Engine temperature and chattering noise.

[DaielHancock]

Okay so recently i have noticed that my bike gets very hot very quickly. Basically the crank cases get unable to touch hot after a 15-20 minute ride and you can smell that its hot ( if you no what i mean) is this normal? also i have noticed that when i pull up to a traffic light or any sort of stop i get a sort of chattering noise that stops after a few seconds. Any ideas? i was wondering whther the veyr hot engine and the noise might be related?

any help greatly appreciated.

Dan Hancock

[Big Rich]

Any mods to the intake/exhaust/carbs? And when were your valves done last?

[DaielHancock]

bike is completely stock, when you say valves do you mean valve clearances? if so i checked a few weeks ago, they were all in spec.

[Big Rich]

Well, air cooled motors are all pretty hot to the touch. But if it's TOO hot then you are either low on oil or running lean.

[Twisted]

Like Rich said, I would be checking the oil. The chattering noise you are hearing when you pull up is more than likely cam float end noise. It usually happens when the engine is hot and a quick rev of the engine gets rid of the noise. I get it on my GS and a lot of others do also and it seems to be a common fault on GS's. It is not terminal for your engine though. I noticed that using the 10-40w oil recommended by Suzuki it rarely happens now in my bike. The cam float noise was rectified in the 2005 + models with some sort of shims I think. Anyways make sure you always have oil in your bike cause it relies on it to help keep it cool.

[Pelikan]

I think it's pretty normal to be unable to touch any part of the engine after 15-20 minutes with a bare hand.  And the GS makes all kinds of chatters, groans and chirps.  Very vocal machine we have.

[DaielHancock]

checked all the oil, up to the max line, maybe its just meant to be like that then! Cheers for the reassurance.

[ben2go]

Considering that our bikes pretty much use solid tappets between the valves and cam,a little noise at operating temps is just a thing that we learn to love.

[burning1]

A little rattle from the top end is fine. I'd be very cautious of bottom end rattle though...

I had an issue with the ignition pickups coming loose. Caused some damage, but the bike still ran. Worn cam chain tensioner can also be an issue.

[rickyny]

I was having the same problem with my 09 GS. I would stop at a light
and I would feel the heat coming up from the engine and a loud rattle noise,
but in the case of my bike the noise came from the front fairing and windshield
caused by vibration. I also noticed that the rpm's would be at 2000, so I
adjusted the rpm's down to 1200 after riding for 20 minutes and I haven't heard
the rattle noise again.