hey noodle, im going to assume yes, as the bike does not run hot, nor is there any water in the oil. by the way, the oil was changed at 400 miles and there was NO metal bits, pieces, or flakes in the old oil and i was quite happy about that. i also checked the exup valve, and it rattles alittle at startup, but goes away when the bike gets warm. what gets me is it only does it when moving. i have sat trying to replicate the noise with the fairings off in the garage to pin point it but no luck. i may end up taking it to the dealer, if nothing else, ill have it documented. thanks for the reply. clary

 

Ok..two possible causes that I know.

Alot of Yamaha R1 owners have the famous "R1 ticking" noise. Some say it's absolutely normal. I don't buy it. I think it's Yamaha inferior valve/valve stem design.

Two, if you get that noise when you release the throttle abruptly from say...3500 rpm, then you may have a loose cam chain. Perhaps this is caused by a faulty auto-cam chain tensioner. This happened to me and my bike was new at the time.

 

2fasst, thanks for the reply, im going to take it this weekend if im off and have the dealer look at it. it sounds for all the world like an exhaust leak, but im definately going to have them check into the cam chain tensioner. thanks. clary

 

let us know what the problem is then for posterity and whatnot.

i pick my R1 up on May 1st and cant wait

 

wonder ing if you have a rod problem

 

Make sure the motor mount bolts are torqued down, I had one come loose and it created a rattle @ 9,000 rpms.

 

ill check the motor mounts, i havent thought of that. i know its not the valves or valvetrain, as i had an 01 r1 so i know what that is about. today while riding to and from work, i didnt hear it at all. i adjusted the chain last night, and i could just be an idiot, but i dont think the chain flapping from being too loose would reverberate to the front end. it wasnt crazy loose, but did need attention. you would think the noise would be heard over your shoulder and not up through the nose of the bike. ill keep yall informed of this in case it turns out to be mechanical. thanks for the replies. clary

 

front forks

i have a similar noise on mine, tracked it to the front forks, at a certain rpm the inner stems resinate with a ticking noise, adjusted the screws on top to make a firmer ride and itsolved the problem, not suggesting this is the problem, but was a easy fix for me

 

I have a clunking sound in my front forks when I stop harder then normal or when I hit a bump a lil hard. Or maybe its not the forks, but it is def. in the front end. Is this what ur talking about.

 

I haven't noticed any taping/rattling noise on my 2006 R1 and I've got 500kms on it so far.

If the CCT is anything like the infamous F4i crap, you'll hear the noise at certain rpm's. For example on the F4i, you'll notice it around 5000 rpm's.

 

thanks for all the replies. rocketrider, check and see if your steering stem needs tightened. if it works loose and you hit sharp bumps or holes youll get a thunk. that is one of the checks at the 600 mile checkup i believe. r1-nuts, thats another good suggestion about the forks. i need to adjust my suspension for my weight and riding style, but im terrible with that kind of stuff. so you adjusted the forks and the rattling went away? i am definately going to do that. so, does anyone have any good suspension settings for a 170 pound rider who does normal/slightly agressive street riding? thanks everyone for thier replies. i hope to eventually trace this down and kill it. clary

 

Hey man. I have a 2006 Raven R1 and I have been hearing this noise as well. When I down shift and shut off the throttle around 4,000 rpm and below I hear a tapping or clicking of some sort. It is hard to describe the noise but it is definately there. My dealer is terrible at customer service. I have 2,200 miles on my bike now but it has been into the dealer 3 times now. I had a tire changed and ever since they put the new one back on I had a rubbing/grinding noise in the back. First trip they cleaned off a rotor, second trip they tightened the motor mounts, third trip they loosened the chain. That noise went away but I have begun to notice this clicking noise and it is exactly as you say. It does not do it at idle only when shutting off the throttle/downshifting around 4,000 rpms and below. I might try to see if the dealer has heard of the problem but I hate to go back there because frankly I don't think they care if my bike is running properly. If anyone knows a good service department in central florida please let me know. Thanks. Keep us posted on what your problem turns out to be. I would like to know.

 

yamaha-11784- it sounds like we have the SAME problem. coming home from work today it was doing it pretty loud, but ill be damned if it would do it while stopped in the garage. i have a long weekend this weekend and im considering stripping the complete front end and looking for any little anything that might be loose. if i figure anything out, ill post back here for future references. thanks for the reply. clary

 

hey fellas, got a small problem here. i have a new 06 r1 with about 600 miles on her, and broken in properly. i have noticed since day one a clicking noise from the front of the bike. at first i thought it was the brakes gently rubbing against the pads, or maybe the bearings. i put it up on a stand and spun the wheel and no noise, so that was not it. now after 600 miles, it sounds like an exhaust leak. it has the stock exhaust on with slip-ons, and ive inspected the pipes where they come off the engine and there is no carbon or soot marks, so i dont think its an exhaust leak. i have yanked and pulled on everything on the front of the engine and bodywork and all and nothing seems to be loose. this noise isnt always there, usually always around 3500 rpm or when i release the throttle from about that rpm. it NEVER makes the noise when not moving. so, im curios if anyone has had this problem on an 04-05-06. any ideas on what to check or hit with a hammer is greatly appreciated. thanks in advance. clary

The bumps in the road make the brake pads bounce around in the caliper. When you go faster you dont notice it. My 05 does the same thing. Its like a loud rattle. Its normal. You could try silicone. Also try holding the front break on to see if that is it. I bet it only does it when you are coasting to a stop and going slow.

