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Does your 650 tick?

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ticking
11K views 30 replies 25 participants last post by  kiwi_outdoors 
#1 ·
This is just a general question in regards to what I am hearing and if I should regard this as normal or not.

Does your DL650 make a slight ticking sound?

What I am hearing is a slight ticking sound. The sound can be best described as if you had a marble and would use it to recreate the ticking sound yourself by tapping it on the engine or take your pen and tap it on something hard and metal - thats the same sound but only quieter obviously. It's a "metallic" sounding sound and never goes away even at higher rpm. It gets slightly louder as the engine revs faster and seems like it's louder under stress but not much more than idle, really. I have heard the same sound on new cars if you lift up the bonnet. I was told it was their cams ticking or something like that. I tried to capture the sounds using my camera but the mic was unable to catch it. I can JUST SLIGHTLY hear it with my full face helmut on as well.

I have read A LOT about how these things are noisy and a lot of people report a lot of ruckus and thats fine, but the very idea that the sound just came about a month ago, worries me some. I know it's not an old sound as I have had my head by the motor plenty of times and I defiantly would have heard it then.

The bike has about 52k Km on it and the previous owner confirms that the valves were checked and within spec at 30k Km or so. The oil was just done a few days ago which did nothing to the sound.

How indicative is this sound of a valve needing to be adjusted?

A lot of posts I have read are about people who had something happen before their ticking but mine just started.

Anyhow, thanks everyone.
Have a good one.
 
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#2 ·
Mine started at about 6000 miles. It's close to 74,000 miles now. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
#3 ·
Does it just tick or does it also tock?
If it ticks without tocking, you might need to bring it to a little Swiss dude who wears a magnifying monocle and speaks with a strong german accent; he will be able to fix it for you.
 
#6 ·
The only time I hear anything that sounds "wrong" is when I shut down. Just before everything goes quiet, I hear a faint tick, like the sound of a switch closing. I think this might be the fuel pump shutting down, but that's just a crazy guess. Otherwise, I love this bike.:beatnik:
 
#7 ·
The only time I hear anything that sounds "wrong" is when I shut down. Just before everything goes quiet, I hear a faint tick, like the sound of a switch closing.
It's a stepper motor setting the ISC or STPS on 2007 or later DL650s.
 
#8 ·
SittingDuck - that was my first guess too but the 650's stock internal Swiss clock is working just fine, it chimes on the hour and every hour - like it should.

The bike DOES run great so like everyone else says, I guess I best just log this sound as normal from now on.

Thanks.
 
#9 ·
My tick eventually graduated to a clacketty. It turned out to be a cam chain too loose. The chain stretched more than the adjuster could compensate for. The cam would swing shut from the valve spring tension as it closed, slacking the chain for a split second, then the chain would yank the slack back. Thats what makes all the noise. I changed both chains myself. At that time there was around 55,000miles on the bike. It is beginning to tick very very quietly again, now at 102,000miles. You may have some time before there is a problem. Mine happened so gradually I never noticed the urgency till a mechanic said I should check it out. If I had let it go too long the cam could jump a gear and suddenly change the valve timing. I'm not sure if the valves "interfere" or not with only one tooth jump but why risk it!!! After I finished the job I was DAZZLED at how quiet the engine was!
 
#11 ·
Tick? What sound doesn't my Wee make. I can't imagine a healthy, mechanical contraption can make all the pings, bings, bangs, knocks, ticks, tocks, whirs and faloots that emanate from this thing. :confused: Yet, it runs ever strongly and smoothly and has done for 40k+ miles. I've given up trying to understand.
 
#17 ·
From a BMW to a KLR, then an F650, and now the Wee. Each one very different from the bike before and every one had its own cocophany of alarming sounds. What is sort of interesting is the biggest problem areas are the ones that you don't hear. I've never had a bike that whined like my wee but its becoming musical. Pretty soon I'll be able to tell what gear I"m in by the tone.
 
#21 ·
Slight tick? That doesn't sound right to me.

OTOH, mine might have a slight tick but I can't hear it for all the other racket the engine makes.
 
#23 ·
The most likely cause is the cam chain tensioner, as you suspect, but I don't think I have ever seen this problem discussed before on this forum so it would not seem to be a common problem. I know with my Kawasaki Vulcan many owners need to add an extension cap onto the tensioner rod to lengthen it enough to take up chain slack after 30,000 miles or so. I don't know if anyone makes or sells such an extension for the V-Strom.

Is it possible the tensioner ratchet is stuck? You might want to loosen the tensioner bolt and then retighten to see if it makes any difference. The front cylinder's tensioner is not too difficult to get to so you could remove it entirely if necessary and inspect it to see if that is the problem.

The rear is not so easy...and if you have ABS, God help you.:headbang:
 
#31 ·
access to rear tensioner

The most likely cause is the cam chain tensioner, as you suspect, but I don't think I have ever seen this problem discussed before on this forum so it would not seem to be a common problem. I know with my Kawasaki Vulcan many owners need to add an extension cap onto the tensioner rod to lengthen it enough to take up chain slack after 30,000 miles or so. I don't know if anyone makes or sells such an extension for the V-Strom.

Is it possible the tensioner ratchet is stuck? You might want to loosen the tensioner bolt and then retighten to see if it makes any difference. The front cylinder's tensioner is not too difficult to get to so you could remove it entirely if necessary and inspect it to see if that is the problem.

The rear is not so easy...and if you have ABS, God help you.:headbang:
I do have ABS, access to the rear tensioner bolt was ok, extension bars, swivel, duct tape, socket, that sort of thing
 
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