Rattle

[Scootergptx]

Got a rattle that isn't anything mechanical, which is good, but still annoys the crap out of me.

Rolled the tank up last night to check the wire harness for wear. I could see rubbing on the wires, but not broken through. Got that recovered. Checked around the top of the motor for anything that could be causing it while I was there. Nothing appears to be loose, no other signs of wear on parts. Checked the covers on the pipes and around the sides and nothing loose there. Ignition seems tight too.

Doesn't do it at idle, only when you're giving it gas. Next place to look is the fairing. I did notice the storage doors are pretty loose. Don't think that's the cause. Guess I'll be taking the fairing off to look for loose rattling connections here.

Anyone else get the rattle?

[tonik]

The plastic ring around the ignition is the most common rattle. Followed by loose driving lights, and occasionally the front brake pads rattle.

[Scootergptx]

This should be fun then. I checked the ignition last night. New brakes last week, although I guess I could put some anti squeal/rattle stuff on them. No driving lights.

Got the bike before I got the hearing aids. Maybe it's just me. Noticed some rattles in my truck now too.

Oddly enough, I still don't hear my wife most of the time.

[GIBBY]

Sounds like you got the good hearing aids that block the high pitched whines :D

[tonik]

New brakes last week....

I am going with this being the issue. New pads, new noise. Can't ignore that coincidence. I believe others fixed it by bending the springs a bit to push the pads tighter. Next time you hear it, squeeze the front brakes a little and see if it goes away.

[Scootergptx]

Good point. Since it only happens on accel, that makes even more sense.

Easy fix too. I like that.

[Rasta]

I got a rattle as well on my 1500 that I am trying to find...not camchain since that was done a while back. It comes when I downshift and motor is almost at idle. Will have to look into the front brake theory.

[canuckrider]

I had a rattle that was at higher RPM as well. Finally tracked it down to the headlight ring. I had stripped one of the 2 screws that hold it on to the headlight bucket and it was loose.

A couple wraps of electrical tape gave it a "temporary" fix about 2 years ago!

[highwayman2011]

Got a rattle that isn't anything mechanical, which is good, but still annoys the crap out of me.

Rolled the tank up last night to check the wire harness for wear. I could see rubbing on the wires, but not broken through. Got that recovered. Checked around the top of the motor for anything that could be causing it while I was there. Nothing appears to be loose, no other signs of wear on parts. Checked the covers on the pipes and around the sides and nothing loose there. Ignition seems tight too.

Doesn't do it at idle, only when you're giving it gas. Next place to look is the fairing. I did notice the storage doors are pretty loose. Don't think that's the cause. Guess I'll be taking the fairing off to look for loose rattling connections here.

Anyone else get the rattle?
My Voyager had a rattle at about 2000 RPM, turns out it was that plastic piece down the middle of the gas tank. I put some foam rubber pieces under the edges at the front of the tank and no more rattle.

[cactusjack]

A rattle by definition is mechanical in nature.

[vulcanscott]

Like Highway said My Classic was driving Me Crazy and it turned out to be Dash related .

[smokier]

Got a rattle that isn't anything mechanical, which is good, but still annoys the crap out of me.
On the 1500, the wiring connector in the headlight bucket would vibrate against the bucket. Solved that with a piece of inner tube wire tied around the connector.
On the Vaquero, had a rattle. Like Canuckrider, it was the headlight itself. Push, wiggle the headlight. If it is loose at all, that may be your rattle. Take the beauty ring off and pop the headlight out. There are two screws, one top and one bottom going into plastic blocks. These hold the headlight to the bracket. These were LOOSE on mine. Finger nail polish on the threads and snugged it up. End of rattle.

Ride safe,
Smokier

[Ken Vega]

I had a rattling noise when the bike was new and with stock exhaust at the time it drove me nuts. Turned out to be the plastic tank bib. It had a foam rubber dampener on the left where the ignition is and it meets the tank but not on the right side. I cut a poece of A/C foam insulator that has adhesive and stuck it on the piece of tank bib that touches the tank. Problem solved. Also RacnRay put an oring on my ignition trim ring when I went to get my throttle mod done.

[Scootergptx]

I'll check the headlight out. Not sure what bulb is in there and I wouldn't mind putting a brighter one in there.

[Scootergptx]

I've put my hand, and feet, on everything I could while I was riding to see if it stopped. Pretty sure that made some people scratch their heads when they saw what I was doing.

Ever try to put your feet up on the storage compartment doors on the fairing while you're riding?

[Scootergptx]

A rattle by definition is mechanical in nature.

But it's not natural.

[Snake Ranch]

Got a rattle that isn't anything mechanical, which is good, but still annoys the crap out of me.

Rolled the tank up last night to check the wire harness for wear. I could see rubbing on the wires, but not broken through. Got that recovered. Checked around the top of the motor for anything that could be causing it while I was there. Nothing appears to be loose, no other signs of wear on parts. Checked the covers on the pipes and around the sides and nothing loose there. Ignition seems tight too.

Doesn't do it at idle, only when you're giving it gas. Next place to look is the fairing. I did notice the storage doors are pretty loose. Don't think that's the cause. Guess I'll be taking the fairing off to look for loose rattling connections here.

Anyone else get the rattle?

You might check the tank bib. Mine squeaks and rattles. At on time I thought the engine was pinging. I put my hand on the plastic and push down hard and the noise stopped. It continues but not all the time. There are cap screws under the seat as well by the key switch. You could put something under the plastic like cotton to try isolating it from the tank temporarily. Happy hunting.:tup:

[highwayman2011]

Tank bib checked? Put some foam under the front edges where it curves down the front of the tank.