 

Bluecali- Yeah your right it does only do it at pretty slow speeds, costing to a light or stop sign. Do you think that could have also been the rear noise I heard because it sounded like something in the brake system in the rear but the brakes felt fine. It would only do that when slowing from about 10 mph on down or so. But the front tapping does it basically whenever I start downshifting through the gears keeping it at about 4,000 rpm sometimes a little below.

 

The smooth ticking is the cam rolling over the buckets . The buckets push down on the valve stem. If our engins only reved to say 6000 rpm they could use hydrolic lifters or buckets. high revs need solid buckets so the noise is the cam slapping the top every time the cam does a 360. its normal. The big clunking noise is the break pads. Exactly around 10 to 20 mph is when I notice it, because its fast enough to move the forks and slow enough to still hear it over the wind noise.

 

like this.

 

My '06 makes the same noise at around 3500-4000 rpm. It has done it since brand new, and now it has about 1100 miles. I think the noise is getting louder. It's definitely louder on warm days. I took it to the dealer, and they ran the valves, but it made no difference. I'm wondering if anyone makes block-off plates for the reed valves in the valve cover. I suppose it could be that.

I sure wish Yamaha would address this problem. I kinda hate riding a bike that sounds like a sewing machine. An $11,000 sewing machine...

 

My '06 makes the same noise at around 3500-4000 rpm. It has done it since brand new, and now it has about 1100 miles. I think the noise is getting louder. It's definitely louder on warm days. I took it to the dealer, and they ran the valves, but it made no difference. I'm wondering if anyone makes block-off plates for the reed valves in the valve cover. I suppose it could be that.

I sure wish Yamaha would address this problem. I kinda hate riding a bike that sounds like a sewing machine. An $11,000 sewing machine...

Its the cam contacting the top of the follower. Its how it is. Go buy a skateboard and complain about the harsh ride...:crash

 

Alright so now that we consider that noise to be most likely normal what do you think my rear end griding was man? The dealer put a new tire on for me and whenever I would gently apply rear brake say 10mph or less I would hear this grinding in the back like it something was catching the brake but the dealer said the brakes were fine. Then they tried to tighten the motor mounts and that actually stopped it for about 2 weeks and then they loosened the chain on the third try and the noise began to dissapear. I havn't heard it since but would it make sense that the chain was too tight? I mean would that result in some kind of rear end griding noise? Alright thanks for the help guys

 

I also have an '04 R-1, and it doesn't make the same noise. Maybe it doesn't have a cam...

 

Clary, you're not crazy man. I'm having the exact same problem on my bike. At between 4,500 and 5k RPM there's a NEW and louder clicking/rattling noise (not the regular sewing machine noise) that's heard. The noise started after the bike was knocked over while parked. One mechanic said I just had some loose bolts, but that didn't fix the problem when he tightened them. Another mechanic said it was a busted rod, which I don't believe either since my 03 only has 9k miles on it. I'm taking it to a Yamaha dealer tomorrow and we'll see what THEY say.

Keep us posted if you solve the problem.

 

i think its ur brake pads bangin against the rotors lol... relax

 

Alright so now that we consider that noise to be most likely normal what do you think my rear end griding was man? The dealer put a new tire on for me and whenever I would gently apply rear brake say 10mph or less I would hear this grinding in the back like it something was catching the brake but the dealer said the brakes were fine. Then they tried to tighten the motor mounts and that actually stopped it for about 2 weeks and then they loosened the chain on the third try and the noise began to dissapear. I havn't heard it since but would it make sense that the chain was too tight? I mean would that result in some kind of rear end griding noise? Alright thanks for the help guys

pull ur rear bake caliper and look lol... and never let your dealer touch ur bike again.

 

hey guys i think some of you are talking about 2 different, maybe a few more different noises. i know on my bike for a while any time during any speed i hit a bumb i would here a tap. if the road was uneven i would hear the tap over and over. i finally traced it to the steering damper being loose. it was just loose enough to lift on a bump and then slam itself back down on some metal creating a nice little ticking noise. i have no idea if this is any or your guys problem, but it is something simple, and i just wish it would fix some of your guys problems.