weird sound around 8500-9000 rpm

[rsamtani]

In 2nd and 3rd gear between 8500-9000 rpm (only) i hear kinda a clanking sound like somethings flying around in the engine and hitting the sides. Then as soon as I get to 9500+ or 8500-, its fine no real audible noise. I've only heard it in 2nd and 3rd gear because thats what I ride around most in (city rider mostly).

My bike is an 09 250r. Just hit 900 miles, broken in properly and did the 600 mile service from the dealership I bought it from. Everything is stock. I'm not a heavy rider (5'9, 160) so it shouldnt be a weight/suspension issue?
Worried that it may be some debris in the engine? I'm new to bikes so if that just sounds stupid I do apologize.

Anyone have any ideas?

[kkim]

put your hand on the clutch lever and see if that helps.

[rsamtani]

what do you mean? Just have my hand on the clutch at that rpm? not squeezed or anything right? I normally have my left hand hovering over the clutch anyways, could that be a problem?

[kkim]

no, I was suggesting that it might be the clutch lever rattling that you are hearing at that rpm. most riders don't ride with the clutch or brake lever covered as taught in the MSF classes now days.

So, I guess it's not your clutch lever making the noise you're hearing.

can you make it do the same noise without riding it... as in revving the engine in while in neutral?

[rsamtani]

i'll try it out tomorrow to see if I can get that noise in neutral. And it could be the clutch lever as well? I'll pay more attention to my hand positioning when I hear it tomorrow (weather pending).

Also, is there anything in the engine that could cause something to rattle only within a very small rev range? That just seems very odd. I dont wana take it to a dealership, they are so expensive... but I may have to

[kkim]

is your bike still under warranty? if so, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

see if you can duplicate it in neutral. If so, isolate/identify the noise source as close as possible.

[zilaniz]

i actually get a weird sounding noise too going from 8-9k rpm...sounds like a piece of metal is rattling around the engine is the best way to describe it, happens in any gear. the bike is an 09, odd you have the same type of noise

[rsamtani]

Originally Posted by kkim

is your bike still under warranty? if so, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

see if you can duplicate it in neutral. If so, isolate/identify the noise source as close as possible.

its still under warranty, only had the bike for 2 months and I bought it new. I have the good times warranty too so hopefully that'll help? Not sure. Would you think the bike is safe to ride? Could I potentially ride it to the dealership to get it fixed? Or is that not a good idea?

[kkim]

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=31293&

[rsamtani]

hmm lol that seems like almost the exact same problem. Maybe I'm not hovering the clutch as closely as I thought. Hopefully the weather behaves tomorrow so I can test this out.

Thanks so much!

[kkim]

well, it may not be the clutch lever that is the source of your particular noise, but it seems like that rpm is an engine harmonic that vibrates the bike a lot. your noise could be another bolt somewhere on the bike that's loose.

let us know what you find.

[billybobjoeiv]

just read this and the forum you posted. i finally found out that the sound my 05 was making too was a rattling clutch lever. it gets really annoying and i dont really like to hold the clutch lever down. did anyone ever find a good solution to that by any chance?

[Alex]

Better earplugs.

[billybobjoeiv]

hahaha. good point. i should start wearin those

[ChrisG19]

Clutch lever rattle. Mine does it starting around 8.5k. The rattle at 5k is the windscreen. Maybe this should be in the wiki: Weird sounds and possible causes.

[tjkamper]

Check your clutch lever bolt. Mine was over tightened from the factory and it come out in two pieces when I took it off. Once I replaced the bolt, my lever rattle went away.

[noche_caliente]

Originally Posted by ChrisG19

Clutch lever rattle. Mine does it starting around 8.5k. The rattle at 5k is the windscreen. Maybe this should be in the wiki: Weird sounds and possible causes.

Welcome Chris Why don't you pop over and make a wiki entry about it

[Guinss]

I've noticed a sound around 9k rpm aswell. After reading this thread i made sure to have my hand on the clutch lever, and the sound was gone. Gonna try replacing the bolt, like tjkamper did.

[karlosdajackal]

I also had clutch lever rattle, it got worse and worse, ended up putting a bit of sellotape on the end of it and the rattle went away, ghetto mod but it worked.

Anyway after that I ended replacing the clutch lever, for another stock Kawasaki clutch lever (orignal got damaged) and this one does not seem to make any noise. Obviously I'm using the same nuts and bolts. Grease transferred from original lever. So maybe check the lever play first, try loosen and re-tighten nuts. One on top is 10mm can us the 10mm from your tool kit, one on the bottom is 8mm you'll probably have to find a 8mm socket somewhere. The 2 levers original and replacement genuine Kawasaki part look identical, the original had some surface rust on the inside though, which was surprising as the outside was perfectly fine. I think the paint that gets scratched up inside the clutch lever housing might have been responsible. This may have contributed to the rattle.

I had screen vibes also and tried tighten that, well it made it worse, the rubber pieces behind the screen just get compressed and don't work as well. So I took the off straightened them out and put them on a bit looser and that seems to have sorted the screen.

[rsamtani]

thanks so much guys. I took the bike out today. Finally no rain. Turns out it is the clutch and I need atleast 2 fingers on it to keep it from rattling. Yikes!

but that really calms my nerves, atleast i know my bike wont just break on me at speed

[kkim]

glad to see it was a simple problem.

[Neoki]

mine does this too, cant wait to get home and see if its just my clutch as well >_<

[dimeified]

would plastic washers on either side of the lever fix the problem?

[kkim]

Originally Posted by dimeified

would plastic washers on either side of the lever fix the problem?

I think it would... try it and let us know.

It's not an issue for me so I've never tried to "fix" what's not broken... hell, most times I can't even fix what is broken.

[Neoki]

AWESOME! the sound was my clutch thats great, i was really worried about it for awhile

[Sailariel]

Two very thin rubber washers stopped the rattle. I normally have one finger on the clutch lever and one finger on the brake lever. I noticed the rattle when the bike was warming up and I did not have my earplugs in and or my helmet on.

[Cedilla]

I have the same rattle, I never put much thought into it though, I figured since it was a new bike it was supposed to make that noise. Plus I ride with earplugs %95 of the time, so it doesn't bother me.

I was sitting at a redlight without earplugs a week ago, and I heard a Ninja 250 going down the parkway, and I could hear the same rattle coming from it going down the road.