Loud Tapping Sound - not a "tick"

[motocbiker]

I started the bike for the second time in the last two months. The weather was about 60 degrees and I wanted to ride the following day.

Start up was quick and sure, however a LOUD TAPPING sound was echoing off the garage floor and seemed to be coming from the engine as I moved around the bike trying to locate the sound.

I shut it off and the tapping subsided some, but was not fully subdued. I let it idle for about 3 minutes and the tapping became progressively quieter. Then I went up and back in the street. No descernable noise other than usual. Shut off. Started again. Sounds completely normal.

Sound I be worried?

I hate reading posts like this one.

 

[wfooshee]

If it was a valve whacking a piston, the valve would bend and the cylinder would lose compression, and the motor would run very poorly.

Unless it was just sticking open for some reason, and had nothing but friction somehow holding it open against the spring, the piston might be able to hammer it out of the way . . . But if so, what's tight enough to hold it open? That implies a serious lubrication problem.

Are you even close to due for an oil change? Do that and see how it goes . . .

 

[ionbeam]

...I hate reading posts like this one.

Ya, me too.

Was the tapping in time with engine speed (1,100 times a minute) or 1/2 engine speed or 1/4 engine speed or too hard to tell or unrelated to engine speed? Did the noise seem to come from one side of the engine? Your oil level is mid way up the sight glass or higher, right?

And, an off the wall question -- was it on the center stand or side stand?

 

[Denver_FJR]

Motocbiker,

Your experience is exactly as mine... several weeks of down time, finally seeing a nice weather day, started bike ('07) in morning for commute to work and significant knock coming from engine. Noise was relative to engine speed but hard to say whether it was 1:1 or 1:2 engine RPM. Normally I would have attributed this type noise to dry hydraulic lifters except our bikes don't use them! In my case the noise appeared to be coming from right side of engine, and possibly down low in engine, but with fairing on it was hard to locate it any closer than that. It was low 40's during the initial start. I'm currently running a Purolator oil filter and concerned the cold weather (thicker oil) plus higher flow restriction of the Purolator filter may have cause an oil flow problem. Bike only has 10k miles, so would be surprised to have CCT issue. Noise did reduce as bike warmed up. With that hopeful sign I continued commute to office, about 10 miles. By time I arrived noise was completely gone. Still nervous though.

 

[garauld]

I've heard it too after letting it set for several weeks during winter storage. I try and start it and warm it up once a month and haven't heard it since.

 

[FJRK]

Same things strangely. Start bike... good. RPM's go down from warm up, I start to hear it. Ride for an hour, it is gone.

 

[DonRed7]

Is the oil filter check rubber the only thing that keeps the system from completely draining back or is there another check? If so throw on another filter and see if any difference. Perhaps a leaky backflow seal allowing the system drop all oil?

Don B

 

[wheatonFJR]

I started the bike for the second time in the last two months. The weather was about 60 degrees and I wanted to ride the following day.

Start up was quick and sure, however a LOUD TAPPING sound was echoing off the garage floor and seemed to be coming from the engine as I moved around the bike trying to locate the sound.

I shut it off and the tapping subsided some, but was not fully subdued. I let it idle for about 3 minutes and the tapping became progressively quieter. Then I went up and back in the street. No descernable noise other than usual. Shut off. Started again. Sounds completely normal.

Sound I be worried?

I hate reading posts like this one.

Can you make a recording of the sound and post it??

 

[Panman]

I have heard noise from mine also after extened down times, guess I need to ride more!

 

[FJRay]

Mine did the same thing two days ago. It had not been run for a couple months. It seemed to be half speed and cleared up within a minute or less. I think it is oil pressure related and I am going to change the filter. I am thinking the filter was dry and it took some time to fill it and get lube to the rest of the engine. It was also close to freezing when this happened and it has shell 15/40 oil. I usually use delo 400 but the Shell was on sale.

I put 200 miles on it yesterday and it runs just fine. Sure don't like loud noises.

 

[Peter Murray]

This could be the Dogs in the tranny slapping..

Does the noise stop with the clutch pulled in ?

 

[motocbiker]

Hi everyone.

Yesterday I rode the snot out of the bike. Whaled on the RPMs and the bike is as strong as ever.

Some details from those of you that asked:

• Running Rotella Synthetic Oil
  
• Mobil One filter
  
• Oil level is fine (half sight glass)
  
• bike on center stand
  
• don't know how to pull in the clutch as this is an AE model (bike was in neutral)
  

I have never heard this LOUD TAPPING noise previously, but I can't tell if it is 1/2 or 1/4 RPM (it appeared slower than engine speed).

Because the sound was echoing off the garage floor, I had trouble locating it, but appeared to be on the left side as it was louder as I walked around the bike.

I can't record the sound because so far (thankfully) it is not repeatable.

Thanks to all of you that posted up on this thread as I at least know my experience isn't unique.

MotoCBiker

 

[protondecay123]

I've had this happen to me when I first got my bike. It was purchased new in Denver Colorado in July 2004. The first winter there had me off the bike for a while. I went a good portion of December and most of January before I started the bike and something very similar to what you decscibed happend to me. It really shocked me, especially considering the "ticker" and cam chain tensioner issues.

I believe that it's related to length of time between start ups for sure. My conjecture is that the oil slowly drains more and more to the sump and the cold temperatures require more time to warm the oil so it can fully be distributed through out the running engine.

To me it sounded somewhat like the old timing chain (Cam chain tensioner is newer version now), but much louder. Usually I'll do an end of the year oil change and filter washout (Scotts). Now I start the bike every two weeks and run it for at least five minutes (to get 3 bars on the engine temp for a minute or two). If there is a bunch of snow it gets taxied to the door with exhaust pointing outside. I never hear it anymore with that regimen.

IMHO YMMV

 

[MCRIDER007]

A few years back, I made the mistake of putting a not fully dried K&N filter back into a Venture Royale. I went for a short test ride and it sounded like the engine was going to blow up, almost like there were a dozen large ball bearings slamming against the inside of the engine cases. I don't know how the wet filter was causing the sound I was hearing but it didn't cause any long term damage and never happened again. Maybe the sounds being reported here are the result of winter condensation buildup since the common theme seems to be winter and a long duration between starts.

 

[Peter Murray]

[*]bike on center stand

[*]don't know how to pull in the clutch as this is an AE model (bike was in neutral)

MotoCBiker

Sorry,, I would put bike on center stand click into first gear and hold at steady throttle or vary throttle and see if noise stops. Bottom line I am sure the bike is fine.

 

[Harald]

Another possible source of tapping sounds are the injectors. I've noticed loud tapping on my 07 during cold startup when the FI is running rich. Goes away when warmed up. I've always assumed the sound is injectors in my case and the bike is still running fine with 46k on it.