Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Unidentifiable Noise

Yes, it's one of those things that no one seems to be able to figure out so I'm going to try here...

I've got an '02 TBA and I'm hearing a noise coming from the clutch side of the bike (seems to be coming from the front) that sounds like someone's rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together or perhaps running a steel brush back and forth on a door frame. Sounds crazy but I don't know how else to describe this noise. Anyway, it's not a constant noise and it seems to be more frequent at speeds around 50-55 but I've also heard it at the lower speeds riding through town. I might ride all day without hearing it and then turn around the next day and hear it several times in one trip.... Any suggestions as to what this might be??

Smyley

Many of the original 02s had a problem they called "Clutch Chatter". Even if it is out of warranty, most dealers will still fix it for free. Bring it to the attention of your nearest dealer and see if this is the case.

Thanks, I'll use that "Clutch Clatter" phrase with the Triumph mechanic here in town...maybe that will help since he can't seem to duplicate the sound when he rides it.

A wild guess if the clutch checks out to be OK - some vehicles set up a harmonic vibration when certain conditions are just so. When I drove dry bulk tankers, the entire 40 ton vehicle would jump up and down about 1/4 inch at roughly 100 cycles per minute on perfectly smooth roads at certain speeds, as the weight distribution was a near perfect equalization between the front and rear tandems. Flat beds will often do this too when you load them just right.

Anyway, I'm wondering if the slack in the chain is jumping from the top to the bottom of the chain, and back and forth under certain conditions. If the clutch checks out, try changing your chain adjustment just a bit and see what happens.

Just a wild thought...

Welcome Home Christy,
I have an '02 TBA and I get noises from the gear driven primary drive. It's just a noise that all owners experience with the 790cc engine. I use louder pipes to eliminate that noise, but maybe you're having some other problem. "YOTA" lives in southern Kentucky, maybe he can check it out for you.

I thought about the chain first and did adjust it tighter but that wasn't the problem...I don't "feel" anything unusual. The front end handles fine, everything seems to be functioning properly...I just don't want to end up going down the road by myself, like I do quite often, and end up breaking down!!

I'm hoping it's "just a noise" and I've already drilled out the baffels, would have to go with different pipes to get it any louder and I don't think I'm ready to do go that route yet. We'll see...and I'm new to the forum so I'll have to see if I can touch base with "YOTA" somehow since he's a neighbor.