring, no change in the noise. And so on, and so forth. Ah well.
This winter, once the salt the roads and I stop riding, I was figuring on checking the compensator and the insides of the primary. I can go check the transmission bearings again too. None of the typical indicators of any problems a the current time.
It's a bloody weird noise. Sounds kinda like it's coming from high on the engine when I'm riding, which makes me suspicious of the intake, with only injectors to clack. But as soon as I lean down to either side, it can't be heard. As well the weirdness of only making the noise under light throttle, not heavy throttle or no throttle.
Interesting. In certain situations on newer bikes running an open air filter you'll get a bunch of intake noise including what sounds like clicking, but I have not heard of anything like that on an 04 with stock air cleaner.
Wonder if your bike would sound any different if you wrapped a towel around the air cleaner temporary.
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Mystery Noise
