I'm kind of wanting a sanity check for this minor noise that has been bugging me lately.
First off, this noise has been present since I got the bike last spring, but I have just been assuming it is normal wheel and/or final drive chain noise. I just replaced both sprockets and the chain, everything is aligned (laser alignment tool) and the rear axle and chain are tightened to spec. I've got about 25mm of play in the chain on the center stand. The noise is exactly the same as it was with the old chain and sprockets as best I can tell. I also changed the rear brake pads.
For the noise, it sounds like a humming or whirring that increases in frequency and intensity with speed and is present when coasting, both with the clutch pulled and when driving with the engine engaged. It is not specific to any gear, but it does seem louder at certain speeds, but I'd presume that this is caused by my perception of relative loudness. The noise is audible at speed over the engine and wind noise, but it is not louder than them, except perhaps when I am coasting to a stop. It is hard to tell where it is coming from directly, but it seems to come from right below me, maybe a bit forward of me. I haven't had my windscreen on in a while, so I can't really take wind noise out of the picture to get a better idea where it is coming from.
Is this normal/expected? I was thinking it could maybe be bearing noise, but I'm not sure. I did notice that with one push I can only really spin the rear wheel a few revolutions when it is on the center stand, and I'm not sure how the front wheel is. I'm not sure what else would be causing noise when coasting with the clutch engaged.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Dunno about the noise but the MINIMUM of slack on the center stand should be around 32mm......25-35mm when on the side-stand,cos the chain tightens when going from center to side.
Yes, check for too tight of chain slack.
I've gotten the noise you describe from time to time.
I'm convinced it is simply the chain "settling" onto the front sprocket. It makes a slight noise as each new link drops into the trough between the gear teeth. The sound sort of amplifies because of the thin metal gear cover. The front sprocket is sort of "small": (not too many teeth) IMHO..so the chain has to really bend a lot to get around that tight radius.
Things to check which might possible lessen this sound:
Keep chain on the loose side of the specification
Use plenty of lube on the chain..possibly switch to a "thicker" lube.
Make sure the rear wheel is aligned..so the chain runs straight and parallel
Check for worn out front sprocket
Check for worn out chain
Wear a thicker helmet and ride fast...you won't hear it!
Cookie
Quote from: twocool on August 06, 2015, 06:07:12 PM
Wear a thicker helmet and ride fast...you won't hear it!
Cookie
Better still,how about singing "Stairway To Heaven"
"I've got about 25mm of play in the chain on the center stand."
I just reread your OP....your chain is too tight!
25mm while on the center stand will net much less play when measured on the side stand....
The play needs to be measured while on the side stand...
Cookie
Quote from: fetor56 on August 06, 2015, 05:08:22 PM
Dunno about the noise but the MINIMUM of slack on the center stand should be around 32mm......25-35mm when on the side-stand,cos the chain tightens when going from center to side.
Aha, the darned center vs side stand dilemma strikes again. I could've sworn that the Haynes manual mentioned center stand, but I was in and out of all sorts of sections with replacing the brakes, sprockets, chain, and removing the rear wheel. I guess it makes more sense to me for it to be checked with the center stand because that's where you'll have it when doing chain maintenance. Can you adjust the chain tension when on the side stand? IIRC in the video I watched for GS500 tightening the bike was on the center stand the whole time, and he used 25mm. I suppose they could easily have cut the center-to-side stand changing process for the video.
I'll rectify the situation tonight. It probably isn't as bad for me as it is for most, as I'm probably around 145-150 lbs or so with all my gear on after riding in the rain ;) . I guess the new chain is getting a bit of a stretch early on. :icon_eek:
Quote from: twocool on August 06, 2015, 06:07:12 PM
Yes, check for too tight of chain slack.
I've gotten the noise you describe from time to time.
I'm convinced it is simply the chain "settling" onto the front sprocket. It makes a slight noise as each new link drops into the trough between the gear teeth. The sound sort of amplifies because of the thin metal gear cover. The front sprocket is sort of "small": (not too many teeth) IMHO..so the chain has to really bend a lot to get around that tight radius.
Things to check which might possible lessen this sound:
Keep chain on the loose side of the specification
Use plenty of lube on the chain..possibly switch to a "thicker" lube.
Make sure the rear wheel is aligned..so the chain runs straight and parallel
Check for worn out front sprocket
Check for worn out chain
Wear a thicker helmet and ride fast...you won't hear it!
Cookie
Thanks for the suggestions. The chain and sprockets are all new, and the chain is aligned all the way to the front sprocket according to my laser alignment tool (highly recommended). It will probably take me 5 minutes to fix this thanks to that tool (and the fact that I didn't just fill up my tank, making it impossible to get the
I use the Dupont cleaner and lube, which worked quite well on my old chain (and Wal-Mart carries it). The lube is fantastic in my experience. It's a dry-type lube, but I put a fair amount of it on the chain before wiping off the excess. I had been going a little longer than the recommended time for cleaning, because the chain was 10x cleaner after 600 miles than it was the first time I cleaned it after buying the bike (who knows how long the previous owner went, though). I had to break out my gun scrubber (polymer safe) because the chain de-greasers (yep, plural) weren't cutting it. Even then, I had to use the whole (full and brand-new) can of gun scrubber to get the original chain in respectable shape.
To top that off, when I removed the front sprocket cover I was greeted by a 1" thick powdery goop-sludge that practically coated the entire chamber. It took me at least as long to clean that out as it did for me to do both sprockets, the chain, and the brakes. Gun Scrubber saved the day yet again, but I was literally scooping stuff out with a paper towel. Come to think of it, I'll bet that the sludge-goop coating was insulating the front sprocket noise quite a bit.
It will be interesting to see if the Dupont lube keeps things cleaner.
I'll see what a looser chain does for the noise. Any recommendations for lube that people have been liking lately?
Just another point, confirmed by one of my motorcycle guru's..
The cleaner the chain, and the cleaner the front sprocket...the more noise it makes..
In particular, X ring or O ring chains...
When I clean out that compartment where the front sprocket is, and all that gook that builds up in there, and clean the sprocket very well...I hear the sound louder...
I think a nice build up of slop on the teeth of the sprocket acts to dampen out the sound..
Go figure
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