Weird Sound coming from throttle area

[Karayan]

Hello Folks,

I have a 2010 black Ninja 250r with 3000 miles on it. I am the second owner of this bike,

I have a noise problem and it looks liek a ticking sound when the bike gets warm enough.

When I start my bike and keep on driving, I don't hear this sound for 10-15 mins until the bike gets warm but when it does it starts doing a ticking sound coming from the throttle area. When I open the throttle it ticks and when I close it and return to idle it ticks again. This happens always when I'm on gear and not on neutral. Sometimes it does not even matter if I open throttle to much or not it does this sound every time I open and close the throttle.

I showed it to too many repair shops here in Istanbul but no one really understands of Kawasakis. And the dealer does not seem to care about this problem, so Im trying to figure this out myself.

I had the throttle string oiled when I did mu 3000 miles service. they changed oil, oil filter, I also replaced my air filter with a K&N.

The guys who checked my bike told me there is nothing wrong with the throttle tube or strings. One of them told me to replace chain and sprockets, my old chain was loose and he told me it could cause the sound but I replaced them yesterday and the sound is still there.

I also advised them to check the valves and cam chain tensioner but they tell me there won't be a problem on those on a bike with 3000 miles.

One more thing the guy I bought this bike might have been played with the actual mileage of the bike, so the bike may be with higher miles actually.

So what would you recommend me to do, to have checked etc. please Im in need of huge help.

Thank you guys.

[alex.s]

kawasakis cam chains tend to be noisey normally. how loud is the ticking? can you find another ninja 250 to compare it to?

[Karayan]

nah, I don't have any other friends with a ninja, there one guy but he has his bike taken apart at the shop and I cant try it for a while.

I am not sure if it is the tensioner. the sound comes from the front right throttle area and it a tick when you start to open the throttle and another tick when you releaes throttle. And it makes the sound when the bike is been driven for 15 mins and when it is on gear.

you can't hear it on idle and when you just start the bike, that is why no mechanic has yet heard of the sound. and you also have to have the helmet on , in order to hear this noise/sound/tick

[Karayan]

no other solutions guys? this sound is killing me softly =)

[Karayan]

it turned out that my cam chain and tensioner may have been causing the problem, the actual mileage of the bike is a bit more than what it shows, because my mechanic checked the spark plugs and he told me that this bike is way more than 3000 miles. so we are checking everything from tip to toe, I hope we will sort this problem out in a few days, and I can get back to my bike. It has been in the shop since Monday.

[Domagoj]

Originally Posted by Karayan

nah, I don't have any other friends with a ninja, there one guy but he has his bike taken apart at the shop and I cant try it for a while.

I am not sure if it is the tensioner. the sound comes from the front right throttle area and it a tick when you start to open the throttle and another tick when you releaes throttle. And it makes the sound when the bike is been driven for 15 mins and when it is on gear.

you can't hear it on idle and when you just start the bike, that is why no mechanic has yet heard of the sound. and you also have to have the helmet on , in order to hear this noise/sound/tick

What do you mean by throttle area? Is the sound coming from the front of the bike, more specifically from the right handlebar?

I find it strange that you need to have your helmet on... Have you tried riding the warmed-up bike on a parking lot without your helmet? (I do not approve of riding without a helmet, but at low speeds in a relatively secure environment for the sake of experiment...)

It seems that the bike needs to be moving for the sound to appear. Have you ruled out the common and easy culprits - the speedo gear on the front wheel, cluctch lever, and fairing vibrations?

ps. sorry for the late reply, and nice to have someone else from europe here

[Karayan]

yes i tried it without fairings and without helmet on. I could not hear it with out my helmet because of the exhaust sound but when you put helmet on you can easily hear that sound. it is a tick sound when you open throttle and another tick when you release it. I guess it is because of the cam chain tensioner or last call would be throttle cable. I have no other guesses.
It does the sound when the bike is on gear, not on neutral. the bike is at the shop for about 4 days now, my mechanic still trying to figure that out, i will have a test ride tomorrow I believe after he also checks valves and etc today.

[dubojr1]

Can you feel the "tick" in the throttle grip when you hear it?

[Karayan]

no I don't feel it, I just hear it. maybe I hear it from throttle cos of the helmet but it comes from somewhere else... But i am sure I hear that tick sound after I ride about 15 mins or so.

[dubojr1]

Is it a single tick for each roll on of the throttle and each roll off?

And this only happens after 15 mins. of riding?

[Karayan]

yes correct, just sometimes it ticks twice, but really rarely, most of the time it is a single tick when roll and another single tick when roll off. and it happens after 15 mins of riding.

[DaBlue1]

What else have you done to the carb/intake or exhaust. I see you have a K&N filter. Allowing more air into the intake can change the way the intake and engine sounds. The intake will resonate a little louder and sounds from the carb can be heard. There is also a possibility that you have a slight slide rattle, which can be heard more at idle and tends to go away when throttle is applied. Also have you checked to make sure your exhaust headers are on properly and tight. There have been cases where bolts have come loose. Loud ticking at speed would indicate this. Loud cam noise at speed could be a serious problem, but with 3000 miles it's hard to see that as a main culprit. How can someone tell how many miles are on a bike by looking at the plugs? That's ridiculous. The color may indicate a condition but not mileage. What color were the plugs? extremely white plugs could indicate an exhaust leak or overheating. How does the bike perform overall?

[Karayan]

well, we checked the exhaust before, I don't think there is a loose bolt or anything there, the plugs were black in color; the end of the plugs. The bike performs well I believe, there is nothing wrong while riding, only this sound coming, and maybe the ridiculous tires that kawasaki mounts on factory =)

now we have changed plugs, brake pads, im gonna install a two bros exhaust tomorrow, and also we are changing the tires tomorrow. We will also change the cam chain, tensioner and throttle cables when we receive them, but there is no cam chain in my country at all right now, we ordered from the Kawasaki factory, I believe.

I hope this sound problem will be solves when we finally change cam chain and other stuff.

[alex.s]

record the sound and let us hear it... will be much more informative than descriptions

[Karayan]

i will try to, but it will be nearly impossible to hear it on a video or recording.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Karayan

the plugs were black in color; the end of the plugs.

not good.

[Karayan]

ok, when I start my bike yesterday i heard the cam chain noise, I mean its making noise, so I think we will have to change it soon, it disappears when the bike gets warmed up. And also the sound from the throttle bar is still on, I guess one of the cables there is worn and that is making that sound...