[richardp]

I've had a gl650i for a year now and have been restoring it a bit at a time to get it into proper riding shape. One thing I have noticed since I got it is that it is quite noisy inside the fairing while outside it's pretty darn quiet. It appears that the noise inside is mechanical. (When I squeeze the clutch at speed, the rpms drop and it gets pretty quiet.) For a while I thought it might be the tach cable so I replaced it and not much happened to the noise level. I have adjusted the valves and that improved it slightly.



Is the high noise level normal or should I be looking for another cause?

 

[DaveF]

Welcome to the forum. Please take a few minutes to edit your profile to show your location and to edit your signature block to show your bike's year and model.



These push rod engines can be noisy at times, particularly when compared with newer engines. But some noises can also be indicative of a major problem in the making. For example, the sound of a cam chain slapping around should not be ignored - the cam chain tensioner may have broken or be about ready to break. The 650's in particular have an automatic tensioner that has been known to break when the cam chain is stretched beyond normal limits.



How many miles are on the bike?

 

[MotorcycleCommuter]

The fairing amplifies every small rattle and squeek on the machine and directs it at the rider. I rode my gl650i with the fairing off while I was doing some work and it was a good sounding machine. With the fairing back on it sounds like a panzer on a cobblestone road. I'm constantly tightening, padding and lubricating stuff as I find what's making different noises. It seems like an ongoing battle. On certain roads even the tire noise is uncomfortably loud.