start up knock (not rattle)

[cragrat]

do not know if i am doing this correct (1st time) pls be gentle...1150gs. 21k..02 reg. luv it to bits. will not part with it for anything. however on start-up (hot or cold) there is what sounds like a "big-end knock" for about 1 to 2 seconds. its as if it is waiting for the oil to get round. Another gs owner listened to it & said it sounded normal but to me it does not seem normal. I have gone from 20-50 oil to 10-40. but made no difference. I have a very old rt 800 with 80k on the clock but it does not do this knock thingy. Please will someone put my mind at rest as i intend to keep this gs for a very long time. thank you in advance for any advice you can give. all the best...cragrat

 

[Tarka]

Hiya fella...welcome aboard.

It does sound fairly typical of the Oilheads..given the constraints of reading a typed description as opposed to actually hearing it....as long as the noise doesn`t remain after a very short period of time.

The Oilheads have a whole range of knocks,rattles and farts unique to themselves.

If you`re really paranoid,pop through the Tunnel some time and have a listen to mine

(Although it`s the superior 1100 that I have)

 

[cookie]

sounds like the hydraulic cam chain tensioners being slack before getting pressurised.

they all do that sir



except the genuinely superior 1200s of course.

 

[Stewart H]

My 1100 does the same thing, just for a second or two, I have not removed it to check yet but the left side cam chain tensioner is suspect unless changed for the later type, theres a thread on advrider describing the whole job.
Stewart

 

[cragrat]

knocking???

maybe peace of mind at last. the more i make contact with you chaps & chapesses the more i will learn, also the more i listen to different gs bikes the more i realise they all have there own knock/bang/clang/click...i think it is called a personality. Thanks to all for a very quick reply & yes i will nip through the tube to listen to yours tarka (but when i come back from holiday end of october...saddly not on my bike...boring beach stuff). I will contact you then. all the very best & thanks again...cragrat

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

except the genuinely superior 1200s of course.

Which make no noise at all on start-up, because the battery is dead

or b:

..whose only noise on start-up is the flat-bed truck drivers' door slamming shut.

etc

That's the first time I've had a dig at the 12 - not bad eh?!

....left side cam chain tensioner is suspect unless changed for the later type, theres a thread on advrider describing the whole job.

I changed the tensioner on my 1150 for the new version. It's a bit quieter, but not much. As the others said - I think they all rattle for a second or two on start-up - don't worry about it.

Pluck

 

[Tony T]

I have had the same noise on my 2000 1150GS since I first bought it. It does sound like a slack big-end but is only there at idle and not very often. It's NOT the timing chain tensioner (changed that ages ago which made a huge difference). There is no knocking under load, which you would expect with big-ends and it is only there at idle and only sometimes, and for a very short time (Three or four "knocks"). Sorry I can't throw any further light on the problem, just to say it does seem to be a "normal" noise for the GS and certainly does not seem to have got any worse or caused any other problems in the last three years!
Tony T

 

[cragrat]

thanks tony (& to you all). now to organize some trips without to much worry. a blast round scotland in a few weeks (after my beach holiday) should sort out any nags & niggles that myself & the bike has, after all, it is a partnership. (my wife says that i think more of my bike than i do of her......course i do....it gives me a better ride)!!!!!. thanks again..cragrat.

 

[rokraider]

I have noticed my 02 1150 GSA 20k has a light knock at idle when the choke/high idle is on. I have traced it to the throttle butterflys chattering. If you put your finger on them, they shut up. Could do with a return throttle cable a la most Japs.

 

[Les Wassall]

I have noticed my 02 1150 GSA 20k has a light knock at idle when the choke/high idle is on. I have traced it to the throttle butterflys chattering. If you put your finger on them, they shut up. Could do with a return throttle cable a la most Japs.

I would say the same thing, give them a blast of GT 85 now and then, up the balance hole, and make sure the black cap cover is not perished.

 

[Tony T]

The chattering of the throttle butterflies and the "unknown knock" are two completely different things. The chattering is caused by wear in the throttle butterfly shaft bushes (either live with it, or new throttle bodies - don't be tempted by Boxer Designs "ticker killer"!). The "knock" is a more solid metal on metal type noise, which as I said before, has yet to prove terminal.