| A couple weeks ago I was riding the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge
Parkway with Ken. At the southern end we spent some time on US-129 and
the Cherohala Skyway. On the morning to head back to Illinois I noticed
a tick coming from the top end of the motor. The motor kept running
smoothly and giving "normal" power. Being that the bike was running,
old, and the value of the bike possibly being less than the cost of
trailering the bike home the decision to keep riding was readily made. The tick kept getting louder. Loud such that at fuel stops people would stop and stare when the bike started up. There was a thought to "keep it easy" on the way home - it remained only a thought and the motor performed valiantly the whole time. 850 miles later this is what we have.... So, to keep things in line with stats: 850 miles = about 1.6 Million revoutions of the cam lobe on the rocker pad. I should include a picture of the adjascent rocker's pad surface for comparision. |
The source of noise
Worn valve rocker - #3 Cyl, Exhaust
(a rocker at the end of the line in regards to lubricating oil delivery)
Video
tap-tap-tap goes the slap-slap-slap
MorseCodeMachine.wmv (511KB)
The concave "pad" on this rocker should be level to slightly raised.
The near end is worn while the far end still has metal - the cam lobe is slightly off center on this piece.
Shot of the cam. The lobe shows (green highlight lines) several flat planes insead of one rounded surface.
