Posted by Tim Schroeder on May 30, 1999 at 00:27:06:
In Reply to: 1997 Suzuki 650 ls posted by Anthony Long on May 29, 1999 at 05:10:54:
Anthony,
Does this "tic king" sound seem to come from the top end of the cylinder ? And does it speed up with increased RPM ? If so, mine does the same, has ever since new. I think it's only valve/rocker noise and is probably normal as it hasn't seemed to get worse with mileage. If the ticking comes from the speedo area, see the "Squeaks from Speedo" as indicated by Bart Hardy.
These engines do get hot, and I've gone to 20W-50 Honda Oil for warm weather riding for that reason. If I have to sit at idle for more than a few minutes, I turn the beast off, like at opening bridges or construction sights etc. They seem to run well when hot, but cold blooded otherwise. I use the choke pulled out to the first notch for the first 10 miles or so when beginning a ride. It seems to help. If I don't, the machine feels sluggish and "weak" on power.
Once the motor is hot and stabilized, it runs like a champ !
Tim