I would have to listen to another 1050 to say that it is not normal, and I have never seen one in the wild.

 

Ticking noises up top sound normal to me. There is a hollow knocking sound, not bad, coming from the lower engine. That is Idle Hammer. Does no harm at all. Worse in hot weather and when engine has been run harder. Goes away as soon as rpm's increase or goes under load. Pulling the clutch lever in will sometimes soften that, but it is NOT clutch related. That simply changes the load on it.
Harley engines are quieter. They have a hydraulic valvetrain and no cam chains. Most have no mufflers....
DL 1000-1050 engines are by no measure a "Quiet" engine. But they have been proven to run over 400,000 miles with no engine tear down. Try that with a Harley!

 

Ticking noises up top sound normal to me. There is a hollow knocking sound, not bad, coming from the lower engine. That is Idle Hammer. Does no harm at all. Worse in hot weather and when engine has been run harder. Goes away as soon as rpm's increase or goes under load. Pulling the clutch lever in will sometimes soften that, but it is NOT clutch related. That simply changes the load on it.
Harley engines are quieter. They have a hydraulic valvetrain and no cam chains. Most have no mufflers....
DL 1000-1050 engines are by no measure a "Quiet" engine. But they have been proven to run over 400,000 miles with no engine tear down. Try that with a Harley!

Good ear RealShelby & thanks! Idle hammer is one I've never heard of and now won't forget. I'll work on letting go of the sounds obsessions or learn to except as the norm.
Thing about Harley'; almost every one I've owned I tore into long, long before any failures. Always chasing that bit more of power & just a little suspension. I still love that sound & torque but most likely won't own one again. The Vstrom has freed me.

 

Just hearing slight idle hammer and valve lash. Nothing to be worried about there imho. On the idle hammer my 2016 is much louder and has been for 25,000+ kms.

 

Has it always sounded this way since new? Or did something change?

The reason I asked is my 2014 DL1000 developed what I believe to be "idle hammer." It just started for no apparent reason at a stop light and lasted about five minutes worth of riding. Then again for no apparent reason stopped and has never come back again. Certainly was not "normal."

But like everybody else above your bike sounds like a normal noisy V-Strom.

 

I had no idle hammer prior to the first oil change. Then after the change it suddenly appeared. If I hadn't read about it on here I might have been alarmed, but the threads on the subject helped and I quickly learned to ignore it. It comes and goes. Sometimes noticeable and sometimes not.

 

Hello! I watched your video. I have a 2020 Vstrom 1050 with the same noise you show in the video. Did you manage to solve the problem? Could you tell me what it was? Thank you so much.

 

Hello! I watched your video. I have a 2020 Vstrom 1050 with the same noise you show in the video. Did you manage to solve the problem? Could you tell me what it was? Thank you so much.

 

Could also be the cam chain tensioners. They get noisy before they move to the next notch. You could remove the tensioner bolt and stick a screw driver in to see if you can push it to the next notch.

 

Hi Oily, I'll definitely give it a try with the tensioners and see if that helps alleviate the noise. I appreciate your quick response and taking the time to offer assistance. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

 

I can hear a ticking and it sounds a bit random. I remember on an old XJ750 I had years ago I would hear a similar noise if the spark plug caps got wet. Not saying that is the cause but maybe worth checking they are dry? These bikes run twin spark plugs so if one is grounding out it won't really be noticeable as far as running is concerned.

 

Hi Hillsy. It doesn't seem to be the issue with the spark plug caps, I appreciate your suggestion and your time. I'll continue investigating to pinpoint the cause of the noise. If you have any other ideas, I'd be glad to hear them!