Hey guys,

Unfortunately, I come bearing bad news (for me). My recently acquired and beloved CBR954RR definitely has some mechanical issue going on, and I'm not too good at troubleshooting motorcycles in general yet, so could use your help.

I've only had the bike about 2 months, and it has about 25000 miles on it. From the first time I rode it, I thought it seemed a bit too loud mechanically (meaning the amount of vibration it makes relative to my other motorcycle). I ride with earplugs in pretty much all the time, so I key more off vibrations than actual sounds, and the bike has always seems a bit rougher than I expected. It's the only 954RR I've ever ridden or had access to, so I never really had any good comparative yardstick to it...figured it might not be a big deal.

More recently I've noticed some noises (clicking) when freewheeling the bike around on the ground, particularly when I backed it up and put it into my garage. Please note it's always started promptly, has no overheating issues, and seems to be fine about 3500 RPM, but seems to stumble more regularly under that RPM.

Just yesterday I put it up on my rear stand and started really investigating what might be happening. At this point I've lubricated the chain (no real difference), checked the chain tension (seems fine, definitely within the acceptable window of slack), and checked the oil (may have been a bit low). Please note I've never seen a low level warning for oil, but of course I cannot say with certainty that it would have lit up...although I have seen the light flashing when turning the key on so believe at least that light works.

Now that I have the bike up on the stand, I've run it in gear (1st and 2nd) and also performed various freewheeling tests. Basically when you have the bike in neutral and turn the wheel by hand it spins free for brmost of a revolution, then hits a bit of a sticking point. When you run the bike in gear it can hold a steady 8 mph and doesn't vary, but I can hear some kind of actual clatter when it's running at low speeds. I've removed the bodywork and used my flashlight to check out various points, but the only obvious thing is a pretty long standing oil leak (which looks like it has existed for some time). The really super concerning thing is the amount of clatter the bike makes while running at low speeds, and that is frightening to me. When I put my hand on various parts of the engine it doesn't feel overly dramatic, but then I'm not sure how bad it should feel if internal damage has occured.

So, with my limited troubleshooting, could you guys please give me any guidance for other tests I might perform to help validate things? I rode the bike for a short ride yesterday after lubricating the chain and adding oil and it still rode fine, but these noises are not normal and obviously very frightening to me...and I do fear the worst. I have the PDF version of the repair manual to access, a modest set of tools, but not a lot of mechanical hands-on experience to work with...so would appreciate any input which could guide my investigation.

Here is one question that come to mind, particularly since it seems I've ruled out the chain (at first I suspected a poorly adjusted chain might be the issue).

Could it be related to valves being out of adjustment? I have no idea what that would sound like. Internal engine damage is obviously on my mind, but I'd love to explore all options before giving in to that sobering reality.

Thanks guys, I really have my fingers crossed here but am slowly losing hope. I still have a healthy bike to ride so won't go without, but the CBR is my favorite bike and it kills me to think of it in this state of disrepair since I just got it and was still getting to know it.

 

ear plugs?

 

I always wear them. Wind noise will cause hearing loss.


The clutch is going to have some chatter at that low a rpm. The sticking when spinning the wheel could be your chain. Check all the links and make sure none are binding.

 

One place to look is the cam chain tensioner. There is a lot of info on the forum about the chatter from them.

 

I agree. You most likely have some bad/stiff links in your chain.

 

how old is the chain... pics would help a lot. i wouldn't rule out chain just yet, chains that aren't perfect do make a "clicking" sound. just take a picture of the chain, or take a video of it on the stand if you can.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I will refer to the manual and start looking into this.

I appreciate this, and would love to keep the chain in the 'suspect' group until I can fully rule it out. What's the best way to check for stiff links? Just go over them one by one and try to bend them, and look for ones with too much resistance?

I wish I knew, but I have to assume it's quite old since the previous owner has been proven to be quite lacking in his nature to maintain the bike. It has 25k miles and is a 530 chain, I have no idea if the stock chain could endure 9 years and 25k miles, but the worst case possibility is that it's the original stock chain.

I can try to take a video, but it might be harder to share since my phone shoots in high definition. Not a bad idea to share with you guys of course, since a video is worth 10000 words.

 

If it is a stock chain 25k is usually the time to replace it. Check the chain slack, roll it forwards a little then check it again over and over until you've checked the entire chain.

 

OK, here is a video I just took and uploaded. This is in second gear. Man, I was worried the clatter might be hard to hear on the video and I was sure wrong...it's so loud. So, you should probably turn down your volume to listen to this.

2002 Honda CBR 954RR clatter - YouTube

I'm already fearful of the worst. Every time I hear the bike run I get more and more scared!

 

I would replace that chain. The noise happens every time the chain jumps around. I know you said you tightened it but did you check the slack on the tightest and loosest section of the chain? Also what do the sprockets look like? Have you pulled the front sprocket cover and looked in there yet? That chain is probably too stretched out and replacing it along with the sprockets would only help.