Front End Chatter

[Lychee]

I was riding on Uvas this past weekend and noticed that my front end makes a chattering sound as it is working. Is this a symptom of normal wear and tear on the forks or is this something that can only be fixed by an upgrade? Or, of course, is something broken?

[Jiggles]

Did you see that one guy crash?

What do you mean a chattering sound? Where's it coming from? What speed/rpm? Is it the clutch rattling? Perhaps some plastics clacking together?

I had 13k on my last ninjette and never noticed any chattering, maybe a bit of rattling though

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Did you see that one guy crash?

What do you mean a chattering sound? Where's it coming from? What speed/rpm? Is it the clutch rattling? Perhaps some plastics clacking together?

I had 13k on my last ninjette and never noticed any chattering, maybe a bit of rattling though

Who crashed?

It is coming from the forks. It happens when the suspension works, ie. going over a bump. Hard to describe the sound other than a chatter? Like banging your teeth together. At first I thought it might be normal operation, but my gixxer does not make the noise on the same road and I think the forks operate the same way. Maybe I am bottoming out the forks. I will try the ziptie gauge trick.
Speed was about 70 or 80 mph, although it makes the noise at all speeds over bumps. I am pretty sure it is not the clutch lever because I dialed out all the freeplay I was running before, but that is interesting and I will take another look tomorrow on the way to work.
I suppose I can try running nekkid to test the plastics theory.

[Jiggles]

@Lamester ate it in the turn after the third bridge. I went out to look for his lost turn signal but couldn't find it. Funny how all three of us rode the same route and never saw eachother

I'm no suspension wiz but I think it would be very difficult to bottom out the forks without some heavy braking. Pretty odd

[Lychee]

The zip tie on the gixxer's fork goes up surprisingly high. I guess if your bike is leaned over pretty good, a small bump suddenly takes a lot of suspension travel to smooth out.

[Jiggles]

Hmm idk man, I guess uvas is pretty bumpy though

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Hmm idk man, I guess uvas is pretty bumpy though

Read the other guy's post in the crashed forum. Glad he got back on. Funny that you sounded so determined to find his blinker.

[Jiggles]

Needed an excuse to ride the 1000 . I really did want to find it but traversing slippery slanted ground in Moto boots with a busted leg is not easy. I'm down to go look if that dude wants to though haha. Not sure exactly where he crashed

[Lychee]

OK, so after an easy pace test ride today on Quito, there is a definite clack clack sound coming from the front end. It sure sounds like metal on metal. It does not appear over small bumps, but it does over big enough bumps or things like speed bumps or pot holes. I was no where near bottoming out.

[csmith12]

Check your stem nut.

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Check your stem nut.

Alright I will do that. Do I need a spanner wrench, or are you talking about the one on the top that uses a socket?

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Check your stem nut.

+1

your head stock is loose.

it is the one underneath the top triple tree. the nut on top of the triple does nothing except hold the top triple on.

[Lychee]

Ok so the steering stem locknut looks to be the problem.

The exploded view looks like the locknut screws into the 22mm top bolt which means to tighten would be counter-clockwise when looking from above. Right?

Do I need to loosen the front fork lower clamp bolts on the lower triple tree?

[oblivion007]

I have a similar noise. I'll try and track it down.

[Monkeytofu]

I've been having front rattle too; made a thread about it a while back. Could you guys give me a picture to understand what locknut you're talking about exactly?

I assume it's that silver piece with the 4 channels in it. What tool would I use to tighten it?

[bdavison]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried using the suspension wrench in the tool kit on the stem nut? I'm gonna have to check to see if that wrench fits it....

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by Monkeytofu

I've been having front rattle too; made a thread about it a while back. Could you guys give me a picture to understand what locknut you're talking about exactly?

I assume it's that silver piece with the 4 channels in it. What tool would I use to tighten it?

I think the tool is called a spanner wrench?

Originally Posted by bdavison

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried using the suspension wrench in the tool kit on the stem nut? I'm gonna have to check to see if that wrench fits it....

What suspension wrench?????

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Lychee

I think the tool is called a spanner wrench?




What suspension wrench?????

you are missing it.


also, spanner is the english word for wrench. its just an odd looking wrench. you can use a set of channel lock pliers to accomplish the same thing.

i know some people who use a flathead or a pick or chissel and a hammer to put them on and off but........ i think that seems pretty ghetto even by my seriously janky standards. i would rather not do that to my poor nuts. and how do you know how much torque you just pounded into it? you dont. but still i know plenty of people who do it that way, especially when adjusting those shock nuts. like i said, i guess it works, but you wont see me pounding on nuts with screwdrivers and hammers.

