Clunking noise

fjr agent · Mar 7, 2010

I've noticed a clunking noise around town over bumps. I thought it was loose fairing plastics but I had someone sit on my bike and hold the brake and rock the bike up and down for a couple inches of fork travel and I can feel the clunk in the fork bottoms. I don't see any movement but it could be some very slight movement that I can't see. Anyone ever had this problem? Axles is tight. Nothing loose that I could see or feel on the brakes or attachments. Could it be low fork oil? Something isn't right.

S76 · Mar 7, 2010

Usually when this happens it is the brake pads. The pins that go through the brake pads are a little smaller than the holes in the pads they go through. So when you rock it back and forth you can hear the pads moving slightly on the pins. You can test this by putting your finger on one of the pads while someone rocks the bike with the front brake on. You should feel the motion of the pads as it makes it click noise. I think they all do this, or at least mine does.

Queensland Ken · Mar 7, 2010

You can check the forks and steering head bearings.

Get someone to hold the back of the bike down while its on the centre stand.

Check the head bearings by push/pulling the bottom of the fork legs, weight off the front end.

Also check play in the forks by grabbing around the top of the dust seals while rocking forward/backwards.

You will have a very slight moment of the forks themselfs normally.

Big movement of the forks themself usually means that the bushings are worn

With bad head bearings you will feel, see and sometimes hear them.

Just changed a mates head bearings on the weekend to tapered roller bearings.

You could definately feel the movent.

His bike was clunking on the front end, esp over bumps.

FYI I had a loose caliper from new, I wasn't happy.

Hope this helps

Cheers

BwanaDik · Mar 8, 2010

Had a clunk on my '06. Turned out to be loose engine mounting bolts thru the sliders. My mechanic tightened it up while it was in for service but I still have some noise. One of these days I'll go back and do all of the bolts to see if that will fix it.

FJRless · Mar 8, 2010

I haven't actually looked at my FJR but most brake rotors are floating to one degree or another. If you're bouncing the suspension while holding the front brake the rotors will move back and forth in the mounting pins, ever so slightly. You'll feel that in the tubes.

mcatrophy · Mar 8, 2010

FJRless said:
I haven't actually looked at my FJR but most brake rotors are floating to one degree or another. If you're bouncing the suspension while holding the front brake the rotors will move back and forth in the mounting pins, ever so slightly. You'll feel that in the tubes.

Gunny.

If you hold a front rotor with both hands and try to rotate it to and fro, you can sometimes feel and hear a clunk. Mine has always done this on one side and not the other. Never got worse, never been a problem.

user 254 · Mar 9, 2010

I had a clunk too (over bumps) in my 05. It turned out to be the nut on the top of the steering stem was loose. The very top (aluminum) nut that is on top of the triple clamp. Must have allowed the upper triple clamp to move ever so slightly.

S76 · Mar 9, 2010

Agent,

By now you have now been advised to check most everything from the main stand forward. All good ideas really. But we want to know what you have found. I know we have a winner here somewhere. :yahoo:

redtail · Mar 9, 2010

Also had an intermittent clunking noise. Usually from a sharp pothole or speed bump. Tried checking for anything at all that might be loose. Ordered the neat tool to check my steering head, but went to GP Suspension and had front and rear done first. Turned out my stock suspension ('05), was bottoming out! No more clunking, and a completely transformed riding experience!

dustyrains · Mar 10, 2010

I had clunking in mine once. Turned out to be loose steering head bearings.

5lbtrout · Apr 30, 2010

Over the past few weeks, there as been a clunk noise and feel from the front end of the bike. It steadily got worse, and I had no idea what the problem was. I had done a lot of research on this site to find too many potential problems and solutions. It was something like this https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...88&hl=clunk

I finally took the bike to the local Yamaha dealership. They were able to isolate the problem quickly. The problem was with the steering head bearings. Fortunately, I didn't have to replace anything. They were able to tighten some bolts to make the problem go away. I must have not tightened everything when I installed the Heli triple clamp.

While the bike was in the shop, I had them replace the plugs and sync the throttle body. The bike is running much smoother now.

All in all, it was $150 well spent. How wonder how I would have spent if I had an RT or the K bike?

Meltdown · Apr 30, 2010

5lbtrout said:
All in all, it was $150 well spent. How wonder how I would have spent if I had an RT or the K bike?

Glad to hear it worked out for you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I install my Helibars.

As far as what it would have cost with a BMW...I'm thinking probably around $2k since you would have had to have them replace the final drive while it was there.

na1g · Apr 30, 2010

The final drive is NOT a problem with BMWs.* Those that have failed were because of owner abuse and lack of proper maintenance. And the switchgear is not odd either. Trust in BMW; they know best.

And with their funky front end, who knows what or how to adjust the steering bearings.

pete

* A couple of Iron Butt riders reportedly carried entire final drive assemblies as spares.

UHOH · May 2, 2010

5lbtrout said:
All in all, it was $150 well spent.

...happy customer, efficient shop, go back to them.

07fjrTom · May 3, 2010

Final drives on BMWs are fine! Just go to the dealer and ask them, they'll explain it to you as if you are too stupid to understand. The transmissions are foolproof too! The only time they fail is when you don't bring your bike in for a $1000 a year service.

Sorry, just had to jump in on that one. I love my FJR!

firewalker · May 3, 2010

The $150 could've bought you one half of a BMW's front brake pads. Final drives are bullet proof as long as you keep it secured in your garage, proper maint is required is a very specific amount of HIGH dollar lube injected into a final drive with NO drain. A royal " p i t a " FJR maint is a breeze compaired to my late GS.

Wee Willy · May 3, 2010

firewalker said:
The $150 could've bought you one half of a BMW's front brake pads. Final drives are bullet proof as long as you keep it secured in your garage, proper maint is required is a very specific amount of HIGH dollar lube injected into a final drive with NO drain. A royal " p i t a " FJR maint is a breeze compaired to my late GS.

Amen brother.

Once, when helping dad prepare a BMW 2002 Ti Alpina (70's) for SCCA racing, we changed out sway bars and needed to go get some new over-sized but stock bushings. The BMW bushings were ~$40 per end of the car!! And this was when $40 was real money. Now these were little donut-shaped pieces of rubber for crying out loud. But they carried the BMW roundel so they must have been worth the extra $39.50 per end.

I see nothing has changed with that marque. Indeed, they seem to have gotten even better at it: now they get all your maintenance money right up front when you buy one of their cars. Wow...

Never ceasing to be amazed...I am,

Wee Willy :hi:

Sorry for the hijack...

Ignacio · May 3, 2010

na1g said:
* A couple of Iron Butt riders reportedly carried entire final drive assemblies as spares.

Confirmed. #2 Finisher and #9 finisher....although they didn't have to change them that ride. #9 did go from a #1 to a DNF in SPANK 2008 because of a failed drive. And I should know since I placed 13th and 1st in those two rides respectively.

And confirmed. I've heard of no FJR final drive failures...just a few seals that have gone out and made for oily rear drives.

Clunking noise

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