top end rattle

[davsato]

this morning i noticed my varadero had quite a loud rattle coming from the top end, going up and down with revs so i searched on the forum for similar threads and got a fright, cam chain/tensioner/valve/tappets etc

oh bugger i thought, my pride and joy is going to expire and its only 2.5yrs old (call me paranoid, but it happened to my last bike, £700 labour, £2k of parts supplied free by an embarressed triumph)

so i went out and gave her a once over before the panic call to the honda dealer and it turns out the front downpipe nuts weren't even finger tight, and the rattle was the "phutt" of exhaust leaking out every two revs. they are only 12N/m anyway so probably worked loose with a bit of seal compression, ive had no work that would have taken them off. a quick spanner w**k and no more rattle.

the leak might mean i have to replace the seals soon but thats a lot easier than cam chain tensioners, phew!

so if you hear a weird noise you cant explain, dont fear the worst till you know what it is.
or the bike seizes up and kills you on the motorway or something.

[416cc]

Had the same thing happen to a friends bike. He'd taken his bike in for a head gasket change, & was pleased to be able to take the bike on holiday with us. But on the way home the exhaust started to make a noise which he was unable to diagnose. Luckily we stopped by a car service place where I knew the mechanics & we were able to get on our way again after tightening up the exhaust studs that had come loose during the ride home along the A272. The bike mechanic that did the work was a bit sheepish about not doing up these nuts when he was told about the situation. It made me wonder whether the rest of the engine had been done properly as well.

[davsato]

It made me wonder whether the rest of the engine had been done properly as well.

he probably did, i do that kind of thing myself. you spend all day concentrating on a tricky job and when thats done you have to put back all the stuff you had to take off for access, and its getting late and you want it finished and all you can think about is going home and having a cuppa.
i wouldnt worry about the engine so much as the bits that get thrown together at the end of the job, lost fairing screws and loose hoses/electrical connectors. the exhaust system was probably put together finger tight to get it to fit properly before doing it up, and its classic to miss a couple of fasteners.