i have alot of tapping goin on about 2000 and up, and when its hot i get it at idle. its an 08 96 rg with 16000 mi. the oil pressure is good. i took the lifters out and inspected them and 1 of the rollars was warn( the rear exhaust), so i inspected the lobe on the cam and it looked good.i replaced them with new stock ones with assembly lube and quick install push rods. it was a little better at first. but its back to about the same. i tryed convenional and synthetics. i installed a baisley spring in the cam plate. its sounds like its at the top of the motor. i had some efi problems awhile ago and the motor did some back firing on the highway at the 2500 range, that has bin fixed, im wondering if the backfiring could have messed up the rockers or the vaulve guides. any feedback will be greatly appreciated... thanks in advance.. charlie

 

Don't have an answer, but didn't want ya to think nobody cares. Just a thought your looking at a warn lifter, how about a lifter with dirt in it. I always found it hard to hear which lifter is screwing up, and I don't known what lifters cost today. You got one fresh one, how about changeing the other three. Good luck.
I reread your question and it sounds like you replaced lifters. Before you tear into the top end, you may want to take a closer look at the cam.

 

I Have a 08UC and had a tapping noise like You describe. it started at about 9k. When motor was hot and after I shut it down for about 15min and restarted it, there was a loud tapping noise that lasted about 30 seconds. Sounded like a lifter had bled down and had pumped back up. A lot of techs checked it and changed the lifters and the noise was still there. Finally got a tech to check the valves and He found one valve that was extremly tight in the guide. So it would be wise to check them.

 

They all tap. Woods has some new lifters that supposedly reduce the tapping, but honestly unless the tapping is real bad or driving you nuts, I wouldn't chase this problem too far. This is one of those issues you can spend a ton of time and money on and not ever solve.

 

i am going to find it . thats the way my brain works. i want to be able to atleast ride it with out crankin the radioso i dont hear it.im goin to check out the rockers, bushings and shafts, then i will check the support plate and then the vaulves....thanks 4 ur tips on the vaulves.. charlie

 

I asked this question two months ago and the responses were pretty much..."shut up and just ride"...
Ok. I get it. Now tell me what it "could be" not how to behave because of it.
I am deployed overseas and get home to ride every 6-8 months. My bike still has less than 1,000 miles and the tapping/ticking is just as you describe.

Press on with your investigation and keep us informed!

Cheers...

Dex

 

What kind of oil are you using? My noises dropped significantly when I quit using Amsoil & started using Mobil 1.

 

I had this as well. Mine started at about 8 0r 9K asked HD and got no enlightenment. Mine was noticeable when first starting and riding off but with warm weather. Seemed that once I took the revs above 4.5 K it would go away for that ride cycle. That having been said you will probably get more noise with synthetic as the viscosity is generally lower during actual operation than conventional oil. Some oils are probably quieter than others amongst either type. Some experimentation is probably the best approach especially in light of the fact that I was told by my tech that they went the whole shot on one bike (lifters, valves, seats, and still had the tap. The tight fit in guide is intriguing though as that could account for the tap until the motor warms up assuming clearance increases when the motor is warm although I'm not sure the guide would "open up" with warming. Of course if the MoCo figures it out they will just fix it on the new bikes and only fix the old ones that are under warranty and owners who bitch enough. Good luck (really).

 

I asked the same ? and was told to get ear plugs. I used to wear a 1/2 helmet and for that reason went to a 3/4 helmet because the tapping drove me nuts. I switched to redline and I think it has gotten quieter. I know a lot of people that spent money trying to get rid of the tap and haven't found anyone that did. Pretend your driving a ford diesel , or get ear plugs lol

 

Unfortunately, this noisy top end seems to be the nature of the beast. I've been chasing it too and have gotten nowhere. Certainly the lifters can sometimes take a while to pump up and I will be trying some different ones in the near future. I'm using Mobil1 oil as I believe it's the best out there, but I am seriously thinking about trying some dino oil for high mileage engines in the hope that it helps a bit.
I've even wondered whether the rocker box cover is acting as an amplifier and if there isn't some way to deaden it some too.
Let us know if you find any solutions.