So my last thread was about a sputtering/running rich, and front suspension issue. I put the front forks on the full Hard setting, and that has definately helped with some of the "diving" the front end was doing. Guess it just took a few days riding it to get it fully adjusted.

For the running rich issue I decided to try some midgrade fuel. I just finished my 2nd tank (need to fill up after I leave work today), and my milage has gotten better, and there is hardly any black smoke when I put in the clutch and hammer the throttle. The bike seems to run and feel a lot stronger to me on 89 instead of the 93 i was using.

Of course something else has popped up, and I mean that literally. There is something in the front of my bike that is making a popping sound. Honestly if you just say POP, thats what is sounds like. Granted I have a deep voice lol.

I am not sure if its because I have the Forks set to Hard or what... Its noticable from 1st gear to 4th gear, but it doesnt happen all the time. 80% is on deceleration. It will pop occasionally from accelerating. I thought it could be the forks, since it seems to happen when the front end of the bike raises up or lowers due to getting on or off of the gas. I can also hear it when cornering, but notice no change in the feel of the bike at all. If I can get a screwdriver hear at work, Ill probably soften up the settings some and see if that will help as well on the ride home.

Stupid question, but does spark knocking on a bike sound like spark knocking on a car? Typically on a car its a ticking noise that increases on acceleration. This is a full fledged popping sound though.

Ideas?I looked over the front end lastnight and this am before taking it out. Nothing looks odd or out of place... I heard it for the 1st time last night. I was getting low on fuel so thats why I was curious about the spark knocking...

 

Hmm... You've got a slip-on pipe, like me, and this will excentuate the engine's decompression and sound like a "backfire"

Mine does it too, it's just strange that you're only noticing it now. It could be that since you've been playing with settings you are noticing every little noise, but if your popping sound is the same as mine, it's normal.

Always happens under deceleration, and at neutral throttle (not accelerating or decelerating, just holding a steady speed) so that is why it could happen when cornering, generally in a hard angled corner you're not hard on the throttle nor decelerating mid-corner, this is where you would be at neutral throttle so not to upset your line and suspension.

Hope that helps, listen for it in the exhaust

 

Sounds likes its backfiring. Might have a leak in your exhaust gaskets? Tighten up the header gaskets, maby one is loose.

 

Thanks for the thoughts. Im pretty attentive to noises on the bike, and last night was the 1st time I have heard this popping.

Hershey; That sounds like every instance I have heard this noise. I 1st heard it last night taking a sharp turn into my subdivision ( I was only going about 25mph though), and heard it on the off/on ramps on the hw's I took today.

It will not do the noise at idle or in neutral. I have sat there forever in both instances and revved and revved trying to see if I can replicate it to video the noise. It never happened, and as soon as I start moving,buildup the revs in 1st, and let off it started popping. Makes me think it could have been suspension based, but since there was no real load in the engine, maybe it is just the decompression noise.

Like I said, I can not feel any bump, or jig, or shake from the bike when it does it. If its normal I can live with it, but its just odd like you said that I just started noticing it. Maybe when the a/f was so rich, the engine was not able to compress/decompress correctly, so thats why I never heard it?