Engine ticking noise.

[surfish95747]

Hey guys, if you get a chance could you listen to this video (sorry its not the best audio) and see if you can  identify that ticking sound coming from the engine? I have not run seafoam through the engine at all and have not even synced the carbs (only bench sync after rebuild), so it might clear up after that, but just thought I'd throw out a video and see what you guys think. This bike still has a lot of work to be done. Thanks!

[Re-run]

Well, nothing sounded out of the ordinary really. Most ticking though comes from the valve train. Valves with more gap are louder, but a slightly loose gap is better than not enough.

[LukeM]

Some of the lope could be resolved with a good sync of the carbs. There's a good process in the FSM.  Bench sync will get you close.  If you DO decide to sync on the bike, try and get the sync as close as you can over a range of engine speeds.  A good balance over the range from idle to redline will give overall better performance than having it perfect at 4500 and off the mark everywhere else.

As far as the ticking noise goes, it doesn't sound horrible to me.  I'm guessing your oil is the correct one for your bike, and I'm guessing you got done with a good ride to get it up to temperature.  I run the Rotella 5W-40 in my Shadow, and at first light-off, it ticks a bit more than I like.  After it's warmed up, it's much quieter.  I may shift over to a 15W-40 on the next change, to see if there's any change.

It's a good looking ride.  Pleased to see these old bikes back on the street where they belong!
Luke M

[surfish95747]

Thanks LukeM. Yeah its been an amazing project and I am fully addicted. I am using Shell Rotella T 15-40w oil. I haven't tried any other yet. I will follow your advice on the carb sync. Thanks for taking a listen.