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Honda 919 weird knocknig noise at low speed acceleration???

19K views 57 replies 40 participants last post by  Everlongdrummer 
#1 ·
I've noticed a knocking noise on my 919. Its been like that for long time.. maybe ever since Ive owend it. It seems to be noticable at low speed acceleration.. seems to quit when u get off the throttle. Not exactly sure where its coming from.. Sometimes I think its the motor, other times I think it could be the chain or rear end related. Leaning more toward the motor tho. After owning a Honda Magna motorcycle.. I know some honda 4 cylinders are prone to weird noises which is considered normal.. is why I havent researched this yet, but want to know if any other 919 owners have had this happen to their bikes??
 
#4 ·
Sounds like the injectors ....i had the same fear when i got my 9er , strange ticking/knocking sound but only till ya give it the fat and then it goes... mine still makes the sound but i ignore it now after the boys here put my mind at ease..... sounds like they all do it to some degree but its nothing to worry about...... just keep it goin hard and it wont bother you anymore lol.... cheers
 
#6 ·
If it's at low rpm and disappears around 5-6K it's the injectors.

A seriously dry chain will make a noise when leaving a stop that sounds like "knocking/popping."

I'd vote injectors though.
 
#9 ·
Mine has the same symptom since I rode it away from the dealer in '03 with 2 miles on it.

Turned around and went back to say "Uhmm...WTF!"

Was assured it was a perfectly normal sound.

Always goes away around 4-5000rpm

There's been probably 100 (me thinks) questions about this sound here and on the former Motorush.

Have heard it's "airbox resonance" as well as "injector noise".

One thing's for sure... it's normal and the motor is still running strong at 13,000mi. I've accepted it as perfectly normal.

Best explanation to date - the lack of body panels around the 919 motor allows a lot more sounds to be heard by the rider.

It's a Honda - service it regularly and ride it till it pukes! :punk:
 
#13 ·
Having a bit of experience with the bucket and shim style valve train, I knew right a way what it was when I heard it. Some of you say the injectors and that may be, but I instantly recognized the sound as the mechanical operation of the "Cam - bucket & shim style valve train".

Nothing to worry about IMO. My 450R was waaaay louder after an aggressive Cam was put in.
 
#15 ·
if anyone knows anything about Honda 4cyl engines in their cars...you know that they are very loud with their cams and the valves opening/closing...That is what I have always assumed with the sounds it makes. I've heard it basically on every 919 I've seen...so I agree with the above:turned:
 
#16 ·
Mine doesn't make this noise as far as I've noticed, and I notice every little noise whih drives my wife bonkers when in our autos over the years.
I ride with a half helmet every now and then just to listen for any weird noises. My Shoei RF-800 does a great job of blocking out the extraneous
noises.
 
#17 ·
I have the same concern with my 02, so I tried to use my wife's small sansa mps player that has a record feature on it and I attached it to the frame near the motor, but unfortunately, once the sound level got too high (over 40km hour) while I was riding, the audio clip had some wind noise, but it got all crackly..

I was planning to hopefully capture the issue on an audio clip and post it so the group can hear and compare...

If you are able to, you might want to create an audio clip of it...
 
#18 ·
Mine makes that same noise... I thought maybe it was knocking so I put premium in it, it seems to mostly go away. After reading a little I don't think it's knocking, but this doesn't explain why it is so much smoother and quieter with premium in it. Either way, it does go away once up in the higher RPMs (or I can't hear it anymore)... Plus the dealership said it was normal, so I don't worry about it anymore.
 
#20 ·
If it brings that much concern for you, I would suggest you get your valves checked/adjusted. Not sure what they charge but after doing just a single cylinder 450R as much as I did, I'd probably pay someone to do it. What a PITA... Plus I wouldn't need to buy a shim kit either.
 
#21 ·
Mine makes a loud ticking sound, only when accelerating, that has been there ever since day 1, 0 miles. Could have sworn that it was pinging from too advanced timing, worried about it quite a lot, but everyone says its the injectors, and that a lot of injected bikes do that.

Ive got almost 5000 miles on it now, putting around town, mountain roads, and cranking it up to 130 or so maybe a hundred times (closed course of course :laughing4-giggles: ) Sound hasn't changed any, but ive gotten used to it.

Reportedly all anyone ever has to do is add gas, change the oil, and lube the chain. Just keeps going and going and...
 
#22 ·
having been flogging my niner for a few months now and also being familiar with the cam/shim/bucket/ general head rattle, it isn't much to worry about as long as you are keeping up on your maintenence. another possibility is piston slap, but that would likely not be there from day one unless honda sucked at putting their motors together. and they don't. easy fix? apply more throttle:)
 
#23 ·
Well not sure if my 919 has it after all.. Aparantly mine was the chain was a little loose.. I guess I hadnt been keeping an eye on it.. I put a new rear tire on and tightned up the chain and I dont hear mine no more.. lol
 
#25 ·
My brother and I both bought new 919's 2 months ago. With about 100 kms (approx 60 miles) on the clock, I suddenly noticed that it had a ticking sound at off idle to low/mid rpm when it is cold, which we found was injectors. If it has louder than a smiple "tickity tick" noise, more a knock knock, and the bike has a few miles on it, you might want to try the cam chain tensioner, especially if the sound is constantly there. I was reading in a magazine only today about buying second-hand and for the earlier model Hornet 900 (919) this was one of those listed under "look out for". Apparently manually adjusting or replacement will fix it.

Hope it helps...

By the way - Hahahaha... I like farmerjoe's cure it reply with the sato's.. Just love it....!!!
 
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