If you would have a listen to the video and let me know if anything sounds off as far as engine noises go. Hard to tell from a phone microphone, I know.


The ticking seems decently loud in person, but I haven't heard a bike up close in years. It seems to be loudest in the V of the engine, but can be heard almost anywhere with a mechanic's stethoscope. I've triple-checked the valve specs, cam timing, and cam chain tension (manual tensioners), and I am pretty certain they are solid.

Wanted a second opinion before I take it around the block for its first trip since I got it in October of 2023. Thanks, everyone.

 

Seems like a pretty strong tick to me. I've never heard one in person sound like that.

 

I was poking around some more with the stethoscope this past Sunday, and the ticking seemed especially loud when pressed to the front header and nearby to the exhaust opening on the head.

It also seems to have gotten louder after a few heat cycles. Plus, I've had the headers off and on about four times with the same gaskets. Maybe there's an exhaust leak? I've got some new gaskets on the way, and my fingers crossed.

 

Exhaust is put back together, and it sounds identical. Hmmm.

I found this video, and it has a similar rattle/tick that can barely be heard.


Maybe I'm overthinking it. Stethoscope pressed to front and rear head and cam chain area sound identical to each other, so I'm not as worried about the sound as I was.

EDIT: Front head is slightly tickier than the rear. It's getting really hard to tell. Listening to it too much, maybe.

 

If the oil has some mileage on it , you might want to send an oil sample to Blackstone (or a lab of choice) to have the oil analyzed.
An possibility the front CCT let go? You stated the valve clearances checked out. So probably not, but.....

 

Unfortunately, the oil has maybe an hour or two of runtime on it.

I gave it another listen yesterday afternoon. I really struggled tracking the tick down, but I believe it's the front head, and specifically the exhaust cam, maybe even just the right-hand valve. I will open everything up again, front and rear, and make absolutely certain everything is where it needs to be.

Maybe I misread the feeler gauges and put too much clearance on the exhaust, and that's why it is ticking. The ticking does seem to get marginally better with a long run time, as the clearances close up a little from the heat.

 

Any chance it's an exhaust leak? They can sound like a tick and close up as the exhaust/engine heats up.

 

Well, this is embarrassing.

I misused the feeler gauges the first time around and calculated the clearances tighter than they actually were. Pre-bend your feelers to make it easier. It was absolutely obvious once I did. I could have double-checked the clearances, yes, but since I was misusing the feelers, it wouldn't have helped. Ended up loosing all of the valves off the first go through. If they weren't out before, they definitely were after I got to them.

Got the rear head back together and actually within spec. Waiting on a few bolts for the front before I close everything up.

Woops.

 

All back together, and the tick is gone. Exciting, exciting.