F***ked suspension?

[G4L4XY]

Had a full comprehensive service done thursday and then friday afternoon I'm riding down to hamilton and each time I go over a harsh bump I hear a loud thud! now at first I thought it was just those metal grates you ride over and you get that wierd sound.

Thing is friday morning I was riding out my driveway and it's a bit of a drop from the driveway to the road, it's not properly paved out I heard a loud pop sound like when you ride over a stone and it flicks out.

So it could be coincidence or yeah I'm not sure. Either way I will get it looked at ASAP but do you tihnk it's the forks or the suspension under the bike.

[Fast Eddie]

Had a full comprehensive service done thursday and then friday afternoon I'm riding down to hamilton and each time I go over a harsh bump I hear a loud thud! now at first I thought it was just those metal grates you ride over and you get that wierd sound.

Thing is friday morning I was riding out my driveway and it's a bit of a drop from the driveway to the road, it's not properly paved out I heard a loud pop sound like when you ride over a stone and it flicks out.

So it could be coincidence or yeah I'm not sure. Either way I will get it looked at ASAP but do you tihnk it's the forks or the suspension under the bike.

hop off the bike and give the tail some good compresses down and let it bounce back up, and do same with front forks see if they travel smoothly up and down.

then look for other sources of noise, maybe something is loose and hitting against frame etc when a big enough jolt occurs.

couldn't hurt to buy ohlins either eh, when in rome..

[G4L4XY]

hop off the bike and give the tail some good compresses down and let it bounce back up, and do same with front forks see if they travel smoothly up and down.

then look for other sources of noise, maybe something is loose and hitting against frame etc when a big enough jolt occurs.

couldn't hurt to buy ohlins either eh, when in rome..


I've tried the above and it's fine on smaller jolts but just the real bad ones where I get the feedback. Manually pushing the bike down has produced any of the same noises`

[ellipsis]

....sounds like my Sportster on any given day...shocks aren't fucked..just dont work..<_<

[Fast Eddie]

I've tried the above and it's fine on smaller jolts but just the real bad ones where I get the feedback. Manually pushing the bike down has produced any of the same noises`

has or hasnt? you should be able to get it to near bottoming out with ur own weight. so bottom it out and let it bounce back up. If you can't get it to replicate the noise. Then the suspension itself is probably fine. and if it doesnt bind up and travels smoothly throughout its range of travel then its prob fine bro.

the noise could easily come from somewhere else, when u hit a bump there could be something else that is knocking against frame or engine etc.

good luck, pretty hard for anyone to diagnose ur problem online - can only offer suggestions.

when u hear the noise while ur riding do u also feel something unusual on the bike? if there is an issue you could hear then no doubt u would feel it too in the bikes handling

[mossy1200]

Bike A working hyobag!

Bike rear suspension should go down 10mm to 25mm when you sit on it.Get someone to measure it.
Put a couple of cable ties on the fork tubes and go for a ride then post a shot of how high they got pushed upwards.

[G4L4XY]

Sorry I meant hasn't* I will try it out though with bottoming out.

When it happens there is no feedback from the bike apart from the sound, it still handles ok

[GrayWolf]

the obvious? is the suspension set up correctly? not too soft etc? gotta ask the obvious first.....
Is there any oil showing or obvious 'oily greasy crud' around the shock/linkages? if so the possibly the seal has gone....
As suggested by others, check all areas, JUST possibly a really big thump on the suspension could have damaged the linkages. check for cracks bends etc... Try riding n identical bike with same settings.. is there any difference?
I am not making ANY accusations but it has been known for sellers with fucked rear shock seals to wait till they are empty then spray the area with de greaser............

[G4L4XY]

the obvious? is the suspension set up correctly? not too soft etc? gotta ask the obvious first.....
Is there any oil showing or obvious 'oily greasy crud' around the shock/linkages? if so the possibly the seal has gone....
As suggested by others, check all areas, JUST possibly a really big thump on the suspension could have damaged the linkages. check for cracks bends etc... Try riding n identical bike with same settings.. is there any difference?
I am not making ANY accusations but it has been known for sellers with fucked rear shock seals to wait till they are empty then spray the area with de greaser............

