OK, Now A New Noise On The R80ST To Ponder | Thread profile

Actually not totally new, but it seemed worse today when I took the bike for a few laps around the neighborhood after doing a little checking and tweaking as a followup to Saturday's ride to St. Aug. & back - only the second longish outing for this bike and the first where it ran sustained Interstate speeds for a couple of hours. The sound is a clanking that sounds like thinner metal - kind ...

have you checked your valve clearences?

Yep, several times including last Friday. They are their own distinct little tap-tap-tap coming up directly from the cylinder heads. Thought I was on to something after the first post. Found the muffler clamp just loose enough the header would wiggle inside it when tapped with a rubber mallet. Tightened it up and rode around the block. Not it. But I did find one of the bottom screws...

try some better ear plugs

Mine makes that noise, and it is either the muffler or the collector. You get used to it.

Quote: Originally Posted by lorazepam Mine makes that noise, and it is either the muffler or the collector. You get used to it. I've always kind of suspected that. The first R80 ST I test rode had the same kind of clanking when pulling off from a stop. The seller was pretty sure it was the muffler - loose baffle or whatever. I ...

yep I get that same sound pulling away from a stop in first. Since removing the heat shield when I installed my luggage, I haven't heard it quite as much though. It's exactly what you describe - sauce pan lid clank coming from bottom left. I guess this and the front end clack just come with the territory. I guess this falls under the category of "character"

I had that bottom-left clanking too. In my case, it was a missing bolt that secures the muffler and the luggage side rack.

I also had that noise and it was coming from my front muffler. my friend who dual plugged my ST said not to worry. he actually was able to remove whatever was banging around in there. haven't heard it since. I think its pretty common.

All easy things to methodically check out - remove side cover and test ride; remove main muffler and shake it around; and remove front muffler/collector box and check it for rattles. Thanks for corroborating some of the common causes. Weather is a little spotty for riding today and tomorrow and I need to go out in the shop and swap the new coil in for the cracked OEM coil anyway, so might ...