Collected my brand spanking new, pristine bike today from the dealer.

I'm told it's the very last one available in my country - from now on just mo(tards) ie the D Tracker

Overall it seems fine but as I built up speed there's a squeaking noise?

• Applying or NOT applying the brake makes no difference.
  
• The noise speeds up with road speed, not engine speed (and different gears make no difference)
  
• A quick visual check suggest the chain is not too tight and the rear wheel seems to be aligned OK
  
• There is no noticeable rolling resistance, just the noise. No noticeable vibration either.

Tilting the bike on the sidestand and spinning the wheels by hand reveals nothing. Both seem fine. The squeak starts around 40 kph

The angel on my shoulder is saying "Take it back to the dealer, let them faff around for a few days, while some young grease-monkey thrashes the living hell out of the not-yet-run-in engine, and then get told "We fixed it, that will be $$$ because XXX isn't covered by the warranty"

OR

The devil on the other shoulder is saying "Dude, it's new, it squeaks, take it for a looong ride, you know ya wanna, and that'll probably fix the squeak too! If not, you'll probably be able to figure out what it is "


What would YOU do?

 

You might be able to isolate the noise to either the front end or rear end by putting the bike on a stand, rear wheel off the ground, and running it up to the squeaky speed.
Another thought: noise from the tires??

Ride on
Brewster

 

here are a few things i would do

take it out to a nice long straight road and ride a few km and not use the brakes to stop

when stopped i would carefully feel the rotors if the are HOT if yes the calipers may hang a little

i would measure the chain slack referring to manual specs and lube it for good measure

is it a whirling squeak or bouncy squeak?

ps. the tires also makes noise when at speed

 

Yeah, I was thinking that. Sadly this bike has no center stand (I think?) only a side stand.

I have images of my brand new baby suddenly flying across my yard if I drop that spinning wheel...

Reading other threads, and seeing as the bike has sat in storage for a year, I'm thinking it's maybe dry bearings, or a non-tight-enough axle?

It could be dangerous, not to mention cause damage, so I guess I'll have to do the boring thing and take it back to the shop. But I'll hang around like a bad smell, watching them....

 

My first reply was to Brewster.

I'm coming from a bored-out KLX140, so familiar with the tyre scrub of knobblies, this is more of a "squeak.. squeak.. squeak" noise. As you go fast it becomes "Squeaksqueaksqueak...."

Bringing the bike to a halt with just engine braking and then seeing if the front or rear brakes are hot is a good idea, cheers

Can one get full workshop manuals for these bikes? I'd like to figure out my own maintenance over time

 

i had a hard time finding one for mine on the web i have the owners manual only

chain should be 35-45mm slack

the online workshop manual i found is for the for the KLX 250S9

 

I see on another thread it could be a squeaky speedo hub?

Must admit I've barely looked at my owner's manual, as I'm guessing it will be the usual legalstani and cover such nuggets as "Do not attempt to dismount your motorcycle whilst riding, instead ensure you bring the machine to a complete stop, set the side stand and check both rear view mirrors before attempting to dismount. CAUTION Extra care should be taken when dismounting your motorcycle under hazardous conditions, such as on steep slopes, high speed motorways, or while underwater..."

I'm thinking more of the "Then ease out the circlip shown in fig.4.5" kind of thing?

 

the speedo hub also crossed my mind

try looking if your "mudflap" at swing arm near rear wheel is showing signs of rubbing or your fork guards are rubbing

CAUTION: Do not dry your vehicle using a either bonfires or flamethrowers.

CAUTION: Do not drive your vehicle under the influence of a mustache or over priced bandannas

 

Service manuals in .pdf format are available for free on the net if you search around a bit-- I dont remember the particular site but its not hard to find.

Cheers

 

Pretty sure this will work except for your EFI system.
https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...manuals-37525/