[gussy78]

Hey yall,



Ive been riding my TW too work. I cant help to notice a noise coming from the front of the motor area. Dont notice it much at all at trail speeds, but when on pavement I definatly hear something. I thought maybe the chain so I inspected it and adjusted, too tight per manual, so i put it back where it was before. Im still hoping its the chain. It does get quieter when I let off the gas but it does not go away. Any ideas?

 

[Lonesome Dave]

Do you have an aftermarket solid skid plate, if so, solid aluminum skid plate will cause noise for sure. I've also had the same problem when the chain was not lubed enough. I mean it was really bad, when I took it off, I could practically hold it out straight. I retired that chain, noise went away!

 

[assquatch20]

The valves are noisy on these. Adjust them anyway, and definitely adjust your cam chain.



Different folks adjust the drive chain in a couple different ways, and if you're adjusting it on a stand and happen to be a heavy guy, the suspension sag could cause some rubbing. Look around the swingarm for that.



There are other possibilities, especially an aftermarket skidplate. They seem to send noise right at your helmet from the motor and whatnot, but adjust the stuff that moves to spec and go from there.

 

[gussy78]

Just the stock skid plate. I have lubed the chain twice in about three weeks with chain wax. I weigh fully clothed about 255. I need a service manual! I have one for every other vehicle, the TW wont be an exception. Something told me the first time I heard it, it was valves, dont know how or why I thought this. Whatever it is, it seems to be coming from the front side of the motor. I usually am more inquisitve and tinker. For the last few months Ive been doing second shift on a hot job at Notre Dame. Im afraid of this being a lifeless summer. Anyways, I have a hard time getting motivated, unless its the weekend. Thanks for ALL suggestions gentlemen!

 

[assquatch20]

Well, you can find the valve procedure on here (no more difficult than others) but I'll go ahead and tell you: remove seat, sidecovers, tank, valve covers, timing chain cover, timing plugs, TDC on compression stroke, and bam! Adjust valves. A decking screw or a proper valve adjustment tool helps a lot more than pliers to get it right. Adjust to widest spec tolerance as they'll get tighter over time.



Once again, have a look at the timing chain as well when you have that cover off and look for rub marks or chewed up guides. It would be an easy adjustment to mess up for a novice and could make a good racket if left unadjusted for a lot of miles.



I don't mean to speak like you're simple or anything, we just don't know how skilled some folks are from the keyboard sometimes. If you do need more help, you'll notice tons of resources on here, including a service manual for the older models like yours. Double check those before you get into wiring though, as the color coding and electrics in general changed over the years. Not to mention a different carb and front end on post-2001 models.

 

[Dell]

I had the miserable bushing go out on me that the camshaft runs in. It squealed before it went, and it is clearly from the front. This is accessible from the side plate, and you can have the cam out in minutes. I didn’t know what it was, so tore it down first and made it much more complicated. The replacement roller bearing is likely less than 15$ from a stock size bearing manufacturer.

 

[Badgerflorida]

Make sure your chain slider is in good shape, although that noise would not be from the front.