I've owned the bike for two years and its been perfectly fine. Checked the forks and suspension, appears to be no leaking oil/grease.
During the service the suspension wasn't touched (to the best of my knowledge)
Could the pop I heard the same morning have anything to do with it.

[FLUB]

Had similar noises once after a service. Eventually found a stubby screwdriver behind a plastic panel. Only the big bumps caused it to dislodge and knock. The mechanic must've dropped it and not realised. Could be worth a look before you start replacing suspension.

[G4L4XY]

Tired compressing the front forks and the suspension and letting it go but it seems to come up just fine.
Could be a screwdriver/socket head or something haha.

[sil3nt]

Any loud noises have always been bodywork for me. Lost a bolt out of the front mudguard once and it knocked around over large bumps.

[puddytat]

Maybe the rear linkages need to be stripped & greased? Pretty minimal whats put in there by the factory. Does a Hyobung have linkages?

[gatch]

On my vfr, the brackets that hold the front mud wheel mudguard are loose on the forks. Took me ages to figure out where the rattle noise was coming from.

[flyingcrocodile46]

Check to see if the battery is securely strapped down (might be bouncing)

[G4L4XY]

Well I have a bolt missing from the side fairing and I did test that to see if it could be that making the noise abnd it could well be that. I need to bolt that in and test it.

Could also be the battery will check that now..

Umm whats a linkage (shoot me now):facepalm:

[Fast Eddie]

Umm whats a linkage (shoot me now):facepalm:

hehe its all the stuff that joins the rear shock absorber to the swingarm and main frame of bike/or whatever (sometimes it gets attached straight to the engine block and other various solutions). it usually doesnt make knocking noises when in need of grease tho, it usually creaks and groans like old wooden floor boards.

It'll be something like loose battery or bodywork or some foreign object stuck somewhere knocking about. I had a nut in my airbox for ages, only found the source once I changed air filter lol

[Captain_Salty]

possibly a missing piece of rubber between tank and frame, if your bike has them.

[cheshirecat]

centerstand?

[G4L4XY]

No centrestand though that would come in handy during chain lubage!

Hmm just rode back up to auckland, parked up at the supermarket and oh look the chain guard is hanging on by one bolt...wtf?

Anyway before I left I checked the battery, thats firmly in place.

Checked in the pillion seat...found a bolt in there o0o0o! It was from the cord that your supposed to bolt the seat to the frame lol
It could be this chain guard im going to either bolt it back on it take it off (not sure ill find a spare bolt around FFS)

Oh and I tried holding my flapping fairing whilst riding over a harsh bump and it's definately not that :)

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Fast Eddie]

it would probably pay to go over all the screws nuts and bolts on that bike and tighten them up..

sounds like shes falling apart on ya

[DrunkenMistake]

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/30/fail_thread.jpg


There we go. :shifty:

[Fast Eddie]

hahhaha sike!

cheers for the reg/rec too DM

[DrunkenMistake]

hahhaha sike!

cheers for the reg/rec too DM


Np, Let me know if it works, I thought I had the little brass connectors for the plug but I couldnt find them, you can buy them at Jay car cheap as chips, so at least it will be wired right! haha

[AllanB]

If you are getting a knock from the front everytime you go over a decent bump it could be loose stearing head bearings. Or not.....

[Fast Eddie]

Np, Let me know if it works, I thought I had the little brass connectors for the plug but I couldnt find them, you can buy them at Jay car cheap as chips, so at least it will be wired right! haha

kinda hijacking this dudes thread but whats new haha. Yea bro will do - waiting for a new stator ex china to arrive, 15 bucks US dollars. Will plug that in and see if it goes and if still not then will chuck the reg on. But yea recon its the stator that gave up the ghost at the moment. hopefully close to fixing it! the mrs is confident enough now to start riding around by herself. taught her hill starts, how to stop quick, and forced her to ride up and down george st and shit in heavy traffic haha, just gotta teach her to do a wheelie and she has all the important aspects sorted - shes ready to ride solo

[G4L4XY]

Ok so I've tried taking the chain guard off and it still does it. Just from coming out of my driveway this morning and it appears to be coming from the front forks. Great now I have to fork out more money for this f**king bike.

