Can you "hear" your valve train?

[Sasquatch]

Title kind of says it all.  I ride with ear plugs, actually ear plug monitors and music all the time.  This morning I went without.  At low speeds with the RPMs around 3k, I can hear my valve train.  Not loud mind you, but I can hear it.  It sounds like all the gaps are too big and is slightly "rattles".  At my last adjustment 10k miles ago, I only had to make minor adjustments and they are on the loose end of the scale since valves tend to tighten over time, not loosen.

So, would you guys pay attention to the sounds of your motor and let me know if it is just me.  Like I said, with ear plugs all the time I never heard it before so I am a bit on the worried side.  If no one knows, I will open her up this weekend and recheck everything.

[fano]

I wouldn't worry too much, because I can definitely here mine. I had my valves adjusted just about 2000 miles ago.

[Sasquatch]

Hi Fano!!!

Thanks for the reply.  I think I just need to ride without my ear plugs now and then.  She sure does run good though.

When you coming back to this neck of the woods?  I got a place for you to stay and lots of great places to ride.

[paulie]

i guess i dont have enough experience "hearing" motors to really know, but i can say that when i ride without earplugs at slow speeds, it sounds way more "mechanical" than at the higher revs. not sure if that makes much sense, but it is definitely more metal on metal sounding. while the bike is idling, if i put my ear close to the engine case, the metal sound is way more apparent.

its always sounded like that though..  i'm sure its normal???? :?  :oops:

my old KZ sounded similar, but MUCH less so. i've figured different motors, different sounds. being around other Tigers at the Ride-In sort of reinforced that for me. My bike didn't sound any different than anyone else's.. <shrug>

[HockleyBoy]

Mine is also fairly noisy when I am not wearing plugs, it has been like it since I got it and has been serviced at the correct times so i am not unduly worried by it. Seems to be a Tiger thing.

[fano]

Hi Fano!!!

When you coming back to this neck of the woods?  I got a place for you to stay and lots of great places to ride.

I wouldn't say it twice, Jay. Idaho is great place to ride. I had a lot of fun there last year @ the Tiger Ride-in

[iansoady]

I think mine's really quiet. Mind you, that's in comarison to the Velo.

[Tiger-G]

I don't know if it's my valve train or tappets I'm hearing. It's a 2007 Tiger '955 and it's been the same since I got it from new. There's a ticking / tappety noise coming from what I can only describe as the gap in between the front of the fuel tank and instrument panel. It seems to permiate through there. Once I get to 3000 revs it disappears.

Any guesses ??

[tcbezza]

I tried my Tiger today without earplugs, OK so I was busy talking and forgot to put them in before I move off  :oops:

You can hear a mechanical rattle from the engine but nothing load or worrisome. I guess they all do that. After my A65 which carries it own drum kit somewhere inside the engine, right next to the bag of nails, it is still very quite.

Before anybody asks, I have given up trying to stop the A65 rattling. It has rattled its way around the UK and a fair bit of Europe in the last 10 years with no ill effects. I guess I am used  to it.

[Sasquatch]

Thanks guys.

[Sasquatch]

The noise ended up being bad.  I finally got my bike and my dads side by side last night and his valve train was silent (other than the typical whirring of the balancer).  Uh oh....

Got home and pulled her down.

All the intake valves had negative clearance by about .05mm.  Looks like come winter I will be tearing the head off and grinding valves and seats.

Darn thing ran great.  That is the odd part.

[Sasquatch]

An update.  Re set all the intake gaps.  Bike runs fantastic, but the noise is still there.

Stopped by Pat's place at lunch yesterday.  He worked at Big Twin Triumph as their head mechanic for years before opening his own shop doing diesel performance stuff.  He is the only Triumph mechanic I trust because not only did he wrench on them, but he loved them.  A true enthusiast.  

We listened, listened some more, and then sat there and pondered the situation.  We convinced ourselves it was not in the top end, or cam gear/timing chain system.  We really feel that it is coming from the starter gears or starter clutch.

So, can anyone guess what I will be doing in the morning?

[Stretch]

Curiouser and curiouser.

[Sasquatch]

Well, it is not the starter gear set.  I pulled them all out and then push started it.  Noise is still there.  I feel it is either the timing gears or something deeper in i.e. balancer.

I just do not know where to go from here.

[DirtBiker]

I don't hear mine. But then again what would it sound like anyway.