[Scootergptx]

Two things I think I'm going to do. Checked the tank bib, wasn't it. Still think I may put some rubber trim on the edge to be sure it won't be a problem later. Kind of like this stuff.

http://bevelrubber.com.au/cart/images/seat_trim.JPG


Noticed the storage doors on the fairing have stops on the fairings, but not on the doors. I'll be looking for something like these to put in the holes for that. I'm 85% sure it's the doors rattling now.

http://www.partstown.com/is-bin/intershop.static/WFS/Reedy-PartsTown-Site/-/en_US/products/renamed/shotfarm/medium/VITA_MIX_RUBBER_FEET_4-VM794.jpg

[Scootergptx]

Took off one of the boxes and went to home depot and autozone to look for parts. Got two different things to try, but it was too late and too dark when I got back to the house. So I left the box in the house.

Of course, I get to work and think, if I'd taken both boxes off and road in this morning, I'd know for sure that was the problem.

[eg78]

Did you ever figure this out? I seem to have a rattle coming from the front of my bike too... I guess it could be the brakes, I changed them a few weeks ago... but since it's my first season with this bike, I dont know if it rattled before or not.

[Scootergptx]

I still get a little door rattle from the front. The one I can't find seems to come from the right side, just around the saddlebags. I put new front pads on it when I got it, used some disc quiet on them. That wasn't it. Front end is definitely the storage doors.

When I bought the bike, it came with a 3k service. Figure that's no more than an oil change and an air filter change. Did the oil already, just oil the filter. I may trade it for them just telling me where it comes from.

[eg78]

could be my fairing too, not sure

[twowheeladdict]

I had rattles on the tank trim, speaker covers, trim rings around the gauges, inside the fairing, and maybe another place or two in the 55,000 miles I owned the Voyager. I got to where I would carry foam pieces, duct tape, and a small tube of silicon with me on trips because the sounds were so annoying.

[hlknvlcn60]

I actually discovered a vibe coming from the wiring harness in the left fairing pocket of the Vaquero, where the hard plastic end was bumping against the plastic liner inside. I wrapped some rubber bands around them and since, haven't detected any other significant rattles...including the tank bib.

[kjenckes]

When I bought mine used there was a rattle. This being my first bagger I figured it was some screw/nut/washer/etc combination. Rode with it all summer. Only on acceleration also. Nothing I could easily find. While washing and waxing it one day I removed the chrome cover on the left side (Opposite the air filter that's on right side)- found it. An acorn. No more rattle since.

[JD Hog]

My Voyager had a rattle that was the wire harness plugged into the iPod set up in the left glove box. I wrapped a small piece of material around it and that worked.

[hlknvlcn60]

Sometimes it can drive you crazy trying to find those annoying rattles...blame a torquey vibey v-twin motor for that...

[recumbentbob]

When I bought mine used there was a rattle. This being my first bagger I figured it was some screw/nut/washer/etc combination. Rode with it all summer. Only on acceleration also. Nothing I could easily find. While washing and waxing it one day I removed the chrome cover on the left side (Opposite the air filter that's on right side)- found it. An acorn. No more rattle since.

Darn Squirrels.....

[Scootergptx]

When I bought mine used there was a rattle. This being my first bagger I figured it was some screw/nut/washer/etc combination. Rode with it all summer. Only on acceleration also. Nothing I could easily find. While washing and waxing it one day I removed the chrome cover on the left side (Opposite the air filter that's on right side)- found it. An acorn. No more rattle since.

Must have been the "going green" option from the factory.

[eg78]

Still looking for the pesty noise... gotta be a loose screw... and not the one in my head

[eg78]

So, I think it's coming from the gas cap, I pulled it off and took it apart, there's a little metal cylindrical piece that looks like it let's pressure out. That piece is definitely rattling. Anything to be done about it? It almost looks like it has to be the way it is, loose so it moves up and down automatically.

[hank43]

OK guys here it is, at least for the Voyager: It's simple. In the 7 years that I owned my Voyager, I have discovered that

EVERYTHING RATTLES
The tank bib
The gas cap
The Lowers (Jammed foam rubber between the doors and the housing, that helped)
The glove compartment doors
The tray in the trunk
Do a search and destroy mission on all pop rivets, most of the problems will go away.

hank43
Some of the problems are those little black plastic pop rivets. Replace with button head SS screws and nylox nuts and some of the problems disappear.

I have to admit, I have not found anything major that was loose, just minor things like the lowers, tank bib, trunk tray, etc.

[kpmhspirit]

Still looking for the pesty noise... gotta be a loose screw... and not the one in my head

If you look down in front of the gas tank between the tank and the fairing you'll see a round fairing support stay on each side bolted to the frame. The bolt that holds down the stays on each side was loose on my bike. Once I tightened the two bolts, a major rattle went away.

[14vaquero]

Hey guys, I know I'm chiming in kind of late but not too long ago I had this ticking/tapping/knocking noise that i swore was coming from the engine and it drove me crazy! The dealer had it for a month before they found out it was a broken headlight bracket, the one that the headlight adjusters screw up to. The roads here in NYC suck! And as a matter of fact I've had that bracket replaced twice now in less than 6 months under warranty! I'm thinking about going with a daymaker headlight since it doesn't use that bracket. To check if your bracket is broken just push around the headlight with your fingers to see if it moves in or not, it shouldnt move at all.