Balancer Noise / Tension

[Guest phpbiker]

My 7000 mile X-11 which is new to me, has a slightly noisy balancer until its warm.

Obviously just the adjustment ... OR .. is it normal for them to be a slightly noisy when warm?

Takes half a mile or so to warm and quieten down, then its smooth quiet and tolerant to a hell of a lot of right hand )

[Guest phpbiker]

Actually checked balancer it turns out to be top end .. its like the engine is so fresh .. the clearances are wide.

Perhaps some silly oil in it?

A good dose of Semi 10w40 going in just to check it .. then maybe look at clearences .. quiet as the grave when nice and warm ..

LOADS of throttle action today, doesn't make it come back .. so EXTREMELY unlikely to be mechanical failure of any kind ..

Any ideas chaps?

[fast_eddy 712]

Yes, leave the bloody thing alone!

[Guest phpbiker]

Give me more to go on ... do they all do it when they are really fresh?

I can live with it )

[wayne 426]

Take it round to see John (X11r) he only lives round the corner............... of the M25 Basingstoke let him have an ear full

[fast_eddy 712]

Get it red hot and drop the oil and filter after a good long run.

Use some 10w-40 semi, such as Comma Euro-lite.

Don't mess with the tappets.

[Guest phpbiker]

Well .. if it is valve clearances, it'll only be the 20th bike or so I have shimmed .. so no worries there.. but I think the oil is the wrong grade most likely ..

Its too perfect when its warm, and I mean perfect.

[x11r 386]

It wo'nt be valve clearances its probably just the diference between a nicely run in engine and a tight engine , it can also be that the original owner ran it in like a grandad which will mean you have brought the slowest X11 on the planet , but hey ho change that .... keep ringing its balls off , when we go to Germany those Lads like to hit the rev limiter regularly and the ones that apear to have been abused the most sound the sweetest engine you have ever heard at tick over !!

[Guest phpbiker]

Yeah .. its .... clacky ... you can hear it on the overrun at around 2K ... listening to the crank at either ends it sounds tight ..

Its noisey when its cold and warms up and quietens down mostly, but I can still hear it coming from bang in the middle of the tank ..

Gave it a serious thrashing on a nice road round the back, and .. well it won't let go put it that way .. haha

[Guest phpbiker]

I think its my CCT .. lack of use issues.. all over the bike when you look close ... gradually working my way through them, mostly chain, sprockets, nothing serious .. perhaps tensioner is partially seized ..

I've done a recording

http://www.filedropper.com/phpx-11enginenoise

I let the engine warm for a minute, its a bit worse colder but its still audible when warm just quieter ..

You can hear as the engine note rises about 2K and gets to 2.5K you gradually here a "clacking" note to the sound, it smooths out as revs rise and re-appears as they fall.

I can't believe its a major component, as I have given it a thorough caning and it gets no worse..

[blueboy 138]

Under the clinching at straws ideas I remember years ago a mate get a minter bike with low mileage that did the same thing,after months of looking for the fault he met the first owner who told him his chain was slack,now my mate is even tempered so did not slap him but told him that when he brought the bike it was tight. It seems the first owner set the chain as to handbook without weight on bike than rode it and as he was 20stone+ took any play up causing the front spocket bearing to wear.As I said clinching at straws

[Guest phpbiker]

Considering it does it when not moving ... I doubt it .. but thanks anyway

Could you hear it in the sound file .. just wondering?

Edited April 15, 2012 by phpbiker

[Mick 162]

Sound file downloads as 0 bytes.

[Guest phpbiker]

Dammit .. website is broke .. some service that was! .. Anyway ... try this

http://tinyurl.com/d2e5jne

[Mick 162]

Buy some ear plugs if it bothers you, sounds fine to me.

[Guest phpbiker]

err... don't think so bud ..

You got a set of headphone's to listen with?

There's a definite problem there.

Sent the file to Jaws and he says definite CCT ..

[wayne 426]

CCT does not keep the tension on when faulty, horrible rattle then ensues on the overrun particularly when no pressure on engine, ie sat on drive reving it.

take set screw out of the end of the CCT & put set screw in about 30mm long with nut on also , you now have a manual tensioner, adjust as neccassary untill rattle dissapears, not too tight tho, lock off with nut.

Now order a new CCT or just leave it as a manual.

Wayne.

[Guest phpbiker]

Is it OK just to remove the CCT, and put a new one in. It won't jump a tooth when the existing one is taken out?

And .. could you tell me what the "key" is for, the one the comes with new CCT's? Does it lock of the spring until its removed?

[AndyX11 313]

My X is now 11 years old since I bought it new in 2001 and has 26k on clock and yours sounds just the same as mine!

How often when your riding it are the revs between 2-2.5k? Yup you pass through that rev range briefly.

When I'm on mine its more likely to be between 6-7k where the throaty airbox tone and real grunty power kicks in.

Regards

Andyx11

[Guest phpbiker]

My last X was whisper quiet .. like a jet turbine whistle and woosh ... fantastic ..

I just want it like that .. when its very cold like starting up over night .. its much worse ..

[Guest phpbiker]

UPDATE ....

I spoke to John at Jaws, he said that it was a different part from the ones he sold for the bird .. which was news to me, but that I should try reseating it ..

I did that .. and winding the tensioner out with a screw driver, it was quite stiff, so I oiled it .. but to no avail, it still does it..

I think that spring is soft, he said there was indentions in the tensioner, also news to me ..

Don't know what to do now, aside ..order a Honda original at the best part of a hundred quid..

[Guest phpbiker]

Well, it doesn't seem to be the tensioner,

Tell you what I think it is ... I think its a brand new engine .. and all the clearances are as wide as they would be. Someone has been inside the top end .. there is sealant visible, unless that is original Honda. Its definitely cams on buckets I am hearing I got right in there just now ... very close with my long screw driver with my ear against it ..

It really gets quiet as it gets warm ..

I guess my last X with 18K on it, had less clearence up top .. that's all..

I'll live with it, if it gets worse, I'll go in the top and check the clearences. Can't be crank or pins or pistons etc .. its BRAND NEW round the back of the motor and I've given it such a caning .. it would have got worse .. not better ..

[x11r 386]

Jake I think you have hit the nail on the head , from what you have described now it sounds like its camshaft end float , mine does it when it's cold , its never got any worse so it sounds like you are worrying about nothing , It may improve after a few oil changes and some bedding in or you could try something called active 8.

http://www.activ8lubricants.com/

[Guest phpbiker]

Tell you what bud .. I'll buzz it down your way, get you a cuppa or a pint .. and you can hear it for yourself .. ) ..

Thanks matey ..

[Guest phpbiker]

Welll ... news...

I went to a Honda dealership today, a guy with 20 years experience in Honda, came out and listened to my engine and said it if wasn't CCT, he'd blow his own knob off.

I said, don't mate, I'll get it online .. meaning that it didn't matter what he said he wasn't going to be cheap enough, and I have a set of spanners. And he just re-iterated is PROMISE to me that it was the CCT.

Although when I add tension with the CCT centre screw it makes it no better... which I was told it would if it was the CCT causing the issue.

I really need one of these things in my f_cking hands so I can see exactly how it works ...Spring Alone? Ratchet System? What ?

Edited April 17, 2012 by phpbiker