Tapping noise on slow down in gear....
 

SO my hawks got about 35k on her running great but recently I noticed a fairly loud tapping when Im in gear slowing down in any gear. Only can be heard at about 2000 rpms or less. The weird thing is it almost completely goes away when I pull the clutch in... If I sit at idle in nuetral i can hear a slight tapping but mostly dissapears when I hold in the clutch. Clutch still grabs fine, not slipping at all. is this the sign of something else clutch related? Some sort of damper issue or a loose clutch spring or something?
Also CCT have not been done to my knowledge, would they make a similar tapping sound?

This tapping happened all of the sudden, it wasnt a gradual building up noise. One day slowing down to a stop I hear this loud tap tap tap tap while slowing to a stop in gear... Anyone have any idea?

thanks.

A very good possibility that it is a CCT on the way out I would say, especially if they've done 35k.
When changing down and slowing down, at approximately 3,000 rev's the front CCT tightens up slightly, that removes the slack from the cam chain on the over run. If the spring is getting weak which it sounds like to me, that slack chain is then slapping about in the cam chain tunnel. That is what you are hearing if it is the CCT. If it were me considering the amount of miles I'd get them both changed ASAP.

damn thatsounds like what i started hearing today except my sound is over 5000 rpm, its a tapping rattle kind of sound. and i notice i get a slight rattle when i let the clutch out with a rev match at those same rpms. not all the time but its random.

uchi, don't risk rattle noises, replace the cct's immediately if it hasn't been done already.

996er said his cct's were replaced so his problem is elsewhere. Has the chain been tightened to spec for a while?

As it only happens below 2k rpm it sounds like the carb slides to me, just a normal SH noise

Check the obvoius... Tension on the drive chain (it can slap around and make weird noises), change fluids in the clutch and oil if it's not new... If that doeasn't make it go away... Do the CCT's... Or better yet do them anyway at that mileage!

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Yeah I was listening to it today and it sounds like the front head making a slight tapping, really hard to tell but I was hoping to not have to do em before I sell the bike.

It really seemed to just start soundin tap happy on slow down all of the sudden... Would a CCT spring just go like that? Wheres a good place to get cheap replacements?

Cheap is relative. There is a mod that can be done to the OEM that converts then to manual. The link is somewhere on the site, should be able to search for it. The standard replacement seems to be APEs for about $85 each (you'll need 2). I was lucky enough to get a set from Truck, but it sounds like that avenue is over.

There's a good chance there's a broken tooth on a clutch plate. You should disassemble and inspect the clutch. This is NOT a CCT problem since it goes away when you pull in the clutch.

yeah im thinking its time. its cool enough here now that i think our riding season is just about over so i may dig into it this week, pull them off make them manuals and put them on and hope for the best. gonna have to start looking for one good tensioner writeup on here in a day or so. thanks for the info

Im gonna pull the cover and inspect the clutch. Its been noisy since I got the bike over 10,000 miles ago but not tappin like this. This noise is definitly not right... I work on all of my cars and bikes and can tell when something is off. I do ride the bike hard and the only thing that has ever gone wrong is the battery died and ran out of gas a bunch of times... haha... Yep, Ive pushed the thing miles and miles as well, Even on the side of the NJ turnpike a couple times. lol.

Just curious, What kind of oil and weight do you guys suggest?

Check the chain tension first, my chain wore out and I thought the noise was coming from the engine but it was just the chain slapping on decel, I had already replaced the CCT's a few thousand miles earlier.

Hawkrider, your comment seems most likely my new problem. Tap/ rattle noise goes away as soon as I pull in the clutch idling in neutral. I feel a slight vibration/ grind until I pull the clutch as well. Before I dig into the clutch, could anything else be causing the problem? The hawk is new to me, so I assumed this was normal, but now I'm questioning it.

A new tool pays for itself the first time you use it.

Get a mechanic's stethoscope. As you us it, close your eyes, your mind will illustrate all the moving parts that you listen to. Diagnosis will be rapid.

That's what newspapers are for... :p