[Fast Eddie]

If the bike handles fine and you can't feel anything when the noise occurs then just ignore it.

there isn't much that can go wrong on the front forks, if it was suspension making noises you would definitely feel something as well.

whip all the fairings and tank off and go searching for any loose parts, nuts, bolts or foreign objects in the bike.

Or spend money chasing a ghost :D

[G4L4XY]

When I go over a rough bit of road all I hear is *crash bang smash donk crack* nah it's just a hardout metal on metal sound

[Fast Eddie]

When I go over a rough bit of road all I hear is *crash bang smash donk crack* nah it's just a hardout metal on metal sound

lol.. oh well, Guess its off to the shop with it and out with your wallet if ya can't be fucked tracking the noise down yourself.

Too hard to do over a forum, should be some locals on here maybe u can meet up with one of them for help. I got fellas down in dunners often offering me help on here.

Plenty of bikes rattle and groan over bumpy shit eh, especially sports bikes with stiff suspension and lots of body work and shit. my old zxr750 made a hurr of a noise over speedbumps and any pot holes etc. my blade makes a fair bit of noise too over decent bumps and jolts. just the way it is.

[G4L4XY]

Yeah but the thing is it never used to make this noise. It really sounds like the front forks and with no prior mechanical knowledge nor proper tools I feel there really is nothing I can do to doctor it myself.

I'd continue on but it really doesn't sound healthy for the bike and I'd hate to make matters worse but not getting it looked at.

I so need to upgrade :(

[Fast Eddie]

Yeah but the thing is it never used to make this noise. It really sounds like the front forks and with no prior mechanical knowledge nor proper tools I feel there really is nothing I can do to doctor it myself.

I'd continue on but it really doesn't sound healthy for the bike and I'd hate to make matters worse but not getting it looked at.

I so need to upgrade :(

yea guess your outta options unless someone on here who lives by you goes over for a look.

all bikes have problems from time to time eh, best upgrade is to buy new so it has some sort of warranty. then its the dealers problem haha

[G4L4XY]

So anyone reading this thread wanna be my friend when it comes to me asking silly questions and needing someone to help me see whats wrong with things? haha..ha :brick:

It's booked in tomorrow anyway cause I use it everyday for commuting as well as weekends for my fun time and then if I have time and the mrs is good I go see her

[ducatilover]

Check you brake caliper bolts.
Check your retaining clips for the pads are all there and that you can't wobble the pads (had that before, took a while to find)
Check the discs bolts are tight.
Check the speedo drive (if it has one on the wheel)
Check your fairing mount, dash and headlight mounts are all secure.
Check the oil cooler is secure.
Check the mudgaurd and mounts are tight.

Jack the bike up and give the steering a good violent wiggle.
Or, put the front brakes on and push forward then pull backward violently.
Click/clunking could be fooked fork bushes or steering head bearings.
If in doubt, google steering head bearing checking, there are probably youtube tutorials.

My guess is suspension bushings, steering bearings or mudguard mount

[G4L4XY]

Hey all, thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

Bike was looked at today and it was the tank coming down onto the frame, one of the mounts was missing, it's all been replaced now

[G4L4XY]

I was texting a mate of mine about it and he was saying it could've been the guy working on it, not put it back together properly or had the mounts come off during the service. it had an air filter replacement the day before I started hearing this random sound, do you think it's possible that it's come about with them having the gas tank off replacing the air filter? :argh:

[BigAl]

It's definitely worth asking the shop if you weren't experiencing this knock before the service, as they don't usually fall of by themselves.

[Fast Eddie]

lol pretty sure it was suggested to search for the source of noise by removing tank and body panels etc..

if you had taken the tank off yourself you might have noticed! haha

now you know for next time eh.

those rubber mounts fall off all the time when the tanks come on and off. gotta keep an active eye on them

[G4L4XY]

I guess I deserve it for not being a mechanically minded and having no tools whatsoever. I dont even have a spare bolt for my chain guard :(

[Fast Eddie]

haha you'll be right.

never too late to learn, and spend some money on basic tool set. socket and ratchet set and some spanners and screwdrivers.

get into it! its fun and much better than paying other people to do it for you