Topic: Thoughts on this noise

[The Lone Builder]

I posted this video in another post on a different topic and think it my have got lost, so apologies for doing it again.

I have this rotating, scratchy, rasping noise from somewhere under the headlight bucket when riding. I checked everything that moves up front and could find nothing amiss until yesterday, or the day before.

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You can hear the click-clack which occurs at any point in the 360*. When I spin the wheel it seems to go away, but when I ride there it is, scratch, rasp, scratch, rasp getting faster with speed.

Wheel bearings? Brake pads? I can’t locate exactly where it’s coming from.

[Scott S]

 Video link is bad.

[Pielz]

My first two thoughts are a wheel bearing, or a brake pad is dragging. But my knowledge is limited lol. I'd pop off the front wheel and move the bearings around and see what it does or if they have rough spots. If the bearings have never been replaced, might be a good idea to do it anyway. And that way you can check out the front axle and all that stuff while you're in there.

[Kevin D]

Did you get your speedo drive and speedo cable sorted?

[The Lone Builder]

Don’t know what was wrong with link.

Try again.

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Finally left Israel 5 days late and now sitting at Anchor in Gemlik, Turkey, waiting to take on cargo before continuing voyage to Italy.

[PeWe]

- Brake pad sit loose?
- Bend wheel sideways for eventual play indicating bad wheel bearings.
- Spacer between bearings in hub that moves?

- Bolts holding brake caliper bracket loose, especially the 2
M6 at top that is easy to tighten too hard stripping the threads?

If it is, 5mm longer M6 with hex heads fits. Work fine with weak Loctite to fill the stripped threads. My K6 has that fix Time serts at next wheel removal.
I do not rember if I used an M6 tap to make more threads which I sometines do.

[Trevor from Warragul]

Oval holes in the brake disc. This caused a "clacking" on my 350 Four.  New brake disc cured it.

[HondaMan]

Is the wheel still 'true', not wiggling side-to-side (like from hitting big potholes, might need to be re-trued from minor bending)?
A dying speedo cable can also make lots of noise. Once mine unscrewed itself (slowly) during a long ride and just before it fell out of the speedo, it rattled like mad at 60 MPH. I thought the speedo was dying, but it was just the loose cable. If the core is splitting, it will make scratching sounds near the frayed part of the cable (often near the lower bend where it goes up from the fender stay).

A loose wheel bearing, if the OEM type Honda used is still in the wheel, gets noisy when it gets loose, too. You can check for this by putting the bike on the sidestand, then go to the low side of the front wheel and, at the top of the wheel, grip the fender (near the forks) and use your thumb(s) to push the wheel sideways to see how far it flexes. Normally all you can get is some spoke flex: if it moves with a click or clunk, then the wheel bearings are worn.

[Tracksnblades1]

Sounds like you could "feel" that.

Can you use your hand or fingers to feel the
Speedometer gear, brake caliper, and hub while
moving the tire back and forth quickly.

I'm thinking you should be able to isolate
where the noise is being generated.

Have you tried prying your brake caliper piston
pad in a bit to see if the noise changes.

[Deltarider]

I'd suspect the inner brake pad a bit loose in its caliper and so reacting on changes in direction, which is not abnormal. Although the sound is a bit higher in pitch than I'd expect... Anyway, I'd loosen the brake caliper's two big bolts, so that you can pull the inner pad holder a bit and see if it's gone. Easy to do.

[The Lone Builder]

Thanks for the ideas guys.

Bike is now 7decks below me as I steam towards Italy. Since leaving Israel las Wed, 5 days late, we’ve been through the  Dardanelles twice, called at 2 Turkish ports and by the time we dock in Salerno will have covered about 2,000 km. Can I add that to my journey total? 

Will check it out on landing.

[Spanner 1]

Worn speedo drive gear(s). 'Clicks' when taking up low wheel speed , then quiet. AFAIK, no one ever has ridden a 40+year old CB750 as far as you have ( so far ! ). Random wear must be expected anywhere on the bike IMO

[The Lone Builder]

Random wear must be expected anywhere on the bike IMO

And, I can tell you, on the rider! 

This noise gets worse when moving though; it doesn’t go away.

[PeWe]

Really long ferry trips!
I've heard about ftiends going from Italy to Greece mainland, Korfu or Crete on bike.
This is a lot more!
No time for fishing?

[Tracksnblades1]

You could remove the speedo cable at the front wheel momentarily. Test ride or spin by hand to compare noises....that is if that little screw cooperates.....

[Deltarider]

I've heard about ftiends going from Italy to Greece mainland, Korfu or Crete on bike.

