What the heck is this clicking noise?

Hey guys, I just put my Cobra F1 slip ons on my bike, but I noticed a clicking sound coming from the engine when I took it for a spin.
I've heard this noise before, but I think it was just when I turned the bike on, I couldn't hear it when i was riding. But now I can hear it loud and clear while the bike's moving!

I took a video, and I tried to capture the sound of the engine idling, but youy can't really hear the clicking then. When I rev it a little near the end you can hear it though.


Any ideas what this noise is, and if I need to fix something?

Thanks!
-Chris

 

Umm, when's the last time you checked your valve clearances? If you have adjusted them, what were/are they? Might also be the cam chain(s).

Doug

 

I haven't done anything with the valves, so they haven't been checked since I bought it a year ago... that is, if the dealer did it at all!

Is it hard to check the valves? I'll have to check it out. Is stuff going to get damaged if I keep riding it as it is?

 

From the sounds they may be quite loose. On my 1000 I have to move the lower radiator to make room for the front valve cover and the seat and tank come off to get at the rear. From there you'll need you manual for the specs and crank position. And yes, if you continue to ride, it could cause wear on the rockers, valves and cams.

Doug

 

Ach, ok, well I just rode from my parents' house to my place (about 40 miles)... I had to get down here somehow cause I have school tomorrow!

Anyway, I brought my service manual with so I'll start reading about this deal later tonight.

Is this a thing that I can do myself? I'm too broke to take it to the Honda dealer!

Man that's just my luck though... Everything's fine until I go and upgrade something, and then something else breaks.

I could hear the valves clicking before, but they were much quieter. It didn't sound like a problem then, it just sounded like stuff was moving around in there.

Is there any way that taking the exhaust system off and putting it back on again could have caused this to happen? It just seems like it got much louder all of a sudden!

 

sounds like your valves slapping, but I'm no tech!! Good luck!

 

Well I'm looking at my service manual... and this looks like a pain in the butt!
I think I can do it though. It says there are two Honda tools that are recommended but not required. Did you ever use anything like that, or can you get by with regular tools?

Also, do you know where to buy new valve cover gaskets? My Honda dealer wants $16 a piece for them. That seems like a lot but then again I'm broke and I don't know anything!

 

Ok you're probably right.

What about this though: I also just read that you might need a 'shim kit.' Do you guys know where to find that?

Are you guys sure this is the valves anyway? Is there anything else that could make this noise? I just think it's really weird that it was fine on Friday and messed up on Sunday with 0 miles ridden in between!

 

I agree with the valve idea people have posted here. The VF500F has screw type adjustors, no shim kit is needed. I'm wondering if maybe one of the screw adjustors has come unscrewed in there? If so you want to catch that as soon as you can, before it drops into someplace bad and causes major problems. DAMHIK, IJK, OK?

You shouldn't need to replace the valve cover gaskets unless they are damaged or they have gotten too hard from age. You could try reusing them, if you're that broke. Worst case is, you put it back together and they leak, in which case you order the gasket you need, and go in again to replace it. It's not like oil will come shooting out, it would just weep a little and be a bit messy until you get the gasket. Make sure you don't put them in backwards, and you'll probably be fine reusing them.

The special camshaft holding tool is unnecessary and perhaps harmful since it encourages you to adjust the valves too tight. Not sure what the other tool is that your manual is recommending. One thing that's handy for this job, is to have two sets of feeler gauges, because each rocker arm has two sides to check, and adjusting one side affects the other. Tie a string to each feeler gauge so you can be sure not to lose it.

Adjust to the loose side of the spec because they actually wear tight, the tightness causes oil starvation, and oil starvation damages the cam lobes and rockers. If you don't have a little valve noise that's bad.

It could also be something like the starter clutch. I noticed it seemed much louder when you moved the camera down to the lower front right side, which is where the starter clutch lives, under the clutch cover, just forward of the clutch. The starter clutch has these little springs and pawls in it, it's supposed to turn when you hit the starter, then the pawls retract once the bike is started and it doesn't need to spin anymore. If one of these spring/pawl assemblies is stuck, it could be turning when it shouldn't be, and making that clicking. Or one of the screws that hold the starter clutch in, could be backing out and rattling.

 

If you just had the exhaust off, maybe that is the source of the noise. I don't know about the VF500, but I know some V4s of that vintage had double walled exhaust pipes, and if the inside pipe breaks loose from the outside, it then makes a horrible rattling noise that sounds like the bike's about to die on the spot, but it's actually pretty much harmless.

 

You said it was making noise before and by changing the exhaust it may just sound louder now. It's not very hard job at all. On my 1000 it's threaded adjusters not shims, but I'm not sure on the 500. Pull the covers and look at the cams, see if there's any pitting. Also try lifting up on the cam chain, it should be pretty tight. If it's loose, it could be any of the shoes or tensioner.

 

i have the 1985 vf500 it does make the same rattling sound you here but mine is not that bad compard to what i hurt on the video you made im not to sure whats casueing it but mine sounds like its comeing form the higher part of the engine but i just had the engine rebuilt so im not sure what it is.

 

Sounds about like what I have going on here. The valves are on top of the engine, so that makes sense.

Hey GenLightening, in your judgement would you say it would be safe to ride this thing all the way back to my parents' house (about 30 miles) to work on it? Otherwise, I guess I could take it to school to work on it, which is only like 3 miles away. But then again, if something goes wrong and I can't get everything done right away, I'd rather leave it at home in the garage than in the corner of the shop at school. What do you think? I don't want to mess anything up any more than it already is!

 

but the rattling does not seem to have any efect on the bike performance but still it would be say just to get it checked or bring it in the a motorcycle shop and ask if they can tell you exacly whats going on with it

 

You've already been riding it for while, I'd take it easy, keep the revs low and check it as soon as you can. Good info on using 2 feeler gauges (I was going to say the same thing but he beat me to it!), print it and keep it around.

Also, is your oil level OK?

Doug

 

I just reread the post about the doublewalled pipes coming apart, you could take the header pipes off and see if they rattle. If they do then just run it, but from the sound I'll stick with a loose rocker arm.

 

yea from the clip i saw the sound got quiet when it got farther away from the egine the exaust sounds just like mine and i have bran new stock ones on mine but i have hurt of the double walled pipes but it just dosn't sound like it in this case

 

She. :biggrin:

Ooh, good point, that would be the simplest possible cause of that sound! :redface:

 

Aha that would be nice... I'll check the oil level tomorrow, but I'm 95% sure it's good. The header isn't rattling I can say for sure, cause while I had them off I sandblasted and repainted em... I would have noticed if something rattled. But do you think if I didn't tighten the little collars that hold the headers on the cylinder tight enough, that they could rattle?

I think I cranked on em pretty good, but I'll investigate that too.