This is the third time that my 954 makes this weird noise. It sounds like chain cranking. It has happened two times while I was shifting down gear at the high speed and once yesterday when I slammed on the breaks at a high speed. The weird noise stops as soon as I pop the cloche Does anyone know the reason of the reaction? I thought maybe my chain in lose or too dirty, what do you think?

 

I'd certainly check the chain's tightness, and check for stuck links.

How old is the chain. How often to you lube it. How often do you adjust it. When was the last time you adjusted it.

If the chain is really loose you'll get some nasty lash...

 

I lube my chain every month but it looks dirty right now. I usually clean it with hot water is there any better way to clean it?The chain seems tight enough. How can I inspect the tightness of the chain? I have put 9500 miles on my bike and I have never change the chain.

 

I only clean the chain once in awhile. Don't use wd40 or anything like that... water might not be terrible, but honestly what seems most recommended (and what I use) is kerosene on a rag.

Ride the bike for 5 minutes. Put it up on a stand if you have one. Douse the rag in kerosene and wipe it clean.

To lube the chain - just spray slowly between the plates on both sides. The heat will suck it down properly. Don't bother putting lube on a cold chain.

Chain tightness. Again if you have a stand, put it on it. Pull the chain up and down and measure the deflection. Rotate the chain a bit and test again. Repeat a few times checking in several places - a chain will stretch unevenly.

As you check it keep an eye out for tight links that don't bend freely. You can hear these as you ride when they get bad... sometimes you can work a tight link out so it moves properly - but it's generally sign that you haven't taken care of the chain very well or it is getting time to replace it. Tight links will cost you power...

So after checking the tightness - make sure it is in spec - around 1" - 1.5" deflection... check your manual... if it's out of spec - loosen the axel nuts - adjust the chain so the slack is about right - DOUBLE CHECK that the rear wheel is still aligned - then tighten the axel nuts back up...

I lube my chain every 500km - it's cheap... 500 miles I think is the recommended distance IIRC. If it rains then do it sooner...

Likely the sound you are hearing is chain lash... probably your chain is loose. If not then we'll have to start hunting.

 

Yo...

Just got around to my latest project on my bike this afternoon. In fact, I still reak of kerosene, but that is neither here nor there. I was hearing a similar noise and had decided that my chain had needed to be cleaned. I got some kerosene and a rag and went nuts. I was pouring some of the kerosene on the chain, making sure to not hit anything but the chain (I covered the tires and bike panels with rags) and also used the rag after it was soaked in kerosene to clean it off. Then I thought "Holy ****, my chain is gold!!!". Anyway, after about ten minutes of this process, I rinsed off the kerosene with two buckets of water. I applied chain lube even though the chain wasn't warm (I was too anxious to start the project and didn't want to drive it without ANY lube) and then went for a ride to warm it up. I then DOUSED the chain in lube to ensure that I got enough into the chain. I was amazed at how much better the bike felt. At low RPMs I was getting a jerky feeling that I think was just a stuck chain link, but the cleaning fixed that and I tried slamming on the brakes and I didn't hear/feel any chain lash.

Purpose of my rant: CLEAN YOUR CHAIN!!! I'm happy I did.

 

If the noise only comes when you get hard on the brakes it is likely your chain rachenting the chain can't slow down as fast as everything else.

 

the chain nose is not from braking.. it's from downshifting to fast... heavyer on the brakes and give a little more time to downshift.. or get a slipper clutch..

 

+1 with Bobjoe. Sounds more like you are getting tire hop or chatter from downshifting to fast. this happens when your RPMs don't match your tire speed...thus causing it to "hop" when you downshift. Solutions: 1.) Don't downshift so fast to lower gears...example going 80 and jumping from 5th or 6th to 2nd or 1st. 2.) Blip the throttle when down shifting to keep the RPMs up a bit 3.) get a slipper clutch.

 

A similar sound can be when your adding too much back brake and it is starting to lock up with the clutch out. Quite common on my dirt bike when I miss judge it, it isn't a pleasant sound. Just another possibility I thought I would toss out there.