Guess This Noise!!

[Finesse]

now that you all have helped me solve the mystery of my 8k metallic rasping noise, my bike has just this morning decided to entice me with a new riddle.

it's a ticking noise but I haven't done a good amount of investigation to see where it's coming from or if it goes away when I do certain things... I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow morning and I'll see what they say.

clues:
halfway through a 70 mile ride on saturday, my buddy adjusted my clutch after we were chatting about friction zones. it doesn't feel like a major difference, but he adjusted the cable by as much as 1cm. could it be 'clutch rattle'? what even is that... I didn't notice the noise as I was riding home

the valves were properly adjusted about 1500 miles ago (by the same mechanic I'm going to take it to tomorrow) and it doesn't sound like the valves ticking because occasionally it misses a beat.

I noticed it most when I first started up the bike, it was an intermittent ticking noise and did not correspond entirely with the rhythm of the engine. I rode about 30 miles today and I didn't notice the noise as I was riding or as I was idling at stop lights, with or without the clutch in. I only noticed it idling, as soon as I was riding the exhaust either drowned out the noise or it stopped. I didn't notice it at the stop lights that were after the first 1-3 on my route.

cam chain tensioner??

the only thing that changed right before I heard the noise is the clutch adjustment. I did not hear it when I was riding on saturday. I didn't touch the bike at all on sunday.

I tried to upload a video, I'm bad with the techy stuff so if there's a better way to view it please let me know.. cheers!

[Motofool]

It sounds like exhaust noise to me.

If so, it may come from one of the tube-head connection, tube-muffler or even a spark plug.

[Finesse]

^I can check these tomorrow morning if I can drag my ass out of bed early enough before class. thanks for the suggestion. if you're right about this one too, I owe you! my bike is running well and I've been really enjoying the first week of warm weather, so I'd hate to run into a major problem right now. :\

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Finesse

............my bike is running well and I've been really enjoying the first week of warm weather, so I'd hate to run into a major problem right now. :\

Just wear ear plugs and ride much; there is no problem with your bike.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by Finesse

.... my buddy adjusted my clutch after we were chatting about friction zones. it doesn't feel like a major difference, but he adjusted the cable by as much as 1cm. could it be 'clutch rattle'? what even is that... I didn't notice the noise as I was riding home

....the only thing that changed right before I heard the noise is the clutch adjustment.

Nowhere does the clutch allow for 1 cm of adjustment.

First correct what your buddy did to your clutch. Then report back.

There are two place to adjust the clutch. Try loosening it at the lever first then adjust it properly at the clutch (on the engine).
Loosen the adjuster bolts a little, then fine tune the adjustment at the lever.
Pull the clutch lever just enough to take up the free play
Measure the gap between the lever and the lever holder.
If the gap is too wide, the clutch may not release fully.
If the gap is too narrow, the clutch may not engage fully.
In either case, adjust it. Clutch Lever Free Play Standard is: 2 ~ 3 mm

Also you can try here http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Adjusting_the_clutch_cable

[Finesse]

I took it to the shop today. the guy there knows my bike pretty well and he said he's sure it's the cam chain tensioner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4eH0d2E73g

here's a video of what I need to do, apparently. hopefully it's just the tensioner getting dirty and not the guides being worn or the cam chain being worn out. the noise gets very faint after 10 minutes of riding, but I'm not going to ride until I fix this...

[Ish]

Hopefully its an easy fix. How many miles on the bike?

[Sirref]

luckily that's not too difficult to fix, hopefully you don't need to replace it though parts can be annoying from time to time.

I just got lucky with my car, misfire with the code running for the ignition coil. Go out to get the IG coil, go to install it and realize that the spark plug wire is disconnected. plug it in to discover that the misfire is gone and I get my $150 back

[Finesse]

the bike has about 13,600 miles. but I'm pretty sure it was beat to hell before I got it (11,400) and street raced.

a new tensioner is like $40 but before I spend the money I'm going to see if I can just clean and replace it.

sirref, nice going with your car, getting $150 back sounds like success to me!

[alex.s]

thats the noise of the cam chain making the nylon cam guide tap the case. maybe cam chain out of spec or tensioner jammed

[alex.s]

easy way to test is to remove the cam chain tesnsioner and let it extend all the way out... if it does, without screws push it back into the hole and see how far it goes. if it goes in all the way your cam chain is stretched. if it doesnt go in all the way, remove it again and clean it all out and lube it up and reinstall it correctly retracted

[Finesse]

^how do I reinstall it correctly? it doesnt go all the way in. do I unscrew the phillips head, put everything back, screw down the 2 bolts on either side and then last screw back the phillips?

rrahhh I'm confused :\

[Ninjinsky]

Partially unscrew the little Philips at the top, squeeze it all in and nip up the small Philips to hold it in. Screw it back on the bike then unscrew the top screw and you should hear it go 'thwack' as the plunger releases, then nip up the screw again.

ps Sorry just saw it's all in the video. My bad

[Finesse]

???? screwing that screw doesnt do anything at all.. when it's all the way screwed in, it BARELY comes out the other side into the hollow tensioner cap. wtf, is it broken off at the end?

[Finesse]

the part about the screw is what I don't get. it makes no difference when its all the way screwed in vs all the way out.

[Ninjinsky]

Okay squeeze everything in against the spring and whilst you are squeezing it with one hand unscrew the little screw with the other hand, after a couple of turns it should pop in another quarter inch or so, nip the screw up again in that position and it should hold everything in whilst you reinstall it to the engine.
It only goes in a mm or so to hold the shaft at the top.
Then you release and it shoots the bolt like a crossbow to put pressure on the chain.
Here's a diagram of what it is doing. the screw (1) just sticks into the grove at the top of the shaft (5)
(I've just moved the diagram to the next post because it makes this text unreadably wide

[Ninjinsky]

[Finesse]

AHHHHHH YOU GUYS

SUCCESS

you are all wonderful, thank you for the advice so much
I wouldn't call myself 'mechanically inclined' .....
but I figured it out. and the sound stopped.

motofool, you are right. there is ALSO an exhaust leak (as I knew there was) between the muffler and the pipe, it is also making a ticking noise but that is far far far far less worrisome to me.

I feel so relieved...

also it is 40 degrees and pissing rain but I just couldn't let this sit another day. my neighbors think I'm crazy lol

[Sirref]

if you're going to work on your bike outside on a regular basis you may want to invest in a canopy at some point

http://www.amazon.com/Caravan-Canopy...eywords=canopy

also, congratulations on solving the problem without needing parts

[Finesse]

I actually went to go get one the other day but it was $100 and I just.. no...... too much money.. I normally wouldn't work on my bike in the rain but this was eating at my insides lol

[alex.s]

if your exhaust leak gets too bad you can burn an exhaust valve. but you typically need a pretty big hole in the header or no header at all for that to happen. probably fine for awhile

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Finesse

AHHHHHH YOU GUYS

SUCCESS

you are all wonderful, thank you for the advice so much
I wouldn't call myself 'mechanically inclined' .....
but I figured it out. and the sound stopped.

motofool, you are right. there is ALSO an exhaust leak (as I knew there was) between the muffler and the pipe, it is also making a ticking noise but that is far far far far less worrisome to me.

I feel so relieved...

also it is 40 degrees and pissing rain but I just couldn't let this sit another day. my neighbors think I'm crazy lol

You are welcome

Again, worry less and ride more, ........... whenever the weather improves for you.