Engine ping? Nope

Thought I would post this as a new topic in case anyone else is in the same boat I was. After all this work and the bike running perfectly I was baffled at what sounded (exactly) like a low RPM engine ping as I would be rolling to a stop. This motovated me to become proficiant at timing the MK3 Commando which is a good thing. The pisser was that no matter what I did the 'ping' was still there. Using logic (always a last resort for me) I whent back to square one and asked the question 'where is this noise comming from' as opposed to concluding that it MUST be the obvious. Sure enough as I began a methodical examination I stumbled upon the front disc brake caliper (stock, rebuilt Norton-Lockheed) and found that it made a pink, pink, pink noise as the bike moved around. The brakes work perfectly but the outboard friction pad is floating with alot of room to move around. Hmmmm...out for a ride and confirmed no ping noise whith front brake applied (a clue). Risking life and limb, I made a small paper shim to pin the outboard friction pad so it could not move back and forth. Ping was now gone. I repeated the test a couple of times before I accepted the fact that my engine ping was actually a brake caliper ping! I would like to eliminate this noise but knowing it's not the engine changes the whole deal. What is next?

Thats the problem seasoned Commando owners always think the worst when we hear a rattle or strange noise, quite often its some anciliary part rattling around, funny I've got a rattle of the front of my 750S, it'll just stay rattling cause at the moment I cant be bothered looking for it! Easier to strip the brake than the engine tho!! Perhaps we should compile a list of strange noises and their cause, could have fun with that one! :lol: