Motorcycle Repair: clicking sound, driven gears, maintenance chart

Question
I have a 2006 Kawasaki VN 900 Classic. It's about 2 months old. When the bike is on, the engine clicks. It also sounds whiny, almost whistling. When I accelerate, the clicking gets faster and louder. I don't know a lot about bikes, but I don't know anyone with a fuel injected, belt driven bike so I don't have anything to compare it to. (If it has anything to do with that) I did put an aftermarket exhaust on the bike. Please help me.

Answer
Hi Alex,
I suspect the whine sounds are caused by the angle cut on the engine's drive and driven gears. At least that's the usual source of that sound.

Tapping an ticking sounds in an engine are normal sounds often associated with valves. When valve clearances become excessive, they tend to tick a bit. The sounds may come and go.

This is normal and is not harmful, however, clearances should be checked and adjusted according to the periodic maintenance chart in the Owner's Manual.

Defective valves usually make a louder tapping sound eventually resulting with engine failure.

The Vulcans have enjoyed hydraulic valve lash adjusters. These can cause ticking, too, that comes and goes.

Give the engine time to wear in (break-in). If necessary, have the dealer inspect the sounds. Keep a record of our correspondence to show that the problem existed and you invetigated it early on.

Visit and join the VROC website:

http://www.vroc.org/index.php


and Gadget's Fixit Page:

http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm

Respectfully,
Mark Shively