Motorbike rattle

At the end of last year the exhaust on my bike accidentally separated from my downpipes because of rust, which was rather embarrassing. I was able to get some replacement pipes fitted quickly, stainless steel this time. After the new pipes were fitted I noticed the slightest of buzzes when the revs passed through a specific point on the tachometer. Mentioning this to the garage, they said to keep an eye on it, mostly because getting to the pipes meant a couple of hours of work to remove the radiator. I wasn't going to complain, because if the buzz became worse they would fix it and if it didn't it wasn't a problem.

Perhaps related, perhaps not, a couple of weeks back my bike picked up a rattle, which rapidly became a horrible metal-on-metal noise that had me quite concerned that it was shaking itself apart. I booked the bike in for a service as soon as I could, hoping it would hold together long enough. The mechanic checked the bike and found the source of the rattle, which was a loose flap of metal on an internal spot weld in the downpipes. Being internal it was impractical to fix, and the suggestion was made of a warranty repair. Unfortunately, the garage that fitted the pipes were out of business. However, the rattle wasn't causing any damage to the bike and the metal would be dislodged at some point and probably blown out the exhaust, also without the risk of damage. Despite the noise, I am satisifed with there being no damage caused.

The service was completed and the rattle is still present, sounding pretty bad at some revs and not being present most of the time. Even though the bike is healthy it can sound like the engine is near death, which is awkward but not really a problem. And the service has made the bike feel nice and smooth again, which is great! In fact, the flat spot I seemed to pick up between 5,000 and 6,000 RPM has disappeared, even though I forgot to mention that to the mechanic when I booked in the job. The routine maintenance took care of it, which leaves me with smooth acceleration right up the tachometer again.

In other bike news, the cover I have used to protect the bike from the weather has gone missing. The wind has been in the habit of tossing it around occasionally in the past, but never so far that it can't be found again quickly, and now it is nowhere to be seen. Granted, the cover was getting quite old. The integrity of the fabric was failing and tears had appeared in several places spontaneously, but gaffer tape was doing a good job of holding it together, even if I hadn't got around to getting my needle and thread out. I suppose at least the disappearance has prompted me to buy a new replacement

I don't want to attribute the disappearance of the cover to thieves, so I won't. However, I won't be best pleased if the new cover I have ordered goes missing too. I don't want to hop on to a wet or frosty bike in the mornings.

Posted in Personal |
Tags: exhaust, motorbike, service