Strange engine "tic"...
 

Hi Gents(and ladies?)

A few weeks ago I unfortunately ran my bike with very low oil...... (In my defence, the oil level was perfectly fine 2 weeks prior, and the bike has never leaked oil - still doesnt)

I was on my way to work and about 400 metres from a cold start i had to make a high rev 1st gear dash to make it through a "quickly turning red" traffic light.

Following this stunt i noticed a faint "tic, tic, tic" that seemed perfectly in tune with the bike at idle....... OH NO!!

I still rode the bike to work and back home that day - about a further 6km.

I topped it up at home with leftover oil i had(about 300 to 400ml) and went for a ride to see if i could diagnose this strange "tic".

After about 10km was getting louder and more pronounced so i headed back home. By the time I got the bike home it was "ticking" so loud that even my "mechanically completely uninclined" GF said "WTF is wrong with your bike”. - It really sounded bad.....

Fearing valve damage (or something) i shut the bike off, put it in the garage. - at this time i was so pissed with myself that i tried not to even think about the problem and i also tried to forget that i even had a bike...

3 weeks later i sceptically start the bike up..... NO TIC!!!!! The bike runs beautifully with zero strange noises.

I go to the shop and buy "top up oil" - the bike takes almost 2 litres till the sight glass is at top level. - Horrific i know :( but still no "tic"

I proceed to take it for a short ride - after about 3km the faint tic noise is back and slooowwwwly getting more audible. - I return home.

With the bike idling in the driveway i slowly make the revs climb and notice that at about 2000 rpm the tic goes away, but returns at about 2400 rpm.

I used a "screwdriver to the ear technique to try and identify the ticking noise. I hold it to heads, the crank case and everywhere i could reach but I cannot isolate the ticking noise.

Surely if it were valves the tic would not go away after resting the bike for 3 weeks?? Also, if it were valves, the noise would not go away at a certain rev range??

I am not a proficient mechanic by any means but i have all the tools to take most anything apart if need be.

Does anyone have any ideas please?:confused:

Is there a chance you can capture this noise on video and post it?

Have you OEM auto tensioners or manual tensioners? Also any leaks from the exhaust manifold or link pipe connections?

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replys.

I have manual CCT's. I attempted to tension these just to check, but they made no noticeable audible difference during the adjustment process. They did give the bike a notable "wrrrrrrrrrrr'ing sound" when revving at about 4k rpm. Maybe they were overtightened? I subsequently screwed them back out to relieve some tension.

and Just FYI: I can clearly hear the cam chain "wrrrr" under the valve cover using the screwdriver method(normally inaudible while the bike is idling while not having your ear to the motor)

It is quite a loud "tic" when the bike has been ridden a bit(as per my 1st post), so i would imagine it should be SUPER LOUD through a screwdriver but, as I said, I was unable to determine the source through the screwdriver - weird.

The bike has relatively loud pipes on but i must say that the "tic" sounds much more mechanical than what escaping gas would though.

I can attempt to take a video but have no idea how to post it.....

Did you notice whether or not the low oil pressure light came on when the bike was low on oil?

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...46/#post278445

Worth ruling out before you start probing deep into the bike's innards

That is a funny thread.... From what I gathered he heard some noises, broke some parts, tried to replace the parts, noise still existed, then he replaced the tires and the ticking went away.... LOL.....

Check that spark plugs are tight. A loose one will make a ticking sound which can progressively get worse until it "blows out".

Very interesting thread thanks Wicky.

Ive been getting some interesting responces from frends also claiming it could be something realy simple like an exhaust leak or the like.

From my simptoms, i'm kinda getting a positive feeling from all of this...

I think ill ride the bike to work tomorrow and ask some of the guys to give it a listen.

I just hope im not making a mistake by riding it. Like i said, it makes no wierd noises at all during startup...

How do I check for leaks around the exhaust headers?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by comedo (Post 381528)

Did you notice whether or not the low oil pressure light came on when the bike was low on oil?

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Well... the low pressure light went away once i topped the oil up...

I guess it was on then...

During testing, when the noise was at its peak, I still had a 10km drive home though, so the noise it not coming from a catastrophically failing part?

Here's another interesting read about an engine "ticking" noise. Click here

I remember this post. I just love failure analysis!

Do any of your friends smoke? Have them hold a cig around the flange area and look for signs, of course while the rad fan isn't running.