Took the bike out for a ride yesterday for about 50 miles and everything was perfectly normal.

Got home, parked for a couple hours and cranked her up again to head back out. Noticed a rhythmic knocking sound. Sounds to be coming from bottom of the rear cyl and kind of makes a one two three, pause, one two three, pause kind of knock. (best way to put it) it's not very loud, and sounds like a muffled knock as opposed to the more dry knock you hear like after you change oil and it knocks for a few seconds. Haven't heard this before and I'm a little nervous. Bike has 3100 miles, just pulled out the syn3 and did amzoil 20w-50 a week ago. The sound goes away after it warms up and sounds good again. WTFO?

Any ideas?

 

mods?

 

Rc slips. SE wires and plugs. That's it. No other engine mods. Belray in the clutch and tranny. Other than that nothing has changed. But it's been fine till yesterday. It's minor, but I did notice it, so that makes it major enough to me.

 

Could be a lifter

 

Had a guy at the dealer the other day tell me that the 103 twin cam uses solid lifters. Sounded funny to me, but with the rattle, clank, and chatter that tese motors have it wouldn't surprise me. Are they solid or hydraulic?

 

Put the stock plugs and wires back on it.

 

I would, but I don't want to loose any tire pressure.

 

What?

 

*joke* it's a bottom end noise. Shouldnt have anything to do with plugs and wires. It's mechanical and coming, clearly, from the bottom of the rear cylinder. It's not a top end knock or ping. Mainly at idle. It's too rhythmic and consistent to be ignition related at idle. IMHO. And it goes away with heat, I'd think if it were ignition related heat would make it worse.