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Thread: Finally identified and eliminated the "clonk" "clonk" from my 2001 R6 fairing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    4th July 2009 - 11:59
    Bike
    2001 Yamaha R6 (from new)
    Location
    Orakei, Auckland
    Posts
    146

    Finally identified and eliminated the "clonk" "clonk" from my 2001 R6 fairing

    Ever since I bought my 2001 R6 new from Red Barron back in December 2001, there was always a "clonk" in the front fairing. It seemed to come from somewhere behind the instruments. it was a bit of a non-problem because out on the open road with ear plugs and the wind roar, I would hardly ever notice it. But every time I would ride the bike to Red Baron for a service, she would clonk away over every noticeable bump. The mechanics never sorted it out. They thought it might have been the headlight cables bouncing around, and they put some sticky foam tape where the cables rested on the backs of the headlights, but it made no difference.

    Fast-forward 18 years and for the first time I detatched the entire front fairing by pulling apart the 24-pin plug, removing the two 12-mm head bolts of the front sub-frame, and removing the fairing bolts.

    An unbelieveable amount of rocks, dust, black dried cow-poo-like material and other crap came out of the air intake plenum system when I shook the front cowling upside-down. There must have been half a cup of junk in total. I shook the front cowling and there was definitely something large and loose.

    I removed the 4 screws holding the speedometer/tachometer assembly onto the plastic backing molding, and found a crucifix-shaped wiring sub-loom that ran from the 24-pin socket, up to the instruments and left-and-right to the headlights and indicators. There was a fifth thick cable that ran foward and disappeared into the space between the back of the instrument support frame and the nose of the coweling (above the ram air intake). I gave this fifth cable a pull and found that it was not secured. I tugged at it and pulled out about 15 cm of it. It ended in a black plastic relay-box-like thingy about the size of a small cigarette lighter. This was the culprit all along!

    The relay box on the end of the cable had a rubber casing with a slot that indicated that the whole thing should have been mounted on a tang. But it had been jogging around like the clapper of a school bell, and knocking against the inside of the fairing all these years.

    I removed the plastic backing molding (supporting the instruments) and found the tang on the back (forward) side. Yamaha had not built an proper retainer, and the relay had worked its way loose over time. I re-fitted the relay onto its tang, and retained it in place with a foam rubber sheet (2 cm thick) between it and the inside wall of the fairing. I then re-assembled the coweling and fitted it back on the R6.

    Problem solved! (I should have done this years ago.)
    Shit doesn't just happen; there's usually an arsehole involved.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    14th June 2007 - 22:39
    Bike
    Obsolete ones.
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    Pigs back.
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    5,393

    Post of the day.

    Can you come up and find out what the metallic rattle is on my DT?

    And while you're here, see if you can find what is causing the bubbling sound in my Skoda since the water pump was replaced.

    Random noises on my vehicles do my head in.

    You must really like that bike!
    Manopausal.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    2nd March 2018 - 15:32
    Bike
    1998 Yamaha R1
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    1,178
    That took a while, but at least you did find it. My 99 R1 has a clunk from somewhere inside the front fairing, so I must have a good look next time I take the fairing off.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Join Date
    5th January 2007 - 14:58
    Bike
    motocompo
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    Buttfuck nowhere
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    5,156
    "They thought it might be the headlight cables bouncing around"
    They didn't really, they just couldn't be bothered looking further & paid lip service to your complaint in the easiest way possible.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    4th July 2009 - 11:59
    Bike
    2001 Yamaha R6 (from new)
    Location
    Orakei, Auckland
    Posts
    146
    Quote Originally Posted by george formby View Post

    You must really like that bike!
    I do. It's got 159,480 km on the odometer. Never dropped. Completely stock except for the suspension.

    The original R6 suspension was total shite. Within 6 months of purchase, I got Norman Cobb to re-valve the front suspension (didn't need to change the fork springs) and fit an Ohlins steering dampener (God, it needed it!). We fitted an Ohlins rear shock, but since I never ride on the track nor carry a pillion, I opted for the lightest rear shock spring, to allow the shock to absorb the bumps and ripples from our primitive NZ roads.

    I have used the bike for sports/touring riding, and since I work from home, I have never commuted on it. The oil change interval is 10,000 km. It consumes no oil, and turns the fresh oil a translucent mahogony colour by 10,000 km. It has never needed a valve shim change (checked at 60,000 km and 120,000 km by the now out-of-business Red Barron).

    When it eventually wears out, I will probably go for one of the modern Yamaha 900 triples. I like to sport-tour, so will I buy the fully kitted GT or shall I go for the lighter, naked version (with an after-market screen and Ventura bike-pack luggage)? I don't know yet.

    The only grief it has given me is to blow the stator twice. The first time (10 years ago) I had the stator re-wound. Earlier this year it blew the stator again, so I replaced it with a nice after-market one. The reg-rectifier was okay. I am on my second sealed battery, but will probably need to replace this in a season or so. When the bike died (due to the dead stator) in Havelock North, I was able to pull out the leads to the headlights, and there was enough juice left in the battery to power the coils to get me into town, where I got a local garage to charge the battery for 2 hours so that I could ride back to Auckland.

    I still love this bike and it is a joy to ride every single time. Light, nimble, and handles like a fly, but with a sledge-hammer top end.
    Shit doesn't just happen; there's usually an arsehole involved.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    21st June 2005 - 20:11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Odakyu-sen View Post
    I do. It's got 159,480 km on the odometer.
    Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    25th October 2002 - 17:30
    Bike
    GSXR1000
    Location
    Christchurch
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    9,067
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Peanut View Post
    Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!
    Stealing that!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    8th November 2005 - 12:25
    Bike
    Aprillia RSV1000R 92 KX500
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    Ardmore, New Zealand
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    ^^ Bloody bandits, they steal everything!

    Well done on finding that knock

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