by Kristian #562 (20/10/01)
Please read the Disclaimer before attempting any work in this FAQ.
Last Updated: 18 Feb 2007, by Winter #1935
For other helpful FAQs:
There a number of common sources of Noise on the F650. If you're looking for Vibrations see this FAQ.
The table below should help guide you to your noise. However if you can not find it based on the table, read through all the noises.
Keywords | Perceived Location | Other Attributes | Which Noise? |
---|---|---|---|
"Front" Noises (Instruments, Forks, Battery) |
|||
Clicking | mid-lower forks | Noise 1 | |
Clicking | (turning steering) | Noise 2 | |
Buzzing or Rattling | Front | Can be rev dependant Not an engine noise |
Noise 5 Noise 7 Noise 12 Noise 13 Noise 15 |
clunk clunk clunk | Front End | Noise 18 | |
Rattle | up front | Under certain load / vibration conditions Lowering kit |
Noise 19 |
Buzzing / several rapid clicks / rythmic clicking | Fairing/Speedo Area/instrument panel | Noise 21 Noise 27 Noise 52 |
|
buzzing | Front | Stops when starter depressed Stops when heated grips turned on Headlight dims |
Noise 33 |
metal ball (rolling) in a cup | under the speedometer top of the fork |
30 to 35 mph in gear or with the clutch in |
Noise 38 |
rattle | headlight / steering head | heard when riding over expansion joints or small potholes | Noise 40 |
keyboard clicking/clacking small plastic object shaken gently inside 35mm film canister |
instrument cluster/ windshield | beween 30-50 mph | Noise 44 |
metalic rattle | front | off-road, downhill | Noise 49 |
ruler twanging on desk edge | front | can be rev dependant possibly temperature dependant mainly 2nd / 3rd gear |
Noise 50 |
tick-tick-tick pause | front / instruments | after turning bike off can last for several minutes tach / speedo needle "twitches" |
Noise 51 |
Engine / Transmission Noises |
|||
Rattling | From engine | At idle | Noise 3 |
Plink Plink | Engine | Trailing throttle / blip at idle | Noise 6 |
Farting and a loud popping | Front | (not backfiring) | Noise 9 |
Popping | When Shifting, mainly 3rd to 4th | Noise 17 | |
Rattle ("jingling" keys) | Transmission | While moving | Noise 20 |
Bizzar buzzing | Engine somewhere | Rear wheel not spinning in gear | Noise 56 |
metallic rattle | Engine | 2500-3500 in 3rd upwards hard the noise reduces |
Noise 22 |
Knocking | Gets Faster as Idle Raised when in neutral, clutch engaged |
Noise 24 | |
loud knock | Engine | doesn't go away off-idle | Noise 25 |
scraping | Engine | When engine cold Once per second |
Noise 29 |
tick-tick-tick-tick | Engine | drowned out @ 3000rpm | Noise 30 |
Khat-Khat-Khat | LHS Engine / Engine | When engine cold | Noise 34 Noise 54 |
engine knock, chain rattle, keys in the cylinder | 4200-4500 RPMs in 4th and 5th gear occaisionally when I decelerate more noise after warming up |
Noise 35 | |
increasingly loud | Engine | Around 3000kms mic the cylinder bore (out of spec) |
Noise 37 |
something releasing tension / big CLICK | From the starter? | Sometimes when turning off | Noise 42 |
lightning storm | cylinder | At very low rpm On start-up without enough choke |
Noise 43 |
grinding noise | Transmission | starting in 1st gear with a bit of a load and starting up a slope. |
Noise 53 |
(GS) rattle | transmission | While on sidestand Goes away when clutch pulled in |
Noise 55 |
"Rear" Noises |
|||
Rattling | Chain area | Noise 11 | |
Rattle | LHS Rear | Noise 14 Noise 16 |
|
gargle sound | exhaust | after downshifting (after clutch release) rapid acceleration or rapid deceleration |
Noise 23 |
plastic rattle | rear / exhaust | Noise 36 | |
Other Noises |
|||
Squeal | Brakes | Noise 4 | |
Tic Tic Tic | Solenoid, near battery | Noise 8 | |
weird "wooo" | When compressing rear shock | Noise 10 | |
humming / feline purring | Under load Lower rpms, upward slopes "on" for half a second, "off" for another half second |
Noise 26 | |
scraping / dragging | Factory lowered model Under heavy load |
Noise 31 | |
crunch crunch | Under load @ low rpm | Noise 32 | |
loud grinding squeal | engine | starting after stalled shifting down coming to stop |
Noise 39 |
playing card clothespinned to my wheel knocking sounds from bottom end |
right side | slows down as I slow down | Noise 41 |
sporadic grating | the tranny on the RHS | lasting for a few minutes follows engine RPMs more at lower speeds Sometimes gets 3x loud for 10 seconds then subsides |
Noise 45 |
noise engine | engine | from idle to about 2000rpm after 2000rpm it fades to normal piston noise replaced cam chain tensioner, noise reduced |
Noise 46 |
moderately-pitched (MP) clunk | valve/cylinder area | when turning off bike (engine running) | Noise 47 |
Whirring of gears (hum) | persistent but inconsistent | Noise 48 | |
something electromechanical shutting off / electrical antenna going down |
injector's area | Noise 27 Noise 28 |
For Engine Noises: To help you identify WHERE it is coming from, grab a good solid screwdriver, put the tip on the Engine where you THINK the noise is coming from and the handle against your ear, like stethoscope. Move the tip around until you determine the source location.
These are some of the questions you might get asked, or some of the things to think about to identify and fix the noise:
A knock? Mmmmm......need some more description. Is it a deep knock, like clonk...clonk etc, OR is more of a tap....tap? What side of the engine? and is it up the top OR lower down on the motor? When did this noise start? Slowly over time......after you did something with the bike, like after a mad 3 day desert race :-) Has it ever run low on oil.......some prior history may help the diagnosis.
Jack, F650GS, Australia. |
Other things to try / consider:
If you can not find your noise or a similar noise in the list, and the other suggestions do not help identify the noise... ask in the Forums. When you do, provide the following information:
But please, please, please - DON'T FORGET to tell us how you fixed the problem. Because then you help others.
Send some more Noises...
You know the hardest thing about working on the Noises
FAQ?
You spend the next 1000kms listening for every little tick,
clonk and thunk!