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Ticking sound

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Stormiezzz

Stormiezzz

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Location
Cape Town, South Africa
First Name
Paul
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Tappan
Hi Guys

I need some expert opinions. I recently noticed that my '07 with 54000KM on the ODO is giving a, excuse the explanation but I cannot record it while riding, constant "tick tick" sound when in 6th gear. On average I would say it ticks about 4 times per second under normal riding speed and conditions (about 100 - 120KM/H). It's not very loud but you can hear it. I have never heard it before in all the time I have had the bike. None of the other gears emit any sound, only 6th gear. The bike still rides perfect and pulls good, the same as it always has. It is due for an oil change now but I am not sure that this is the reason. The oil level is also correct. I use a decent bike oil (10W40 semi synthetic). Oh, and the bike has not been abused. I take excellent care of it and always ensure that it gets its service on time which I do myself in order to ensure everything is 100%

What could this sound be? Should I be worried? Anyone else experience something like this before?

I will really appreciate your opinions guys.
 
That's the difficult part as it is near impossible to hear when accelerating due to exhaust noise and it only shows up once at a constant speed with the engine under quite a bit of load. So from about 100KM/H in zero wind I can hear it. The faster I go the more wind over my helmet and I don't hear it anymore. It's also difficult to hear at very slow speeds due to low revs in 6th gear and engine droning. All this said, I assume it varies with engine speed. I cannot think of a mechanical scenario that would allow for a condition for a constant interval between ticks.

As said, I only hear it in 6th gear, and at a specific speed bracket but I assume it is there at all speeds. I also do not hear this when in any other gear.

tshelfer said:
Constant speed, or does it vary with engine RPM?
Click to expand...
 
This may sound crazy, but could it possibly be the speedometer cable? I had one in a car that nearly drove me crazy until I figured it out and lub'ed the cable with graphite. The difference is that you can only hear your noise one you're up to a constant speed. But a car has a quiet interior in which the sound was easy to hear at any speed, and easy to isolate. It's a thought.
 
This really sounds like a transmission problem.

If it were a KTM fmrfs motor, the answer would be the surfacing on that gear has worn off due to its narrow size. (Which is common)
 
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Keep the oil/filter changed, shove the earplugs in a little deeper and ride the snot out of it.

Best advice I've ever received about a Bandit.
 
Hmmm... Four times per second, 240 rpm if it were one tick per revolution of something. If your final drive is 15/40 and your countershaft were spinning at 240 rpm, your rear wheel RPM would be 90 - somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

If your rolling diameter was 24 inches, your circumference would be 75 inches or so, times 90 times per minute, divided by 12 to get feet per minute, convert to miles/hour, that would be about 6.5 miles per hour.

My wild guess is it may not be related to a purely mechanical phenomenon.

On the other hand, could you be hearing your fuel injectors? My son can hear his clicking on his Versys.
 
I cannot say if it is the injectors. What puzzles me is the moment I drop to 5th gear, the ticking disappears immediately. Going back to 6th gear, it's back. I am at a total loss here. As mentioned, the bike rides perfect, like new. I just would hate to have something go horribly wrong and I really do not want to tear into the engine to try and find something that may just be 100% normal or end up sorting itself out eventually as in the case of a tensioner as mentioned already. The only thing that bugs me about the tensioner theory (which seems plausible) is that this sound is only evident in 6th gear. Surely other gears should do it.

I also don't want to sound petty but I always want my bikes to be in 100% mechanical, electrical, and physical condition at all times and this sound bugs the .... out of me. I have never experienced it before with any of the other bikes I have owned.

HarveyMushman said:
Hmmm... Four times per second, 240 rpm if it were one tick per revolution of something. If your final drive is 15/40 and your countershaft were spinning at 240 rpm, your rear wheel RPM would be 90 - somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

If your rolling diameter was 24 inches, your circumference would be 75 inches or so, times 90 times per minute, divided by 12 to get feet per minute, convert to miles/hour, that would be about 6.5 miles per hour.

My wild guess is it may not be related to a purely mechanical phenomenon.

On the other hand, could you be hearing your fuel injectors? My son can hear his clicking on his Versys.
Click to expand...
 
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Do you have a Gear Indicator like this fitted, if so try unplugging it to see if the ticking goes away:

img_1011.jpg
 
My vote is gear indicator, or delamination of the hard surfacing of the gears themselves.
 
You need to do it before you ride it again. Look for metal shavings in your filters, and pickup screens and oil (I use a clean rare-earth magnet for this wrapped in an old white sock, rag, or coffee filter). If they're all clean just shorten you oil change interval (by half) and ride.
 
Thanks Mate. I a definitely gonna do that before I ride it again. Thanks for the heads up. I really hope I don't find metal. I will report back on findings.
 
Old photo, but had a good closeup of the gear indicator, still had original bars and black clock faces in this shot.

Looks a little busier now :-)

img_2720.jpg
 
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