Today I rode up into the Great Smoky Mountains to my favorite Motor Nature Trail East of Gatlinburg. When I got to the top I decided to coast back down to Gatlinburg with the engine not running. The noise when I did not have the brakes mashed was almost unnerving similar to a grinding or roar. Shouldn't the bike be rolling smooth and freely without much noise? The bike has 3500 miles on clock. Speed was never over 20 mph. Is there anything I need to grease like axle bearings???????

I know if I had the engine running I wouldn't hear any other noises.

 

I'll keep an eye on this thread. I've got a Touring bike with ABS so not the same animal but I know exactly what you are saying. Once my front wheel bearings went I thought maybe it had been making this noise b/c bearings had been going bad longer than I thought. Nope. New bearings and same noise. I got 35K on my first set of brake pads (that I replaced last week) so it isn't sticking calipers. Wish I knew what it is cuz it definitely annoys me.

 

What gear were you in? Neutral, or some other gear with the clutch pulled in?

 

There's nothing that needs to be greased, those style bearings went out in 2000. It's hard to say without hearing the noise. Brakes make noise, tires make noise, the belt makes noise. Seeing how it didn't do it when you applied the brakes it's probably just the rotors scraping against the pads. I doubt the wheel bearings are gone already but anything is possible. If it's that much of a concern see your local shop or dealer and have them take it for a quick ride.

 

You're probably hearing tons of "normal" noise from (1) drive belt (2) rotors/brakes & (3) tires. Unless it was definite "clunking" or "squealing" of some sort - you're fine. Just stop riding w/o motor running and you're fine.

 

Good post,even the shocks make noises that you don't normally hear. When my bike had about 2,000 miles on it I could hear a serious sounding squeal when coasting to a stop. All it took to make it go away was a toothbrush and some soapy water. I simply washed the belt and sprocket,hosed it off and all was well after that. It's not a bad idea to do that every year anyway to get rid of the grit which causes your belt to wear faster.

 

I remember reading about not coasting more than 50 feet or so with the engine off because either the engine crank bearing or the tranny bearing would not be getting oil unless the engine were running even if the bike is in neutral.

 

Here in Tennessee we have a lot of hills and I do stuff like this all the time.I shut the bike down and leave it in neutral to listen to see if the bearings or whatever are making any strange noises.Even when everything is correct you will here a lot of noise..

 

I believe its alright then after seeing some comments. Of course it was in Neutral. I believe the primary and the transmission are splash lubrication. The engine was not turning. I don't see how coasting with the engine in N would be a problem. I too believe one should coast occasionally just to listen for any noise that you normally would not hear due to the engine noise.

 

Er, why do they need oil if they are not turning?