Video of a strange noise coming from the head...

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nidyanazo

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Not sure if it's normal or not... Seems like It started after a few hard runs.
(and I did miss a shift to second and hit neutral, so it revved up high for a second...)
Does this motor sound "ok" to you experts? Having never had a Commando, I'm not sure if it's allright/normal or not. My ears may be playing tricks on me...
She rides fine, no loss of power, starts up fine first kick, hot or cold...
But something about the metallic, 'pinging'/'clapping' nature of this sound has me on edge...It's fairly prominent when standing there next to the bike.
Spark plugs look like new, slightly brownish (so that would be normal)
Overly paranoid? Or cause for concern?
Here's the video on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb2G7ORbl5Q
 
Went away for a few hours. and when I came back the bike had cooled off.
I started it up, and found the noise was mostly gone. Let it warm up, and it came back.

Any clues?

Thanks guys!
 
yes thats possible try holding a long screwdriver to your ear and touching different parts of the engine to try and identify exactly where the noise is coming from(like a stethoscope)
 
Hey Chris,
Sounds like it is coming right from the spark plug area.
Equal on both sides...
-Aydin
 
weird noise

you sure your getting oil flow to the top end . try pulling rocker covers? check clearance .006 inlet .008 exhaust M.c.
 
The sound is for surely on the right side. Make sure you have spark on that side as it sounds like mine when a plug wire falls out of a coil. If it has spark then look at the drivetrain.
 
Ok.
I Checked the spark plug wires/boots, seemed fine (tight on the coils and plugs) Plus it was riding fast earlier, and the plugs look the same...So I think the spark is good.

Now I removed the exhaust rocker covers, and took a look. Everything looked oily, but just like it was a film, not REALLY wet. So, with the covers off I started the motor up. Let it idle. I was expecting a bunch of oil to come flying out, and need to shut it off right away. But no, it was not like that. No oil came flying out, just a few little droplets here and there. Really minimal. So what's up with that?
The little plastic tubes carry oil from the crankcase to the head, right?
Well they were not hot (or even warm like you would expect if hot oil was flowing through them!)

Is this normal? Does oil only flow alot as the rpms come up higher?

I don't have a feeler gauge, so I'll have to wait to check the valve clearance.
Thanks guys!
 
So I've been reading more threads and have found out that lots of oil should be flowing through those rocker oil feed tubes.

What would cause less/hardly any flow?

Thanks guys!
 
hi again it sounds like you may have a blockage, as the rocker gear is fed from the high pressure side of the oil pump you should expect to see a fair bit of oil comeing out of the rocker shafts. unscrew the rocker feed banjo from the rear of the timing cover and start it up for a few seconds,oil should gush out of there.if it doesnt then the problem will be inside the timing cover,ie oilways or the two rubber seals (one on oil pump, the other slides over the end of the crank)or it could be pressure releif valve or the oil pump itself,if it does gush from there then the oil pipe could be blocked,tighten it back up(not too tight banjos break easily)and take the two banjos off the top of the head and start it again ,if you get oil here then the oil ways in the head or the rocker spindles are probably blocked hope this helps
 
Well today I checked and set the rocker/valve clearance.
I also took your advice, Chris, and undid the banjo bolt on the crankcase for he rocker oil feed. Oil came pouring out. Then I undid the banjo bolt where the oil feeds into the rocker area...Lots of oil. So could there be blockage in rocker spindles/oil passages in the head like you said? How would you go about checking/correcting this?

The sound is only happening when it gets hot. I can tell for sure.
What do you think? Seems like it makes sense, motor is quiet when cold, then lack of lube when hot makes the valvetrain noisy?
Thanks alot!
 
allthough i havent done it personally (someone on here might have tho)i think it could be possible to take out each individual rocker and spindle and check for blockages one at a time the only problems i can see would be the shims and thackery washers dropping down the pushrod tunnels,other thing is to take the head off,have you had the inlet inspection cover off to see if the oiling is any better in there chris
 
forgot to mention besides the holes in the spindles theres an even smaller hole in each rocker to feed the ball that sits on the top of the pushrods chris
 
Hey chris, yes, I just removed the intake rocker cover. Seems like there is a bit more oil (droplets flying around) then compared to the exhaust side.

Thanks
Aydin
 
just had a thought how about rigging up a high pressure air line to the rocker spindles , an see if that makes a difference chris
 
Well I took off the rocker covers and used a flashlight, oil seemed ok.
It was a mist with droplets, flying all around.

I got a mechanics stethoscope, and listened all over the motor.
In the head, no place seemed louder then the others. Pretty uniform sounding. Even in the intake "manifolds" i heard the noise.
Watched alot of other norton commando videos on youtube, and heard similar sounds... Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it's just how it sounds?
It runs great, starts first kick hot or cold. I don't know what to think.
I can hear the mechanical chatter for sure while riding, but what's the worst that could happen? Can someone point me to a video of a "proper" running engine? I know these bikes talk more than the smooth running new models, just not sure if mine is yelling or not.
 
Have you checked that the rocker spindles are fitted correctly? Take the plates off and have a look to be sure that the spindle hasn't turned and is blocking the holes from the feed banjo.
 
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