The Mysterious SV650 Tickling Noise

Hello Org,

I have a mysterious tinkling noise on my SV650 that I cannot locate.
The noise is only present when in motion & the engine isn't under load, so prior to engine breaking.
Whilst it's audible in higher gears, it's less locatable due to wind noise, with engine braking kicking in early on the lower gears & stopping the noise.

If I'm riding at about 35mph in 3rd gear, keeping the bike in gear & rolling off the throttle, so no throttle input at all, there is what I can only describe as a tinkling noise from underneath the tank area.
The noise doesn't speed up or slow down dependent on revs or speed.
Hitting the kill switch stops the noise as does taking up the slack in the throttle.

There is zero ill effect on the bikes performance, fuel or oil consumption.
I've had the exhaust heat shield removed as it was rusted & loose & it's not the keys

I'm at a complete loss as to what is causing the noise, even my local Suzuki garage can't figure it out. The noise isn't intrusive at speeds above 40mph, but I think it's audible to others riding with me ... and I know the noise is there now so it's irritating as hell. You'd be surprised how often you ride around with no throttle input, I'm not anymore
Love the Bike
Hate the tickling

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Many thanks

It's got to be cam chain related if it's only doing it on overrun or tickover. Do a search and see if you can adjust/reset your tensioner.

[Craig380]

How long have you been noticing the noise for? Can you replicate the sound with the bike at a standstill by raising the revs gently in neutral? Is the heatshield under the tank secure? Anything that could be tapping or rattling under the tank?

All I can tell you is, SV engines do make more mechanical noise than many other bikes, and those noises come and go merrily of their own accord. I reckon the reason is a combination of factors: a) having not one, but two very long camchains, b) it's a V-twin so there isn't a large 1-piece cylinder block & head like there is on a parallel twin or inline 4 to dampen / absorb mechanical noise.

It's really hard to diagnose a noise without actually hearing it but if the bike sounds fine at tickover, runs well and isn't using any oil or coolant, I doubt it is anything worth worrying about.

[Seeker]

possibly a resonance effect - there are a few linkages on the throttle bodies/carbs that might be rattling and the tank is acting like a sounding box. Is it a curvy or a pointy, naked or faired? Does the 35 mph/3rd gear noise disappear if you de-clutch? Have you had the tank off and looked for chafed paint where something might be rubbing? You could try and reroute the throttle/clutch cables temporarily - maybe put a tywrap around them to see if it changes anything.

How loose is your chain - are the chain rubbers intact?

Not trying to be a pedant, but when you say tickling do you mean "tinkling", a hollow, bell-like sound?

Good luck.

[Bibio]

if hitting the kill switch removes the sound then i would say its vibration related or if its a pointy it could even be a noisy injector.

pointy's are not known for cam chain tensioner problems but curvys are.

curvys make a weird ticking noise that resembles a loose cam chain or tappet problem if the carbs are needing balanced (as it slaps the cam chain due to being uneven running) but you can usually hear this at tick over. pointy TB's rarely go out of sync and would need to be very out of sync for it to happen.

Thanks for your replies all,

I think the bike is mechanically sound & unlikely to implode on me.
It's just ruddy annoying & I'm touring in a few weeks & don't want to irritate others.

So it's a K4 Pointy SVS & the chain tension is spot on
The noise is only audible in gear & rolling
It's not audible when on a paddock stand as the chain just rattles.
The noise disappears if I pull the clutch
I'm confident it's not a cam chain as that would be audible while neutral & be constant.
The noise is a mix between a ticking noise & a set of house keys vibrating

Cheers

[Bibio]

it might be clutch basket/output shaft/chain rattle.

start the bike and let idle then pull the clutch in. does the rattle go away?

check your front/rear sprockets for wear and that no nuts have come loose, especially the output shaft nut.

Hi Bibio,

Relay still works a charm by the way

There is no noise when the bike is stationary, it has to be rolling at at least 30mph. In fact "rolling" it uphill with no throttle input makes no noise as the engine is under load.
However going down hill in gear with no throttle in a high gear, it will tick away happily until engine braking kicks in.

[Bibio]

drive chain backlash. worn/dry sprockets/chain and or misaligned chain. only happens when coasting with throttle shut. what happens is that the rear wheel is pushing the chain and engine playing catch up so you get more slack in the chain.

check your swingarm chain guide rubber on the top/bottom for excessive wear.

try not shutting the throttle fully until the last second when coming to a stop. you should never fully shut a throttle and coast on a v-twin, instead move down a gear to match speed. if you need to shut the throttle and brake entering a corner then your going too fast for that corner and not thinking ahead. your rear wheel should always be in 'drive'. if you already know all of the above i'll shut up

[ophic]

Originally Posted by Bibio

try not shutting the throttle fully until the last second when coming to a stop. you should never fully shut a throttle and coast on a v-twin, instead move down a gear to match speed. if you need to shut the throttle and brake entering a corner then your going too fast for that corner and not thinking ahead. your rear wheel should always be in 'drive'. if you already know all of the above i'll shut up

Yup last time I shut the throttle on my SV it fell off its wheels and spread itself all over the road

No seriously, Bibio what on earth are you talking about here?