GS500F Engine Noise/Ticking

[Aban]

Hello to all on Gstwin, I've been lurking around this site for several months since getting my first motorcycle, an 09' GS500F, but this while be the first time making my own thread.
So I come to you all with a question, does my gs500 sound as it should? Recently I drove over a speed bump that I didn't see faster than I should have and the next day I started noticing a noise/vibration of some sort between 4-5k RPMS, I realized one of the black plastic pins connects to my left fairing and the front cowling had come undone separating the two pieces. I snapped the pin back into place and the noise/vibration went away. But now since then I swear I'm now hearing a ticking sound coming from somewhere on my engine, I believe it to be coming from the right side of the engine but I'm not for sure. Maybe its just me going crazy from the last noise I was hearing but I swear I didn't hear it before now. Its just a small tickin sound that I can hear at idle slightly and at speed with my helmet on but its not overbearing and doesn't get louder, and at speeds greater than 40+mph I cant seem to hear it but its probably from the regular engine noise blocking it out. Is this how a healthy gs500 is supposed to sound? My bike has only 3000 miles on it and was taken through the break in process properly and has been babied ever since, thinking about taking to the local bike shop, what could I expect to pay for them to look at it roughly? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[adidasguy]

I don't hear anything unusual.

It does sound as if you might be due to check  the plugs, maybe a valve adjustment and a carb sync. That's because it is sort of s PUTT putt PUTT putt PUTT putt.

Be sure your oil level is OK.

Still, it doesn't sound bad. It sounds like a GS500.

[Aban]

Thank you for such a quick reply and my apologies for such a late one. You sir answered my question on youtube about R&G crash sliders a month or so ago and you were right they were quite easy to install and I like the look of them very much! As for the clicking noise, thank you I'm almost have to believe you since you have such great knowledge of Gs500s as you own many of them and are known for answering so many folks questions on here there no way you could be wrong. I'm going crazy though because I swear I'm hearing a ticking noise while riding that I did not hear before. Like I said I can hear a fast & faint "click click click click click" sound while at speeds below 40MPH, similar to the sound a chain makes on a mountain bicycle when you are at decent speed and stop peddling but not as fast. I've noticed that when I pull the clutch in the clicking ceases. Which makes me believe it couldn't be anything with my chain because its still rotating. Below is a second video of the sort of sound I'm hearing while riding, between 1:25 and on. Thanks again for your reply great AdidasGod.   

[wayne242]

I hear what your talking about, not sure what it is (starts around 0:18 and can really hear around 30 seconds).

I don't hear this on mine, but could be amplified by your phone. I'll leave this to adidasguy, he is very knowledgeable of these gs's.

[adidasguy]

I did hear it at 1:26.
Not sure. It does seem to be noticeable at the left side.
Only two things there that I can thing of are the 3 bolts holding on the starter gear to the magneto. There are stories of
those coming loose. Other thing is the magneto itself having a magnet fracture.

The only way to check those is drain the oil and remove the left cover.

Someone else may have an idea.

[Twisted]

It sounds like a healthy GS to me.

If you stick a camera close enough to any bike its gonna pick up strange noises you would probably never hear standing next to it.

[adidasguy]

I would tend to agree.
When you hit the bump, maybe something happened. Most likely not. maybe imagination, maybe something was slightly jostled that is making it sound different.

I'd first vote to ride more. Check for more loose fairing parts.
If you haven't done it, upgrade the front springs so when you hit another speed bump, you won't bottom out.
We are all happy with Sonic Springs (and he is a member of this board.)

[Calpantera]

From the description I was thinking maybe the pipes moved when he hit the speed bump and he got an exhaust leak but I didn't hear anything other than the normal sounds of a motor. Some ticking but nothing to worry about.

[Badot]

You say you hear it while riding under 40 mph... do you have any more information on when exactly the noise occurs? (ex, under load, closed throttle, high revs, low revs, louder when the bike is cold/hot, etc)
Also, since it's on the left side... what effect does disconnecting a spark lead have on the noise? (ground the lead while running if you try this)

I'm curious because that seems similar to a noise my bike is making, but... it's hard to distinguish one kind of tick from another (at least for me).

[sytsmadad]

to get a better listen and if you do not have a mechanics stethescope, take a long extension,, put one end to your ear or better yet the small bone behind your earlobe and the other end at various locations on the engine to help hear any internal noises better. If you are worried about the extension scratching something then place a thin piece of cloth between it and the bike. Used this technique all the time on older muscle cars to listen for lifter noises. Works great. Hope it helps you get a better idea of where and what the noise is.

[wayne242]

to get a better listen and if you do not have a mechanics stethescope, take a long extension,, put one end to your ear or better yet the small bone behind your earlobe and the other end at various locations on the engine to help hear any internal noises better. If you are worried about the extension scratching something then place a thin piece of cloth between it and the bike. Used this technique all the time on older muscle cars to listen for lifter noises. Works great. Hope it helps you get a better idea of where and what the noise is.

A long screw driver with the round ended handle work great for this (put the round handle end to your ear, not the pointy end hint hint)