Forum

[PeteF]

I had this when my idiot dealer put 20/50 mineral oil in the bike at the first service.
When I pointed this out he didn't seem to understand that there might be an issue. Said he never used anything in "old engines" Tappets clattered and clutch was sticky for ages afterwards.
The correct oil solved it for me fortunately.

[Jerseyplym]

Mine sometimes clatters on a cold engine that's been standing for a few days.
Thing is, hydraulic tappets are normally used to eliminate valve noise! They are common in yank OHV car engines and rarely cause any problems. Perhaps the water jacket damps some of the noise though.

Sometimes the automatic decompressor can cause rattles - some owners remove it while others swear it overstresses the starter and sprag.

[Rattlebattle]

I believe it’s most likely valve backlash; I don’t think lifter trouble is very prevalent. That said, to do the job properly you are supposed to take off the rocker assemblies to relieve all pressure on the cams. Putting the crank at tdc on the right stroke isn’t sufficient. When I checked mine like this there was no play, but after removing the rockets there was noticeable play on the inlet cam to exhaust cam.

[Harald]

Thanks for the explanation.
I decided to take off the valve covers tomorrow and start with checking if there is any play between the top of the valves and the rocker arms when the piston is in the tdc position and the valves are closed. Next step will be to open the engine side cover and have a look for the play of the cam gears. When knowing the test results I will decide what to do next.

[Harald]

I do not think that the cam backlash was checked at the service. The service was made by the dealer where I bought the Classic and who now refuses to trace the problem.
Today I removed the rocker covers to check if there is any play between the top of the valves and the rocker arms or if I can push down the push rods, indicating a problem with the hydraulic lifters. Well, there is no play at all and the push rods cannot be pushed down, even not if I place a lever under the valve side end of the rocker arms. I can rotate the pushrods by hand and with some force, they rotate freely and evenly when the crankshaft is in tdc position. So far, the hydraulic lifters are no longer the main suspicious items and the push rods are not bent.
When trying to locate the source of the ticking noise with a stethoscope there are no clear results, but the cylinder head seems not to be the source, but not for sure.
BTW - as the ambient temperatures are lower today the ticking sound was less.
I am waiting for some gaskets from our host and after arrival I will drain the oil,remove the right side engine cover to have a look for the cam gears and the decompression automatic parts.
I already contacted the factory customer support last week and let them know about the ticking sound and the dealer who is not willing to trace the problem. Today I got a response. They requested my telephone number and will pass it on, so one of their technical staff members can call me.
I will update you.

[PeteF]

It's not absolutely necessary to drain the oil. On the side stand you only lose a small amount from the rhs cover which is easily caught in a tray.

[Rattlebattle]

Having done this several times I can vouch for that- no need at all to drain the oil as long as the bike is on its side stand. Having now refitted my partially built engine into the frame I'm about to do the backlash on my cams, but I'll be doing it with no load at all on the cams, as you are supposed to do. I'll do this job before refitting the valve gear.

[Harald]

Thanks for the hint. I will keep it in my mind.
The situation changed a little bit this morning. After I filled-in the online contact form of RE they requested my phone number and promised to forward it to their specialist. Only a few hours later, the European Aftersales Manager of the RE factory (not the importing company )called me and we discussed the issue. He also has the opinion that the hydraulic lifters are not the problem as they had only a few troublesome items in the past. A more common problem is the decompression automatic. If there is a ticking sound when the engine is running you should tilt the bike far to the eft and right side and when the ticking sound changes or disappears at all you should check the small spring placed in the outlet cam gear. That was exactly the idea I got yesterday evening .
The Aftersales Manager arranged a meeting with the dealer and me and we will look for a solution together.
Now, as the things are moving, I will not touch the engine myself to keep my warranty rights. What happens after the meeting with the dealer - we will see.
However, I think it was a good hint to check the decompression automatic with the procedure described. Moreover, I am very impressed by the RE customer service. An email from Germany to Chennai will get things going and the Aftersales Manger himself will come in this matter to my town and have a serious talk with the dealer. A lot of thanks to the RE team worldwide!
I will do the quick test this evening and will report again.
Have a good afternoon all of you.

[Haggis]

It wont be the auto decompessor. It normally activates at anything under 800rpm and once you have heard it you wont mistake it ever again. Sounds like someone tapping your petrol tank with a screwdriver. Anything over 800rpm and the centrifugal force bobweight overcomes the very light spring tension and stops the decompessor working. Heres how it works https://youtu.be/wU-QbPUCFxg

[Rattlebattle]

I don’t see how tilting the bike left and right could affect the auto- decompressor. I can, however, see how a bit of dirt, such as a bit of silicone sealant that RE engineers are so liberal with, could lodge in the mechanism such that the peg is stuck slightly in the raised position just proud of the cam surface - enough to cause a slight ticking noise but not in the fully proud position so as to affect the running of the engine. The sound of the auto decompressor is really loud and is not easy to confuse with a slight ticking noise. I thought my engine was wrecked the first time I heard it on mIne.... It seldom cuts in at all now. FWIW the spring on mine seems quite feeble and I feel that most of the time centripetal force overcomes it, withdrawing the peg and it is, therefore, ineffective. No great loss as quite a few owners remove them. Once the original battery is replaced by a decent one with better cranking amps there is very little risk of ruining the sprag clutch, which I must say seems pretty robust on these, a significant improvement on the old Electra models.
The main point though is that RE is on the case; hopefully they’ll resolve it (and withdraw the franchise from your dealer).
I’m sure we’re all hoping for a good outcome for you and would welcome information on what is actually the issue. I still think it’s play in one of the cams ie too much backlash....