WHAT'S THAT SOUND???

[hornofplenty]

Hi guys,

First day, first post. So hi to all. I'm hoping y'all can help me with a clutch/transmission issue on my Hornet 600. I originally thought it was a chain/sprocket issue but increasingly sure that the noise was coming from the engine I took front sprocket and chain off yesterday to run the engine and shaft to see if it made a noise itself. Please see link below for a vid of the countershaft running. If any of you have any idea what it may be, any advice ould be much much appreciated. Other than the sound making me go bonkers with trying to figure out what it is, I'm planning to do a tour of the south-east in a couple of weeks and of course only want to go if it's deemed safe enough to run the distance. Thanks in advance for any viewpoints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-UFKjoPiAE

[Stu]

hi and welcome to the forum

does the sound only happen when in gear?

or is it there whilst in neutral and revving?

is there any movement on the output shaft

it could be a shagged bearing

if it does it when in neutral but stops when the clutch is pulled then its clutch related and will need to be stripped to investigate

[hornofplenty]

I didn't try revving it out in neutral, but it's definitely movement related. Revving in gear, ie. when output shaft is revolving at speed, it starts to make he noise once the engine is warm. The sound disappears when clutch lever is pulled in. I thought it must be the counter shaft bearing, though my local mechanic says it's very unlikely. There's no moving in the output shaft when I give it a tank and a wiggle. Sounds as if it comes from dead centre if the transmission, the sound is equally loud clutch and sprocket sides. If it was clutch, would it be pretty simple getting in there for a root around?

[hornofplenty]

Few predictive text annoyances in there. Yank not tank, etc.

[hornofplenty]

Not sure the vid was included in the first post. Here ya go....

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[Tango]

Welcome to TMBF mate..........pop over to the Newbies section and introduce yourself when you get chance .......

I agree with Stu......sounds like the clutch........you may be able to pop the clutch cover off without having to drain the oil with the bike on the side stand. ......

[eastanglianbiker]

get a long piece of wood or long screwdriver up aginst the casings in different places and place ear next to whatever you put there it will amplify t he noisegiving you a better idea of where abouts its coming from

[hornofplenty]

Thanks guys. More likely the clutch if it stops when the lever's pulled in I guess. Any chance it could still be the countershaft bearing if the noise stops when the clutch lever's pulled in?

[Stu]

I would be checking out the clutch first as its the easiest and the cheapest

do as eastanglianbiker says though to try and locate the sound more accurately

sounds on video's never sound the same in real life!

to be honest clutch rattle is usually at idle

another option is to drop the oil in to a clean clear container and check for any metal shards that may come out due to a failed bearing

[hornofplenty]

If I checked the clutch what would I be looking for, a failed pushrod bearing?

[RTwo]

I can't hear the audio on that vid but don't all of those 600 Hondas have rumbly clutches?

[eastanglianbiker]

I can't hear the audio on that vid but don't all of those 600 Hondas have rumbly clutches?

there is an pronounced tick or click type noise along with the normall noises just to let last poster know what was in the audio

[hornofplenty]

So, I've heard back from the mechanic and apparently the sound is coming from the cam chain and tensioner. They're not planning on replacing the cam chain and tensioner itself as they reckon it would come to £700 including labour. In my daze this morning I was over the moon, no bad bearing etc. But now thinking about it, I'm wondering if they've identified a different sound altogether (I'm abroad on work so am relying on email contact for diagnosis). Is it possible that the sound from a malfunctioning cam chain could sound as if it's coming from the transmission? I would've thought that sound would just be heard from the left side above the clutch housing.

[CGD217]

I've heard the cam chain tensioner is a common repair/fault on the CBR 600. Have you tried YouTube to see ifs roughly the same sound ?

[Mr Fro]

Maybe - sound can travel in very strange ways through an engine/gearbox.

You should bring it along to the end of season meet so we can all diagnose the problem.

[Gadgey]

This sounds to me like the dampening on the clutch is worrn,usually spings on a Honda and its allowing freeplay.

This isnt anything to worry about and the only fix is a replacement clutch basket.

To be clear I am not talking about the normal clutch springs but the springs on the back plate.

Worth checking before spending you hard earned

[Stu]

This sounds to me like the dampening on the clutch is worrn,usually spings on a Honda and its allowing freeplay.

This isnt anything to worry about and the only fix is a replacement clutch basket.

To be clear I am not talking about the normal clutch springs but the springs on the back plate.

Worth checking before spending you hard earned

 

It's also a common problem on the R1 too!

Never known it on a Honda though but stranger things have happened

Definitely worth checking out

[HornetJoe2889]

Hi  Hornofpleny

 

I know this is an old thread but did you get to the bottom of this noise? My 2005 hornet is making the exact noise in your video?

 

thanks

 

[Hairsy]

I've had a noise that sounded identical to that. In my case it was on a 1998 CBR600F3. Checked lots of things and eventually took advice that I'd receiveed to balance the carbs - solved the problem instantly. At tickover, things aren't under load and the mismatch between cylinders causes these rattles.

 

I have to say that I was sceptical when I initially received the advice but, in my case, it was definitely the solution. And the bike ran better as well.

[Nick the wanderer]

Sound advice eh..  

[Simon Davey]

When my bike recently went in for a car clean, new jets etc. I asked the guy to check my front wheel bearings, and also check the front brakes weren't dragging. 

Turned out I could hear my air intakes.... 

[Daniel18]

Hey Gents,

Another clutch question - 2001 Honda Hornet CB600FS

Great forum by the way! I have heard a rattle from the clutch area for a short while now, especially at idle speed, but even at city driving speeds its still a bit more noisy than I would think it should be. I've only had the bike for 3 months.

When I engage the clutch the rattle stops, disengage and it rattles again.
Is this just clutch basket wear and tear?
Don't want to be screwed by some mechanic saying its more...

 

Can you tell me what to look out for? Or what to do first?

 

Is a clutch basket replacement on this bike something a novice can do?

 

Thanks a mil!

Daniel.

[Tinkicker]

1st port of call is to get the carbs balanced.