[Monkeytofu]

Originally Posted by alex.s

like i said, i guess it works, but you wont see me pounding on nuts with screwdrivers and hammers.

Obviously a man such as yourself would want to take his time working on his nuts

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Monkeytofu

Obviously a man such as yourself would want to take his time working on his nuts

you need to be careful with your nuts. they are sensitive, especially on the inside. you dont want to smash them into oblivion getting pound happy.

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by alex.s

you are missing it.


also, spanner is the english word for wrench. its just an odd looking wrench. you can use a set of channel lock pliers to accomplish the same thing.

i know some people who use a flathead or a pick or chissel and a hammer to put them on and off but........ i think that seems pretty ghetto even by my seriously janky standards. i would rather not do that to my poor nuts. and how do you know how much torque you just pounded into it? you dont. but still i know plenty of people who do it that way, especially when adjusting those shock nuts. like i said, i guess it works, but you wont see me pounding on nuts with screwdrivers and hammers.

This tool right?

What's your procedure to tighten this nut?
It seems the gas tank is a little in the way. After going over the diagrams I think I turn it clockwise when looking above and not counter-clockwise. Do you need to loosen the lower triple tree bolts or the top nut?

[alex.s]

take the top triple off and use a big wrench to tighten it then put the triple and bars back on

[bdavison]

I can confirm that the suspension wrench in the tool kit does actually fit the stem nut.

It looks a little bit like this, and comes with the 08 and later toolkits, along with a handle for it that extends it a bit.

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by alex.s

take the top triple off and use a big wrench to tighten it then put the triple and bars back on

Ha! I guess the obvious is the hardest to see I will give this a try when I get a second!

In the meantime I will try to source the newgen suspension tool

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by alex.s

take the top triple off and use a big wrench to tighten it then put the triple and bars back on

I used this procedure yesterday and it appears to have worked. I tightened the nut maybe 3/16 of a turn. The nut is not on especially tight.

I was going to use needle nose pliars and a screwdriver to do it but I didn't have a set of pliars long enough to clear the steering stem, so I broke out the big wrench.

Rode to work today and no clankity-clank as I go over bumps anymore. I am taking it back to Quito for lunch but I expect that it will be gone there too.

Thanks @alex.s

[Lychee]

So... The chatter came back and after trying both the big channel locks method and also Jiggles' newgen rear shock spanner wrench, and I am scratching my head. By the way the spanner did not exactly fit, I needed to stick an allen key between it and the steering head in order for the tooth to grab the slot. I tightened it a pretty good amount... But still with the chatter! Any more bright ideas?

[alex.s]

disassemble the head stock and check the bearings. they are probably shattered or something. also check your wheel bearings and make sure your front brake is attached correctly. also make sure head stock nut is tightened, then put on the triple and the center triple nut (which is the head stock nut's lock nut.) before tightening the top triple to the forks.

[Lychee]

roger I'll give these things a shot and come back.

[Lychee]

Ripped apart the front end. Nothing broken. Put it all back together. Shook the forks in frustration, discovered odd clanking noise that quit with pressure on the gas tank. wtf? Found a loose engine bolt behind held in only by the fairing. Loctited that bitch and torqued it down.
Test ride............................ Bingo!

PSA: Check yer engine mount bolts people. These bikes be buzzy. BZZZZZzzzzzzzz!

Thanks to @Jiggles for lending me his spanner wrench.

[Jiggles]

lmao, one guy tried to drive away and his engine fell off, lucky it didn't happen to you!

[Lychee]

What! Seriously? Damn. Check them bolts people.

[choneofakind]

I've never had to use lock-tite on those engine mount bolts. I just use a torque-wrench and torque them to spec.

Good thing you found them though!! That could have been nasty.

[Alex]

Nice find!

[Lychee]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I've never had to use lock-tite on those engine mount bolts. I just use a torque-wrench and torque them to spec.

Good thing you found them though!! That could have been nasty.

Why they would lock-tite handlebar ends but not engine mount bolts is completely beyond me.

[choneofakind]

Dude, IKR!?!? Those damn handlebar bolts a real PITA to get out, but you're definitely not the first member to have issues with the engine bolts coming loose on their own. *facepalm*