Is there an 'FZ07 rattle'?

[aiian]

I've got a brand new MT with a very annoying rattle coming from the left side of the bike, back towards the rear wheel.

 

I rattles with every every little bump in the road, problem is I can't recreate it in the garage and it's driving me nuts. 

 

I stopped by the dealer yesterday to look at helmets with the wife so I asked one of the guys about it and he said not to worry about it... all the FZ07's rattle.

 

I find that hard to believe.

[sunblock]

It's the chain.

The stock chain is crappy. It will stop once you get a nice quality chain/sprocket kit.

For a temporary solution try tightening it.

[YZEtc]

I disagree.

 

I believe the stock chain is good quality.

Also, I would only make a chain adjustment if it actually needed it, not just to see if some noise would stop.

 

By the way, lots of riders and mechanics tend to adjust their drive chains too tightly.

 

As for the noise, a common source of noise coming from the area described does, indeed, have to do with the drive chain, and it's due to the design of all drive chains.

Those chain rollers that contact the sprocket teeth merely spin and bounce around while you ride down the road, and if you were to not lube your chain regularly, there will be (completely normal) metal-to-metal contact with the rollers of the chain, the chain joint bushings those rollers sit on, and the sprockets.

Chain lube gets under those chain rollers and cushions this contact, reducing noise.

 

If your drive chain has rollers that are nice and shiny, it's because they are dry and jingly.

It's not going to kill your chain overnight, just make a jingly noise.

This is the exact reason your front sprocket has funny rubber dampers attached to it on both sides:

To reduce this inherent chain noise.

Yamaha's own WR250R (and WR250X) comes with rubber dampers on the rear sprocket, too.

[dmoney]

Mine has had that little rattle thing since day 1. It turned 2 last week with 24,000 kms on it and everythings fine. Just get a louder exhaust and it'll be much less noticeable 😉

[norcal616]

replace the front sprocket with a plain jane one w/o the rubber damping ring...

[faffi]

I have a loud exhaust and cannot say I have ever heard the noise described. I have a gentle noise coming from the front at times that I really cannot put down to what is; could be tyre noise, some turbulence or vibration of some sorts.

[Beemer]

How long have you had it, how many miles? Your new chain will stretch fairly quickly and is going to make more noise. Have you checked it for slack or adjusted it? It might be it simply needs to be adjusted or adjusted again. You also have to bear in mind that moving metal parts are going to make some noise when they make contact with each other. I use a chain wax myself to help buffer the noise and it seems to help. My chain isn't noisy. Make sure your chain isn't too tight, either.

[michigan400]

Dealer put my plate on with only 2 screws at the top and their plate surround added. I added 2 more screws at the bottom and my odd noise went away. It would only do it on occasion and around a certain rpm. Just something to check before you order new parts. It's usually something simple like that so IMO don't throw money at it right away. Good luck.

[safety]

7 hours ago, Beemer said:

How long have you had it, how many miles? Your new chain will stretch fairly quickly and is going to make more noise. Have you checked it for slack or adjusted it? It might be it simply needs to be adjusted or adjusted again. You also have to bear in mind that moving metal parts are going to make some noise when they make contact with each other. I use a chain wax myself to help buffer the noise and it seems to help. My chain isn't noisy. Make sure your chain isn't too tight, either.

That and make sure the cap end of the swingarm (where the tow adjustment bolts are) is properly snugged-in. For some reason one had a little slack (barely 1mm) and it was generating some rattle the first time I ever adjusted a MT-07.

 

Cheers,

 

[chademinent]

My $ is on the chain.  Get it looked at 

[shinyribs]

Lube the chain and see if it quits, but check for proper chain tension while you are there. 

 

Something about the 07 makes the chain noise very noticeable. I don't know what it is, but it's the most noticeable of the dozens of chain driven bikes I've ridden.

 

Also check the pillion peg. I've seen those little bastards go to rattling and not figure it out for a while.  Not to mention the pillion seat itself on my bike rattled quite bad when new.  

[Beemer]

16 hours ago, shinyribs said:

Lube the chain and see if it quits, but check for proper chain tension while you are there. 

 

Something about the 07 makes the chain noise very noticeable. I don't know what it is, but it's the most noticeable of the dozens of chain driven bikes I've ridden.

 

Also check the pillion peg. I've seen those little bastards go to rattling and not figure it out for a while.  Not to mention the pillion seat itself on my bike rattled quite bad when new.  

Funny you should mention the pillion seat because mine came off once when I doing about 65 mph. I was lucky the pressure from the wind actually pushed it against my back and held it there just long enough for me to reach back and grab it. At first I was like, what the hell just hit me in the back as I'm moving forward. It didn't hurt but when I reached back I could feel the shape and padding and knew right away what it was and what had happened. I then pulled over and stopped the bike to put it back on, properly. So, peoples, make sure your pillion is locked down properly or it may rattle or even come off. 

[aiian]

On 5/14/2018 at 5:12 AM, YZEtc said:

I disagree.

 

I believe the stock chain is good quality.