In 1980 my girl and I rode all the way through Belgium, France to the southern tip of Italy. We crossed from Otranto to Igoumenitsa (Greece). From there we rode all the way into the Peloponnesos. It was a 6 weeks vacation. By the time we were back in Holland, we had covered 10.000kms.

[Spanner 1]

I still think it's the speedo drive....

[The Lone Builder]

The ferry trip wasn’t part of any of my previous 258 plans  I wanted to go from Jordan through the SW corner of Syria to Lebanon and take a ferry from there to Turkey. However the application for a Syrian visa was going to take at least one month, with no guarantee of a positive outcome, so that was out. That left Israel as my only option, short of waiting for summer and then going back to the original plan through Iran, and the only ship that would take me and the bike was this one. There was another that would ship the bike only, but I didn’t fancy that.

This ship was initially supposed to leave on 24th Jan and arrive in Salerno 5-6 days later. It eventually left Ashdod on 29th and then took the rather roundabout route shown earlier. Today we are due to arrive in Salerno and may, or may not, have a vacant berth so we can disembark; otherwise we may have to sit at anchor until one becomes available - maybe tomorrow.

But back to the noise! Initially I too thought it was the speedo and when that packed up, the tacho. There was clearly an issue with the speedo and/or drive because the speedo needle was bouncing all over teh place and the drive rotated clockwise from its normal position until it was pointing towards 11 o’clock. When it stopped altogether, I found the speedo cable broken. Replacing it with a universal cable didn’t make it work again, so I think the problem is internal. Now I have no cable in there but the noise remains.

Then the tacho packed up too. This was replaced with a (too long, but working) cable from a CG125, that I was given by the guys at Jordan Honda in Amman. Noise remains.

I haven’t been able to have the bike supported while I spin the wheel, but I leaning towards the bearings now - and away from the speedo drive. The bearings are SKF, replaced before I started, so in theory at least, should be OK. But there have been several heavy engagements with potholes along the way, so damage to them or the rim is a definite possibility.

I’ll check out the other possibilities too.

[Tracksnblades1]

Be careful, I had a front wheel bearing turn into a sprag once.
Luckily for me it only spragged in reverse....

[The Lone Builder]

I've heard about ftiends going from Italy to Greece mainland, Korfu or Crete on bike.

In 1980 my girl and I rode all the way through Belgium, France to the southern tip of Italy. We crossed from Otranto to Igoumenitsa (Greece). From there we rode all the way into the Peloponnesos. It was a 6 weeks vacation. By the time we were back in Holland, we had covered 10.000kms.

Where in P-B are you? Fancy another spin?

I didn’t make Iran and still would like to.
How about a clockwise trip? Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and home?

2021?

[PeWe]

You like really long trips!
I have had thoughts about a German bike meet near the boarder to Denmark. I think with a lot of old CB's.  Late July or August every year near Flensburg.

Always something that collides.

[The Lone Builder]

Any particular reason for Flensburg?

A more central European location might get bigger numbers. Somewhere near Munich?

Also a bit further south might guarantee good weather.

[Kevin D]

But back to the noise! Initially I too thought it was the speedo and when that packed up, the tacho. There was clearly an issue with the speedo and/or drive because the speedo needle was bouncing all over teh place and the drive rotated clockwise from its normal position until it was pointing towards 11 o’clock. When it stopped altogether, I found the speedo cable broken. Replacing it with a universal cable didn’t make it work again, so I think the problem is internal. Now I have no cable in there but the noise remains.

I haven’t been able to have the bike supported while I spin the wheel, but I leaning towards the bearings now - and away from the speedo drive. The bearings are SKF, replaced before I started, so in theory at least, should be OK. But there have been several heavy engagements with potholes along the way, so damage to them or the rim is a definite possibility.

I’ll check out the other possibilities too.

- Is the bearing spacer tube in place?
- did you replace the inner and outer speedo cable?
- a broom handle, cut to the proper length, jammed into the bottom of the steering stem, will lift the front wheel, bike on centerstand, bars turned to steering stop.... about 30" +\- 3" sorry I can't tell you the exact length.
- is the speedo drive engaged properly with the "gear box retainer" item 8

[PeWe]

Any particular reason for Flensburg?

A more central European location might get bigger numbers. Somewhere near Munich?

Also a bit further south might guarantee good weather.

Other side of Germany, up north close to Denmark. Munich is almost Austria where it's really nice to ride the bike and eat Austrian Gulasch Suppe mit brot und bier.

I have got infomation about this when I got my primary hubs back from http://www.fourever-classic-parts.de
replacing the cush rubbers.

[scottly]

the drive rotated clockwise from its normal position until it was pointing towards 11 o’clock.

If the drive was forced to rotate, it must have seized up. The drive plate is likely trashed now as well. To get back on the road, you might be able to remove the drive plate and reinstall the drive, as it acts as a spacer.