New to me 2009 w/ Q4 and powerbomb header, 1750 miles or so on the engine.

Cruising around the back forty without a helmet, I noticed a rattle/rasp sound that comes on around 6K rpm... smooths out around 7K if you give more throttle, and fades out around 5k if you let off... but almost always waits till about 6k to start.

It sounds like sheet metal vibrating (or my Versys' fairing vibrating) and seems to be coming from around the powerbomb bulge (which, of course, is also the top end area)

Can anyone tell me if this is just a characteristic of the powerbomb header?

Only other single I've owned was an all stock KLR650, so I don't have much experience to draw from...

 

I'm new here, but I have a similar situation. I have come to think, although not certain yet, that mine is cam chain noise. If you can read up on the manual cam chain tensioner offered by krieger, you will find a lot of cases of the same rpm range rattle.
Hope that may help, and also hope to hear from more knowledgeable members...-carp

E.T.A. https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...stalled-36477/

 

You might be right...I figured the cam chain would make noise at all rpms, and wouldn't be shot at 1700 miles....but I see what you mean about reports that the sound first shows up at 5-6k....I think mine might also do it around 8-9k (also mentioned in a post)

I reckon it's time for a manual tensioner....

 

You could be hearing acoustics of the exhaust waves in the chamber, kind of like a two stroke expansion chamber. a kind of metallic rapping sound. But this is total speculation, I have no idea if that happens with the bomb or the mega.

If you want to know if the tensioner is going south, listen to the cam drive area while free-reving it up to the rpm. If the noise is generated in the drive area it is the tensioner. If not clear, get a mechanic's stethoscope or a long handle screw driver. Put the tip to the tensioner area, screw driver handle to the ear if using it, and listen to the cam drive area while reving the bike to that rpm.

That is the way to know for sure. You can track noises and find where they come from with that method - the reason mechanic's stethoscopes exist.

 

Sounds like chain to me. The klx chain in general will start to make noise @ 5 to 5500 rpm.

 

Sounds like chain tensioner to me. The klx chain in general will start to make noise @ 5 to 5500 rpm.

 

10-4, I'll give it a try... I went ahead and ordered one of your manual setups from fleabay last night.... can't hurt to have it on the shelf if I don't need it right now

 

I did the long screwdriver trick...honestly, I can't tell...lol Not enough experience to know what I'm hearing (exhaust note overpowers everything).

I did however, go for a ride and pay attention. Sound definitely consistantly comes on hard around 5.5K and stays through about 6.5K like flicking a switch. If you ease off and let the rpm fall.. it continues down to around 5k, then disappears. Sounds good at idle and up through to 5.5K. I don't think it is the exhaust.. I'm pretty sure now that it is the cam chain.

 

Cam Chain...lol Just got my MCCT in the mail... install took about 20 minutes. First attempt at adjusting ended up with a noisier bike than when I started. I tightened it up a little more, and now she sounds great up through 9K rpm! I'm still afraid I got it too tight, so I will most likely mess around with it a little this weekend.. but I'm very happy with the results