Also, I would only make a chain adjustment if it actually needed it, not just to see if some noise would stop.

 

By the way, lots of riders and mechanics tend to adjust their drive chains too tightly.

 

As for the noise, a common source of noise coming from the area described does, indeed, have to do with the drive chain, and it's due to the design of all drive chains.

Those chain rollers that contact the sprocket teeth merely spin and bounce around while you ride down the road, and if you were to not lube your chain regularly, there will be (completely normal) metal-to-metal contact with the rollers of the chain, the chain joint bushings those rollers sit on, and the sprockets.

Chain lube gets under those chain rollers and cushions this contact, reducing noise.

 

If your drive chain has rollers that are nice and shiny, it's because they are dry and jingly.

It's not going to kill your chain overnight, just make a jingly noise.

This is the exact reason your front sprocket has funny rubber dampers attached to it on both sides:

To reduce this inherent chain noise.

Yamaha's own WR250R (and WR250X) comes with rubber dampers on the rear sprocket, too.

 

Makes sense, I’m coming from a WR250x and didn’t hear near as much noise. 

 

I don’t remember hearing it on my ‘03(ish) 600rr either. 

[aiian]

On 5/14/2018 at 7:31 AM, faffi said:

I have a loud exhaust and cannot say I have ever heard the noise described. I have a gentle noise coming from the front at times that I really cannot put down to what is; could be tyre noise, some turbulence or vibration of some sorts.

 

I’ve got an Akrapovic Ti with the baffled removed now so I can no longer hear it but... I know it’s there taunting me. 

[aiian]

On 5/14/2018 at 7:39 AM, Beemer said:

How long have you had it, how many miles? Your new chain will stretch fairly quickly and is going to make more noise. Have you checked it for slack or adjusted it? It might be it simply needs to be adjusted or adjusted again. You also have to bear in mind that moving metal parts are going to make some noise when they make contact with each other. I use a chain wax myself to help buffer the noise and it seems to help. My chain isn't noisy. Make sure your chain isn't too tight, either.

 

Two weeks, couple hundred miles. I’ll recheck the chain tonight. 

 

I can deal with some metal on metal noise but this is a straight mason jar full of nuts and bolts rattle. 

[Beemer]

4 hours ago, aiian said:

 

Two weeks, couple hundred miles. I’ll recheck the chain tonight. 

 

I can deal with some metal on metal noise but this is a straight mason jar full of nuts and bolts rattle. 

Sounds really wrong, check that the tire is aligned also.

[markstertt]

I once ran a cheap chain on my SR500 and although I couldn't hear it, a following bike pulled me over and said it sounded like I was dragging tin cans or sheet metal behind the bike. Once I oiled the chain it would go away for 50 - 100 miles at which time my riding partner would pull up alongside and point at the chain and I would pull over and drip some more oil off the dipstick along the chain...this went on for 600+ miles until returning home and replacing the chain with a quality chain.

 

The chain on the FZ-07 is of decent quality but I've wondered if the hollow sheet metal swing arm couldn't magnify any sounds coming from the chain drive on our -07's. The high strength steel used in the swing arm wouldn't dampen sounds from a slapping chain as would a cast aluminum swing arm...I don't know, just some of the weird things that go through my head. I added a drive chain tensioner on my bike and it may have helped but wouldn't swear by it. I then added a 520 conversion without the damped C/s sprocket but didn't notice any real difference...better or worse. Good luck....as others have suggested, check the chain tension and alignment and go from there.

[Wintersdark]

On 5/15/2018 at 9:23 AM, aiian said:

 

Two weeks, couple hundred miles. I’ll recheck the chain tonight. 

 

I can deal with some metal on metal noise but this is a straight mason jar full of nuts and bolts rattle. 

Mine - still very new, 350kms - has a very definite amount of rattle.  To the point I took it back to the dealer, had the service manager give it a ride, as it's constant, clearly audible (with stock surprisingly quiet) exhaust even at highway speed.  It's speed related, not RPM (disengaging the clutch doesn't affect the sound in any way) ... loudest to the left of the bike, really noticeable when riding beside a barrier or some such to reflect the sound.  

 

My chain was really loose when I got the bike (62mm slack IIRC), but I adjusted it to 51mm (minimum clearance as per manual) and it didn't particularly affect the noise.  Normally, I go more towards the looser end of the allotted range, but I figure the chain's going to stretch a fair bit as it's brand new.  I've oiled it twice in those 350kms (80w90 gear oil) but that doesn't affect the noise at all.

 

I don't have a stand (yet; it's being shipped - all my previous bikes have had centerstands so I never needed one before) so it's really hard to check alignment but the bike tracks perfectly straight.  Once I get the stand, I'm going to pull off the guards and look carefully at sprocket to sprocket alignment.  

 

It's tough for me to really judge, though, because I've been riding shaft drive bikes for a very long time, so I don't really remember exactly what's normal for chain noise.  Service manager at the dealership says it's normal, and should decrease after everything breaks in, blames it on the fairly small front sprocket.  But damn, it's a lot of rattle.