Noise is driving me nuts.

[John Schmidt]

Put the bike up on the center stand and removed the bags and mounts, including the bag rails. Dropped it off the CS and bounced it a couple times, then took a short ride....tried to find some rough streets. The noise is still there but much reduced with the extra weight removed. I'll have a little extra time after church to remove the left shock and dismantle it to see if something is awry internally, like maybe the spring is broken(suspension seems the same) or possibly not seated. A couple months back I removed them and replaced the HD springs with Std. springs, they're Progressive 412's. Tempted to put the HD's back in but don't like the stiff ride, but if it takes care of the problem.....

I have a decent set of Valk OEMs on the 1200 I guess I could use even though they're taller than my 412s, would only be temporary but would let me ride until things get repaired or replaced. Going to leave the bags off until I figure it out, sure is lighter, was kinda fun scootin' around town like that.

Re. the 1200, I got the clutch hydraulic line installed and bled. Sure seems like a stiffer pull than the Valk, maybe it will ease up a bit with use, I had rebuilt the actuator on the clutch and it has been sitting for quite a few months. Put it on the CS and started the bike, then went through the gears at low RPM. All seems to work fine, might need to reposition the shift lever up a tad for my big feet. I have all the fittings for the front brakes but J&P Cycles didn't have the length hose needed so ordered them to be delivered. An email Friday told me the warehouse was also out of that length so went hunting. Found them on Ebay for $9 less w/free shipping. Should be here about Tuesday. Still waiting for a Tee with a tab for mounting, probably by end of the week.

[Grumpy]

Just a thought John, weak kickstand spring letting the kickstand bounce against the stop. It is left side.

Or possible the rubber bumper missing on the center stand.

[John Schmidt]

Darn, forgot to tie up the kickstand and was even mulling it over earlier today, dug out a bungee for that purpose. We had out of town company which created numerous interruptions. Re. the CS rubber bumper, that was worn and cracked so repaired/replaced it a few months back.

If I can come up with something by around 12:00 noon tomorrow, I can still ride and make it down there. Get home from church by 10:10 if I go to the early service so will have a little time to mess with it. If I do ride down, it will be w/o the bags.

[BF]

Probably the extra weight of the feathers flopping around on the tank.   

[John Schmidt]

Probably the extra weight of the feathers flopping around on the tank.   

Hmmm....never thought of that. I always figured they "tickled my fancy" while riding.   

[FloridaValkRyder]

TMI John....TMI! 

[John Schmidt]

Well, it's still driving me nuts. It's not the kickstand, centerstand, loose exhaust hitting the swingarm on the left side, nor is it the shocks...I switched them with no effect. One thing I've noticed is I'll get a sharp rap with the first bump, then it almost goes away from then on. One thing I've noticed during my hunt....the rear caliper seems awful loose in the mount. Yet all the bolts are tight. That would seem to support the one sharp noise and less pronounced following. Thinking about pulling the caliper and tie it off, then a short ride just to check. At this point I'm willing to try most anything. 

[Tundra]

Louder pipes make noises disappear

[IamGCW]

Any chance you dropped something inside the gas tank?

Gil

[John Schmidt]

Think I found it, just talked to Bill and he concurs. Have a missing bushing as shown in the pic below, now to get one by weekend. Yeah right!  You can bounce it up/down by hand and it clanks just like the noise I've been hearing. And it's just enough different that I can't cannibalize on the 1200. I plan to order both the pin and the bushing, figure the pin has taken a beating so will replace both parts. What a PITA this has been, mainly because it wasn't consistent which made it nearly impossible to pin down the source exactly.

[FloridaValkRyder]

Well that took some detective work but I'm real glad you found it. I hate little noises like that. Sometimes they are nothing, sometime they are big trouble.

[_Sheffjs_]

I was very interested in the answer and I know that it is a major relief when found.   

[larue]

Glad you found the problem john

[Bert AKA,Valkaholic]

 
   I'm Glad That You Found The Noise John !
This Is One Of Those Instances Like I Had With The After-Market Chrome Brake Handle That I Put On My Interstate, It Was Slightly Putting Pressure On The Master Cylinder Causing My Front Brakes To Heat Up And Lock Up  After About 50 Miles Of Riding. What A PITA That Was !

[John Schmidt]

   I'm Glad That You Found The Noise John !
This Is One Of Those Instances Like I Had With The After-Market Chrome Brake Handle That I Put On My Interstate, It Was Slightly Putting Pressure On The Master Cylinder Causing My Front Brakes To Heat Up And Lock Up  After About 50 Miles Of Riding. What A PITA That Was !

Bert, if you notice on the pictures the metal collar on the brake line has separated at the banjo. It feels solid but since I have to remove the line to remove the caliper, I'm going to go ahead and replace that rear brake line as well. I have to make another run to J&P Cycles for a brake line on the 1200, so will pull the Valk rear line to get a measurement and pick that up while there. Hope to have it all done by party time in a couple weeks.