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V Star 950, clicking/ticking noise.

15K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  commonground 
#1 ·
So I've got a '12 950 that I picked up a couple months back, I've put a couple thousand miles on it. Not too long ago, I've started hearing a clicking or ticking sound coming from under the bike; it almost sounds like a playing card is stuck in the spokes. The sound slows down with the bike, happens with the clutch pulled in as well as out, in every gear, neutral, and with the bike off. It only seems to happen after I've been riding for a while; never when the bike's still cold. It's driving me nuts, it's pretty loud too. I thought maybe it was the saddle bags I put on it, but it's definitely not hitting the wheels. Brought it into the shop and asked about it so they spun the wheels and found nothing. Anyone go through anything like that? Any help would be awesome, before I pull my ears out!
 
#2 ·
I have a 2012 V Star 950 also and I had the same experience. I moved from a 650 to the 950 so she was a new machine. I took it back to the dealer and they said everything was OK. I did a lot of research on it and I finally determined that it was the "Nature of the beast". It has a noisy engine. I now have 12,000 miles on her and either the clicking has subsided, or I have gotten used to it. The 950 has two valves working off of one lifter and it also has more valves than some of the other V-Twins. I would say don't fret too much about it. Put in your earplugs, don a good helmet and enjoy her. :)
 
#3 ·
Usually that clicking and ticking is mostly the valve train going through it's motions. Those bikes do not have hydraulically, self-adjusting lifters like the larger V-Twins. This means they need to be periodically checked and adjusted by hand.

Many people put tens of thousands of miles on their bike with no valve adjustment. Yamaha put a frequent valve check/adjustment into the maintenance schedule for a reason though.

I would typically agree that this is more often then needed, but the valves tighten up as they move out of spec. This can result in engine damage if left too long without attention. I only mention this because one symptom would be the noise going away. The 650 and 1300 call for adjustments every 4,000 miles, but I heard it was 16,000 for the 950. Just as a suggestion, check your owner's manual for the recommended frequency.
 
#4 ·
I'll definitely check out the valves. Only reason I doubt that's what it is is because the sound is consistent with wheel speed, whether the engine's on or not. Like let's say after my 40 mile commute from work, by the time I get home the bike is hot so it's clicking. If I turn off the bike and roll it, it still clicks in time with how fast I'm rolling the bike. If I stop, the clicking stops. I know this is really weird, but I wonder if it's possible that the heat from the engine is making the belt guard softer and leaning into the spokes or belt? Ugh. It's frustrating.
 
#12 ·
See, engine ticking I've accepted as normal for v star engines. This has nothing to do with the engine, like I said it clicks/ticks even when off. And it only does it 20% of the time; that's what's so frustrating. I can't duplicate the effect on demand.
 
#9 ·
Sorry, I missed that it does the clicking with the engine off. So, valves are not in the equation as I offered earlier in the thread.

If it stays in sync with the ground speed, it must be in the drive train. That means it could be belt, pulleys, brakes or bearings. I'd go back to the dealership while it's still under warranty and persist until it is found.
 
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