Wilsons Sandbox

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Randall Marbach wrote:

> > Hi All > > My A17 with about 12,000 miles has started to develop a "groaning"

sound out of the left side of the crank case. This started about 500 miles ago and has slowly gotten worse. On a ride last weekend, there is now a noticable vibration in the footpegs plus new vibration in the handle bars that put my hands asleep for the first time ever. As an aside, the bike has also developed a mysterious oil leak coming from somewhere on the top of the left side of the crankcase behind the cylinder.

> > I did the Eagle Mike doohickey at a Julian tech session in Feb/2004.

and at the last service about 500 miles ago, I adjusted the doo.

> This is about the time the noise/vibs started and hs gotten

progressively worse.

> > Any idea what could be causing this. Could it be a doohicky spring

problem?

> > TIA > > Randy from Burbank >

Randy, There is no way to tell at this point. There's hundreds of balancer levers out there that don't have this. Maybe you're special? The left side need to come apart to tell if this is an issue. Did you also adjust the drive chain at this time? Have you checked the drive chain for wear, etc, lately? Take the tank off an see where the oil is coming from - I'm pretty sure the balancer adjustment lever didn't cause the oil leak! We have another tech day coming up on the 28 of April. If you can't wait give me a call and we can get together. all the best, Mike

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Randall Marbach wrote:

>

Snipped>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

> > Any idea what could be causing this. Could it be a doohicky spring

problem?

> > TIA > > Randy from Burbank

Randy, It's extremely unlikely it's a spring issue. After all these miles, the spring would have less tension, not more. Remember the idler shaft bearing is only splash lubricated. How often do you change your oil, and has it ever been low? How many miles have you put on the bike since the 2004 session? I know there are a lot of "experts", that know everything about everything. They don't always give you all the information, though. The statement "I know of 2 aftermarket springs that broke" doesn't tell the whole story. The springs that broke were first generation. The expert had a hand in choosing the vendor and the design of the first generation of springs. I don't know of any aftermarket springs breaking for a long, long time. There might be one, but I sure haven't heard of it. I'm active on more forums than some of the experts, and I sure haven't heard of this. all the best, Mike

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Randall Marbach wrote:

> My A17 with about 12,000 miles has started to develop a "groaning"

sound out of the left side of the crank case. This started about 500 miles ago and has slowly gotten worse. On a ride last weekend, there is now a noticable vibration in the footpegs plus new vibration in the handle bars that put my hands asleep for the first time ever. As an aside, the bike has also developed a mysterious oil leak coming from somewhere on the top of the left side of the crankcase behind the cylinder. Hmm... is the oil coming from the oil pipe under the starter, where it goes into the crankcase? Could you somehow have managed to bust that oilpipe (or the bolt worked loose) and now your head isn't getting any oil and is disintegrating? What's your oil level doing? Also: Check your cam chain tensioner. Take the end screw off (careful, don't let the spring escape!), poke a piece of welding rod or something down the hole, and push. If you hear a ratcheting noise, the spring on your cam chain tensioner wasn't doing its job and that's what caused the noise, put the spring and end screw back and try again.

> I did the Eagle Mike doohickey at a Julian tech session in Feb/2004.

and at the last service about 500 miles ago, I adjusted the doo.

> This is about the time the noise/vibs started and hs gotten

progressively worse. Did you do the valves when you did this service? Did you reset the cam chain tensioner at that time? Did you remember to put the spring back into the ratcheting mechanism? Hmm... Or it *could* be the 'doo spring. Only one way to find out.... -E