OK, I give up................

[Top Cat]

I have searched. What a joke that is. Can't find anything. Feel like a newbie.
Checked Gadgets, can't find it there either.
My bike is ticking like crazy. Not just on startup but even after a long ride. It seems worse lately. I think it is the cold air solenoids. If I disable them, you know pull and tape the wires and take the units right out of the bike, is there anything else I have to do? Like plug anything etc.?
Will this make the bike run any leaner/ richer?

[Todd]

nope...will cause no other problem. it will just make it idle a little rough when you first start it on cool/cold mornings, or it won't want to idle until warmed up. I use the throttle lock or "choke" knob if I am not sitting on the bike to let it warm up a bit and then all is fine.

nothing else to do...I have not even removed mine..just unplugged em.

[VulcanE]

TC, If you just want to check and see if they are your "ticking", just remove your right air box cover and unplug both of the solenoids. Put your cover back on and ride. If the ticking is gone, then you could leave them there, just make sure you tape up the wire plug-ins individually, and good. It won't run any richer or leaner, it just won't idle as well when the engine is cold. After it warms up, it'll idle normally. If you remove them, just cap off the lines that the hoses go to from the solenoids, and again, make sure to tape the electrical plugs individually, and good. Don't let them touch each other.

[Top Cat]

Thanks guys. I'll try that in the morning before Cindy and I go for a day trip.
I was just waiting to see if anyone was going to answer me tonight It is 12:15 here now and I am going to bed :)
Thanks again,Tim

[rewindgy]

Sorry to say - it wasn't my ticking either! Both my 06 and the boss'es 05 have started to tick when cold in the morning. I am running Amsoil Synthetic and he is running Mobil Synthetic. With the Fairing and lowers mine is very noisey! May have to go back to Golden Spectro Synth / Dino blend, it didn't tick with that oil? I have my Solenoids disconnected and we left his on - both sound the same!

[Top Cat]

Yup, thats a lot better. Nowhere near the ticking as before. Still hear a little valve noise at times but not bad. That solenoid noise was beginning to really bug me

[VulcanE]

Originally Posted by Top Cat (TC)

Yup, thats a lot better. Nowhere near the ticking as before. Still hear a little valve noise at times but not bad. That solenoid noise was beginning to really bug me

Glad you got it taken care of, since you are sitting on top of the engine, your going to here a little valve train noise.

Absolutely, and you'll hear even more valve noise when the bike is really cold. I ride even when it's down to freezing temps here (since it never snows) and my garage is unheated. To get the oil circulating faster and reduce the valve clatter at warmup, I usually pre-warm the engine with a heatlamp when temps get below the mid 40's. 30 minutes with a heat lamp under the engine and the start up and warm up go a lot faster and quieter.

[nomad]

what do you consider "ticking"? mine ticks a lot...just not loud enough to be a problem or irritation.

[Top Cat]

I considered ticking a metalic clicking sound. I got rid of that but today on our 375 mile ride I noticed a sound like, well.............have you ever run over fresh tar and crushed stone and had it fly off your tires and hit the underside of your fenders? Well that's what I hear but only at 2200 or 2300 rpm's.
Unfortunatly that is the rpm I like to ride at in 5th gear.
Any ideas?

[beezer]

that's the visor on your helmet making that ticking noise (maybe)

[Top Cat]

I don't know Beez, it sounds like somewhere down under the tank. I checked the radiator shroud and could rock it back and forth with my hand. The slots in the rubber grommets the actual radiator fits into are loose and the radiator could vibrate also.
I wrapped nylon string in the groove to tighten the radiator and put foam insulation behind the shroud.
Going to ride today will see if that helps. If not will take the face shield off my helmet and see what that does.

[dogdoc]

+1 beez I have heard that tick. My engine ticks all the time, its normal and it helps to be half deaf. Ride Easy.

[Top Cat]

Nothing I did so far got rid of the latest noise. I am now siding with Doc, just going to ignore it. If something blows then I will know what the problem was
On Edit as mac says ;)
I copied this post by Trip from another thread;
This may not be the problem at all, but I used to have a vibration noise that would come and go as I thottled. I originally thought it was coming from the front of the bike......radiator area or something like that.

After checking thoroughly, I found it to be coming from the headlight bucket. Seems there is a connector that Kawasaki uses to hold all the wiring together that snaps into the metal light bucket on the inside. The connector is made of hard plastic and vibrates against the bucket.

I took the connector out and replaced with a wide band of velcroe.

Yup that was my latest noise. My bike is so quiet now I almost got of it today to see why it quit runnung