Hi All

I hope you guys can help me to figure out what is making this clicking noise here are the symptoms :

Clicking is heard and felt from the front seems to be about every wheel revolution , loud on starting from a stop so clutch slowly engaging with  acceleration, clicking gets faster as speed goes up then stops when i get above 50km/h. the clicking happens with clutch engaged or dis-engaged. I even turned the engine off at speed and the clicking is still there so nothing to do with engine as far as i can tell. As I said loudest and most felt  at starting from a stop, can't really feel or hear it when slowing. Also seems louder when leaning in corner at slow speeds less than 50km/h .

Also today it was raining (i ride all week commuting) the noise seemed to disappear I could not feel it and could only hear it slightly if i really listened.

I also put it up on the stand and ran it up to third gear ( i know not safe) , no clicking I also pushed it by hand still no clicking.  I have no idea what this could be.

Anyone have any suggestions

thanks 

I'll have a guess - wheel bearings?  On stand the rear is not under load and the front not turning which might explain why the noise only occurs on the road.

Sounds like the speedo gear/cable. After it was on the stand did you rotate the front tire? I would disconnect and secure the speedometer cable and make a test run. It has to be tire rotation. Have you turned off the motor and then listened to it while your moving? Remove the speedo housing and inspect. Does the cable need to be lubed...  let us know.

Hi All thanks for the reply s

yes I did turn off the motor while moving and yes the sound is still there.

I can't rotate the front wheel on the center stand as it is still is on the ground , even on the center stand. I may put it up on the weekend so i can rotate the front , Do you think it's safe to ride or should I stop riding until I can find out what is making the noise

is the speedo on the front or rear ? and where is it located. sorry I'm handy but this is my first motorcycle and have no idea where to look,

I'm learning lots, love the bike. BTW it's a 2007 GS500f

thanks

speedo is on the front. Left side of the front wheel (when sitting on the bike) the cable is visible.  try putting the bike on the centerstand and put weight on the back, or tie some bungee cords around the back handle and to something heavy on the ground, it doesnt take too much weight to get the front wheel off the ground. spin the wheel by hand, and try unscrewing the speedo cable from the actual gauge, (you may need to pull the gauge out of the bracket if you have an F model. I dont know, mines an E so I can access it easily) once unscrewed, spin the wheel, if the noise is still there then unscrew the cable from the wheel. if still clicking then look for something stuck to the wheel, maybe slap the forks, or something stuck to the forks slaping the 3 spokes on the wheel, or maybe the edge of the front fender is hitting the tread on the tire, and at 50 khm, the wind is strong enough to push the fender away from the tire. who knows.? the best way to see is gonna be to put it on the center stand lift the front wheel off.

I would also look at your beakr pads, the may be worn, causing them to rub the rotor, or your rotor may be slightly warped, but at speed you dont hear it because of the wind noise and such around you.  try going into a full tuck at speed, and see if you can hear it then

you could also have someone push down on the rear of the seat, or the grab-bar to raise front wheel off ground to check everything out

The other part of the bike which goes around and around is the Chain. You could have something odd about it that hits something every time it comes around.

I know people have had,, chain hitting center stand noise and not known what it was. Tightening the chain fixed it.

As it went away with water present... there is a lube issue involved me things.

When was the last time you lubed the chain?

Michael

I had a similar problem with clicking noise. It's was driving me nuts. It turned out to be a small stone in the tire. 

I had a very pronounced slow speed clicking noise a couple years ago that turned out to be a lug on a front brake pad hitting the rotor due to very worn pads although they weren't quite metal to metal yet:




Also, with the bike on the centerstand I frequently stand on the left of the front wheel with my right knee against the fork leg and reach over and grab the opposite fork leg with my right hand and pick up the front end.  I can then spin and shake the front wheel with my left hand to check for bearings, brake dragging, etc.  Easier than putting blocks under the pipes particularly with an F model.  Try it, you'll like it.   

Thank you all for the suggestions, I'm going to try them all on the weekend.

I thought about the Chain too and I just cleaned, tightened and  lubed it last weekend, Sound still there before and after cleaning chain, no change. at least I have a clean chain now.

I agree that the rain added lubrication but where and to what is to be determined.

This morning the clicking was back but not as bad. I had my visor up and clutch in (dis-engaged) going around 80Km/h I could not  feel the clicking but could hear the clicking somewhat not really hard to tell if it was the clicking or just the rotor. but when I slowed to about 50km/h I could both feel the clicking in the handle bars and hear it clearly. I'm pretty sure it has something with the front tire.

Thanks Bombjack - i didn't even think about a  rock in tire, there is roadwork being done where i travel daily and I go through gravel for at least 200 yards.

I will let you guys know what i find anything on the weekend

thanks again for all the suggestions.

if bomb jack was right i get partial credit . i said the front fender hitting something on the wheel as it went around, and high speed held the fender back. unless of course the rock in the tire is hitting the forks or calipers or somehting.

Well? So what did you find out?

bump...

no kidding.. bump... now you got my curiosity up... Well?

Sorry Guys

I put the bike up and spun the front well, no clicking, I did everything I could think of, could not make it make the sound on the stand. i Checked the tire for rocks -none found

I took the bike out clicking was still there, on Tuesday I lube the hell out of the chain  and had to take the battery out and found the clear hose stuck under the battery but not making any contact with anything that i could see , I don't even know what this hose is for, I have the battery hose connected, this is just a clear hose going from the left side of the battery to the bottom of the bike , has always been there since new,  anybody have any idea what this is for ?   and the noise  disappeared,

The clicking  noise was back yesterday, I can't imagine the lube wore off in two days ( I use the chain wax spray on stuff ) . so the noise is still there but less noticeable. And much more noticeable on left corner/ lean

Thanks for the help and suggestions , I would love to find out what it is.

I'm taking it in to the mechanic today , it's do for servicing anyways.   

I'll let you guys know what they come back with.

thanks

wow... well let us know..  is it possible a link is coming apart and hitting something?? hummm wild.

Isn't there a chain alignment tab under the chain guard/behind the frame that keeps the chain in line?  Could it just be the chain brushing that?  I know that my bike had a soft click from the day I bought it and I traced the sound to that - 10,000+ miles ago.  Another source I can think of: sprocket/chain meshing.  That might be a bad sign...

After about 8,000 miles my chain had tight/loose sections.  It would tick at 50mph +/- a couple. 

Yes, check the chain alignment,

That clear hose i would assume is your battery breather hose. mines solid black but i have a 97. so maybe they figured in whatever year they made your bike clearer is better. prolly true cause than you can see clogs.