Front end clanking/chatter noise

[indr]

This morning (3AM) coming home from work, there was a subdued clankering noise on the front end. It started almost immediately as I started rolling out and coming to a stop sign about 100ft away. At first I thought I seized the engine or one of the cylinders. But there was really no difference compared to regular cycling and compression than before when I was idle.

There were no specific revs/gears that resulted in the noise.

The only thing consistent were the speeds. Slow speeds. Or when comping to a stop from slow speeds. Im talking ~40-50kph.

The frequency decreased as the bike slowed down. And was completely gone when the bike stopped. Almost as if the rotation of the tire was causing it.

There was no wobble or any instability at all. The bike ran as it did when I rolled into work yesterday earlier in the evening.

I looked up the symptoms on google and one of the forum threads (on another site) I came upon said that odometer sensor can make noises when operating in cold conditions. I looked up the temp and it was 0degCelcius. This is my first season riding and with the bike and last night was also my first ride in supposedly 0degCelcius.

So, today (it's about 3degC right now), I just took the bike out for a ride. Did a round around the block and I just heard the noise for the first low speed slow down to stop. It seemed to have pretty much gone after that (unless I couldn't hear it). Before riding today, I "bounced" on the front forks a bit but I'm not sure if that was the thing that helped.

Visual inspection shows nothing. No fork leaks. No loose screws/bolts. No warped rotors.

I did put in new break pads last week and about 100 km ago. Tho this noise just showed outta no where.

So, is a cold odometer sensor a common source of front end noise at low speeds?

I'm going to let the temp warm up a bit more (supposed to hit 7degC) and take it for another round to see if the noise goes away.

Till then, any takes on the cause?

[kkim]

if you suspect the speedometer cable, remove it from the front wheel and ride around w/o it connected to see if that eliminates the noise.

[Sailariel]

Kelly, My Ninja did the same thing and it was pre-speedo cable breaking. It appeared that one strand got free and made the noise. Visually, the needle had a bit of a tremor. I replaced the cable, and prior to installing it, gave it a bath in Tri-Flow. Never heard that noise again. One thing to check out is if the cable housing has a fair lead with very gradual curves before it goes up to the dash.

[indr]

is it possible to remove the speedo housing completely without removing the wheel?

[indr]

if not, is there a way to lift the front up without buying a triple tree stand?

[kkim]

all you need to do for now is remove the cable at the bottom, where it enters the wheel, to help troubleshoot your problem.

[indr]

Disconnected the cable and ziptied it to the fork. Problem solved.


God bless the internet and the people that dwell therein.

[Sailariel]

Now all you have to do is to gently pull the cable from the shield, examine it, and if there is a kink in it or it has a loose strand, replace it. If the cable looks fine, gently clean it, lube it, and put it back in. Once you hit the top, turn the cable so that the square end lines up in the speedo head.