weird banging noise?

Hello! First time poster and new to the vfr. Just recently picked up a 2006 Vfr800 from a guy who lowsided his and left it sit for about a year. I recently got it all started and changed the oil. There is a noise that is concerning me though. On the right side where it says Honda (where you put oil in, I don't know the correct term haha) is a slight knocking noise at idle. Seems to go away at higher rpm though but I have only just revved it in the garage. Does anyone know what this might be? I'm thinking something might just be loose and knocking around in there but I'm not sure. I just put new oil in and don't want it to all dump out when I take the cover off. Is that the only way to tell what might be going on in there? I have a video of the sound, it seemed to be a bit quieter after I changed the oil. No metal flakes in the old oil and it was pretty black. Thank for any help! I have a potato quality video of the sound if that would help!

 

A video or audio clip of the sound might help the members give you a better idea as to what the noise is. Is it more a banging or a rattling type sound. Cam chain tensioners maybe?? Went to look at a 6th gen once and it made a horrible rattling, clattering sound that turned out to be cam chain tensioners but it sounded more like it came from the front of the motor.

 

I would almost say a middle between banging and ratteling. Not so loud that it is incredibly distinct from the engine sound but definitely noticeable. I can feel a sort of banging right where you put the oil in if that makes sense. I can feel the vibration. Youtube link: https://youtu.be/teRySVf3g1k. Let me know if I can provide any other info! I think whatever it is, is just something that got knocked loose on his lowside. idk though

 

Right below the oil filler is the clutch, and it is not unusual and fairly normal to get some rattle from that at idle. Listen again with the clutch lever pulled in and see if the sound changes.

If you had/want to remove the clutch cover you can do that with the bike on the sidestand, without dropping the oil. Buy a new gasket before you start as the original one will fall to bits when you remove the cover.

 

Okay awesome I will try that hopefully tomorrow once I get off work! It is the clutch cover I believe where the noise and banging is coming from, so that has to be better than it being the motor I assume. If I do remove the clutch cover what would I be looking for? Anything that is loose?

 

update: the noise did stop when the clutch was pulled in while in neutral. Does that mean I must buy a new clutch kit? Or is it something smaller I can just fix? I don't have a new gasket for the clutch case till tomorrow and I don't think I could even get it off at the moment, pretty stuck.

 

Is the cover damaged at all? Could be hitting the basket/pressure plate maybe? Don't buy a clutch kit, at least not yet.

 

Yes the cover is pretty decently scraped up. The bike slid on its side for a little bit I believe. I couldn't even get the clutch case off to see if anything was rubbing. I was almost rocking the whole bike to try and get it off but no luck

 

It usually takes a little bump with a rubber mallet or with a hammer and piece of wood to break the seal. Never hit the cover directly with a metal hammer though! Note that there are a couple of locating dowels about mid-way (horizontally) on each side so be careful not to get too carried away when trying to pry or twist off the cover.

Where are you located BTW? A couple of beers or some good food could entice someone to come by and lend a hand if you're still having trouble.

 

Well got the cover off finally after a few cuss words and some sweat. Immediately a bolt and spring fell out of the case. There are some metal shavings against the cover. I just buttoned it up with a couple screws till I figure out what to do in the mean time. I have a gasket on the way. Here are some pics if that will help. Will all I need to replace is the bolts and springs? Maybe that faceplate as well?

 

It looks like the bolt broke off in the clutch basket, is that what I am seeing there? It still might be possible to remove the broken part and replace the bolt. Otherwise you can look at obtaining a used clutch basket and/or whole clutch assembly off of eBay or Craigslist. Also looks like the other bolts had some damage to them, or is that just the picture?

 

Actually after looking at the 6 Gen cluct hub, might be better to pick up a new clutch basket, $30 isn't a bad price 6 Gen Clutch Basket ebay link

 

Shoot the Cat!

I think you got lucky there to have pulled the clutch cover off as soon as you did. The thought of a loose bolt head rattling around in the crankcase gives me the willies. If it had bounced into the transmission it would be Game Over for the motor.

If you've got all the parts that should be there (really just the spring and however many bits the bolt is in) and the clutch hub looks OK (no cracks or big dents) I'd probably just get a new bolt and be done with it. Definitely worthwhile draining the oil out and checking for other debris with the cases opened.

Those bolts are pretty fragile and easy to break if you don't use a torque wrench and the right settings, maybe the PO cracked a bolt during a clutch plate swap? If so maybe worthwhile replacing all the bolts for some peace of mind. They're only $1 each from Partzilla.

Seeing as you are this far in, maybe also a good time for some fresh clutch friction discs?

 

Cadbury, are you seeing what I am seeing, the bolt screws into a long tube (for the lack of a better term) and that is what broke off of the basket, so there would be nothing to screw the retaining bolt into. Am I wrong?

 

I looked again at the photos, and you are quite right, the piece being held in the first photo is the bolt plus the broken off post from the clutch inner. And I can see the broken end in the photo of the assembled clutch. So absolutely, needs a new clutch inner.

 

Whoa, that was a close call for more shiet to have happened. By what I see, It needs a new basket, there is no way to JB weld that back.

 

Wow. IMO, OOTV has done what most of us really wish we would always do: Find the source of something that does not seem right, before it becomes a catastrophic problem!

Looking at the inside of the cover, and the peck marks there, along with what we know must have been shavings from clutch parts as well.....

I'm thinking that a few quarts of oil are a cheap insurance policy. I'd be flushing out that crank-case and re-changing the oil enough times to feel nearly certain that there were no errant metal bits floating about where they should not be. Yes' I'd pull the entire clutch, and probably lean towards replacing all, or most of it. I'm guessing that the PO was already behind the cover, and no, he did not use a proper torque wrench.

 

Yeah I could not believe what I had seen when I opened it up. I had changed the oil had seen no metal so assumed nothing major was wrong. Hopefully caught it before any real damage was done. I was definitely planning on flushing it with some clean new oil at a minimum once to get those metal bits out. So I'm thinking I might as well justo replace it all? Pressure plate, Springs, bolts, basket, and friction plates? Or can I look at the friction plates to determine if they need to be replaced as well and try and save some money

 

Friction discs are a wear item, I replaced mine at 55000 miles because the clutch was getting grabby. For a set of EBC discs and springs I paid US$67, and (I hope) the clutch is now good for another 50,000 miles. The old discs in my clutch were a bit blackened and definitely worn down thin.

I'd only replace the pressure plate if it has definite wear from the breakage; I'm guessing that it will be OK.

 

Yeah the pressure plate has some wear you can see in the picture. It rubbed some of the bottom of that hole. Otherwise I saw no cracks. I could have missed them though. So it seems I should just replace the friction plates to not have to worry about it since I have no idea what stress the PO could have put on the plates