06 front end 'clunk'

[GAPS]

I just brought home my first FJR!! Took a quick 45 mile shake down run thru some nice backroads and arrived home with that FJR grin I have heard about. This bike is going to be lots of fun, I know this cuz I aint stoopid. What a torque monster of a motor, like a big block muscle car with grunt everywhere. Did not have time for much of a ride but so far it is all

Oh yeah, the chassis is pretty dang swweeeeeeet too.

My only concern is this......, in the garage with bike not running I grabbed the front brake to pump the front suspension up and down when I heard a very audible 'clunk' with each change of direction of the suspension...up clunk, down clunk....I believe it may just be the front brake pads clicking back and forth in the calipers....or perhaps suspension internals? Any others experience this sound? Normal? What is it? Damper rods? Brake pads?

 

[SkooterG]

Steering head bearings. In the past, there have been quite a few examples of FJRs being delivered with loose steering head bearings.

I would take it back to the dealer and have them re-torque them to spec. It's not that difficult a task, but you need a torque wrench, and a special Yamaha tool - a spanner wrench that costs like $30 IIRC.

Based on your description, the steering head bearings are the first thing I would check

 

[Ari Rankum]

My only concern is this......, in the garage with bike not running I grabbed the front brake to pump the front suspension up and down when I heard a very audible 'clunk' with each change of direction of the suspension...up clunk, down clunk....I believe it may just be the front brake pads clicking back and forth in the calipers....or perhaps suspension internals? Any others experience this sound? Normal? What is it? Damper rods? Brake pads?

I'm wondering if you might have triggered the ABS by pushing up and down like that. There was a warning somewhere in the literature for the '05s that said the ABS might trigger early on uneven (suspension travel?) surfaces. Quick check: roll the bike up to a wall and do the same workout of the front suspension. Then try it with the brake. If the noise only happens with the brake, you've got it solved.

 

[rocket]

Another source of clicking/clunking in the front when working the front suspension up and down with the brake is the floating brake rotors. The rotors are held in place by little round disks held in place by clip rings. If there is any looseness in these disks, the rotor will slip back and forth with each up and down motion and make a clicking sound. I had the same situation on my wife's Suzuki SV650S. It drove me nuts till I found it. I kept thinking I had a fork problem with the internals but could never find anything wrong. I finally had my wife rock the suspension up and down while I listened and there it was. The brake rotor. Put new disks in and the clicking was gone.

 

[War Machine]

Hey GAPS,

My money is on the steering head. Always go with the obvious 1st. B)

BTW - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

[twowheelnut]

Oh great! First the 'tick' now the 'clunk'?

+1 for steering head and or brake pads.

 

[dirttracker30]

my Victory did the same thing and i finally figured out it was the floating rotors clunking .

 

[trinibob]

My 04 did the same thing had the head bearing retightened and still heard the clunk.

But only after it was sitting on the center stand on its first compression of the shocks.

Rechecked the stem nut breaks and rotors every 1000 miles and now at 10.000 miles has vanished.

 

[bluejag]

Gaps I and alot of others have had the same thing INCORRECT STEERING HEAD BEARING TOURQUE!! For such a great bike why can't Yamaha set this properly from the factory??? ANYONE??? I Picked up my 05 and as some of you, I was ticked that I didnt get too far before I knew it wasnt right! Not a good way to start off. A machine of this caliber should be setup right the first time But thankfully retourqued and all is VERY WELL with bluejag!! Recheck everything and ENJOY!!

 

[catiadan]

Definitely steering head.

 

[Fred H.]

I just brought my 06 home tonight. I get a clunk too, but it sounds to me like it is the brake pads shifting when they hit the rotor. I'll look into it and let you know what I find.

Boy, my butt hurts after only 150 miles. Maybe I am gettin soft in my old age, but I think the seat stinks. Maybe it will break in. I sure hope so.

All in all, I am real happy with the bike. I got in a traffic jam and monitored the gas tank to see if it would get warm. No problems at all, it didn't even get warm, seems to me like the heat issue is all fixed. I did notice some warm air around my ankle area but nothing more than any other bike.

 

[Blue1]

I doubt if it's the stem nut. The 04/05 manual tells you how to check for looseness by jacking your bike up till the front tire is off the ground. Then grab the forks at the bottom and try to move them back-n-forth. If the nut is loose you'll know.

I say brakes.... IMHO.

 

[RadioHowie]

Front ends clunking and thunking.....

Instant MPG displays stuck on 17.....

Mirrors falling off '06s coming home on trailers no less!

Glad to know the same bunch of Oompah Loompahs that built our '03s, '04s and '05s are still employed by Yammy Wonka, crafting them to the same state of excellence.

Working for Yamaha must be equivalent to a civil service job here in the states....once your in, nothing short of killing someone at the workplace can lever your incompetent ass out of the place.

 

[GAPS]

Thanks for all the input, turns out it is just the pads rattling around, a 'feature' of the new 4 pad calipers?... I checked the head bearings, no movement there....the floating disks are not it either, no perceptible play there.....gotta be the pads, so, all is well as best I can tell.

Did I say I was HAPPY!!! So excited I hardly slept last night, and that after drinking a few beers in the garage with a crooked FJR grin.......

 

[Calabash]

Keep smililng GAPS, thanks for the reports, it helps with the waiting. Waiting to smile here too.

 

[Fred H.]

My instant MPG is also stuck on 17.6

The front end click/clunck feels to me like it is coming from the brakes.

 

[RadioHowie]

You sure this ain't yer problem?

:haha: :bleh:

 

[FJRMGM]

man, all this talk of problems with the '06 bikes sure makes me glad I have a tried and proven, and faster, '05 model.

 

[FNG]

Despite the steering head having been done to death, it appears it must be done with every new issue, and every 3 months thereafter...

If the head needs retorqueing, you won't neccessarily diagnose it in the traditional manner: ie; grasping the forks at the bottom and moving fore and aft looking for play. The clunk felt through the bars has, 99% of the time been the best indicator that the head needs to be adjusted. Play will be felt if way outta wack, but none will be felt yet a clunk persists.