Is my bike a Diesel?

Speedy1959

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Hi Guys,

My bike is a 2015 GS with 19,000 miles and full main dealership service history.

I know I have read about rattly Boxer engines on here (and YouTube) but please can you offer any updates on advice.

When my engine is properly hot say after 8 or 10 miles it really does sound like a Diesel on tick over !
I have played around whilst the bike is moving with the throttle to see if I can exaggerate the rattle, Imagine you are going along at a steady 30 or 40 mph and you are in say 4th gear.. You apply just enough throttle to come off the over run.. To "take up the slack" inside the engine.. If I do that it sounds like a bag of nails!
Its borderline embarrassing when I pull up at a bike meet up.

I have taken a video of the engine ticking over after I got back from a long ride..
It sounds worse in reality than my phone shows it.. But when I sent the video via "watts-app" to a friend and then played back what I had sent him, it sound even less severe than the original video recording.
Either the mic is "noise reducing" and or the sound quality is being reduced when its compressed for Watts-app.

So I am not sure how to post an example on here (or elsewhere) to demonstrate the clatter.

Thanks in advance,

Simon

P.S I have modified this post because as Mr Bean pointed out "My bike doesn't have Push rods"
Shows how little I know.. Ooops
 
Thanks for your fast response Mr bean..
That shows just how much I know !!

It does leave my original question though as to what the noise could be..

I have an engine stethoscope and it sounds deafening when I prod around the engine with that !
 
I have a 1200 GS and 1200R. Both, when warmed up have a almost clanking noise at tickover. The R has done 3K miles, the GS has a replacement engine which has done 6K miles. The earlier engine in the GS did 29K miles before a big end went on a ride. Now that really did make a noise under load. I have heard other GSs making the same noise at tickover. If you want to entertain yourself, get a long screwdriver, put the handle end into your ear and go over the engine touch places with the tip. Sounds like a cement mixer. Pay attention to the injector covers on each cylinder head. Indeed, just touch one at tickover. A quiet engine they are not.

Doh, just seen the engine stethoscope bit... :blast
 
Why are you riding along at 30mph in 4th gear?

It's not a car.....
 
Have you had a recent valve check at 12,000 miles?

If so did they also do a cam alignment?

The cam & sensor alignment has kept my bike sweet. I've got a 2017 R1200 GSA and service mine myself, it sounds great so far at 20,000 miles.
 
Speedy1959 said:
Imagine you are going along at a steady 30 or 40 mph and you are in say 4th gear.. You apply just enough throttle to come off the over run.. To "take up the slack" inside the engine.. If I do that it sounds like a bag of nails!
Its borderline embarrassing when I pull up at a bike meet up.
Click to expand...

It's probably the sound of your helmet bouncing on and off your screen as the bike does a pogo stick impression at stalling point.
There's no "slack" to take up.
Learn how to use a gearbox and how to ride. :D
 
Tarka said:
It's probably the sound of your helmet bouncing on and off your screen as the bike does a pogo stick impression at stalling point.
There's no "slack" to take up.
Learn how to use a gearbox and how to ride. :D
Click to expand...

Haha... this ^^^^^
 
Tp be fair to the OP, my 2014 GSA is fine at 40mph in fourth.
To be double-fair to the OP, that stupid gear change indicator probably tells you to change into fourth at well below those speeds!

They're a noisy engine. They are all fine, right up until they fail

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
 
stanley said:
Tp be fair to the OP, my 2014 GSA is fine at 40mph in fourth.
To be double-fair to the OP, that stupid gear change indicator probably tells you to change into fourth at well below those speeds!

They're a noisy engine. They are all fine, right up until they fail

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

40mph in 4th is fine.
 
A rattle in an engine just lightly coming off a trailing throttle could indicate worn little end bearings. JJH
 
Most of the 1200 LC's I have heard rattle, much more so than my old hexheads. First time I heard one I thought it sounded awful.

My 1250 on the other hand doesn't.
 
I’ve found for most bikes I’ve owned over the years when trying to maintain a constant speed at the speed limit its usually best to be in 3rd in a 30, 4th in a 40 and 5th in a 50 and when I think about it I do pretty much the same in a car to. In a higher gear it’s too easy to speed and you just don’t have much throttle response.

I didn’t buy a 950Adv because partly because on the test ride it wasn’t happy in a 30 unless in 2nd Gear and that made progress unbelievably jerky.

My Honda doesn’t have a change indicator but being a DCT if I put it in lazy “Drive” mode instead of sport the bloody thing changes into 6th at just 36mph!
 
Rushy said:
I’ve found for most bikes I’ve owned over the years when trying to maintain a constant speed at the speed limit its usually best to be in 3rd in a 30, 4th in a 40 and 5th in a 50 and when I think about it I do pretty much the same in a car to. In a higher gear it’s too easy to speed and you just don’t have much throttle response.

I didn’t buy a 950Adv because partly because on the test ride it wasn’t happy in a 30 unless in 2nd Gear and that made progress unbelievably jerky.

My Honda doesn’t have a change indicator but being a DCT if I put it in lazy “Drive” mode instead of sport the bloody thing changes into 6th at just 36mph!
Click to expand...

If I'm cruising back from off-roading, I put DCT in S2 Mode

All other times it's in Manual Mode and I use paddleshift

I wish my GSA had DCT (but Honda quality)
 
i have listened to plenty and they all sound like that .really its nowt, live with it,you should try a yamaha mt10 ,they are really noisy .
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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