funny feeling in the rear.......

[Nikon]

So yesterday I went with a buddy down to Keene NH from B-Town VT. It was a total of 338 mi yesterday and the way down was about 160 or so. So we get to where we are going and upon slowing I start to get a strange noise/feeling in the rear tire area. This is going to be kind of hard to explain but I am going to take a stab at it. It's not noticeable at speed, only when slowing, like coming to a stop. It is noticeable in gear but only when going really really slow, to the point where you pull in the clutch. Then it is REALLY there. So what's happening? Get to the point Will. It's almost like something is stick in the tire, you know the sound you get when you have a rock stuck in your cage's tire.?. It's at one spot in the tire on rotation. Feels, hmmmm, how to put this - clunky. Like something is sticking or warped or something. I rode it all the way back from NH without a problem but it was there on stopping. Hard to tell if it's there when breaking cause at the speed when I can try to figure it out - hitting the brake stops me quickly. So here's what I've checked. Keep in mind I am a newbie with bikes and know little or nothing.....
The back tire, other than a nice little flat spot in is great shape. The rim doesn't appear to be warped at all and I would think that after another 150 mi that would have been noticeable anyway. Rotor looks in order, no visable bends in it. Sprocket and chain are looking good and I would think that the ride back would have shown an issue if it was that. All that I can think of is something is wrong with the brake/ pad. With the condition of the roads up here I have hit a couple of potholes but nothing rediculously hard. I can't remember any ONE thing that was strange or would cause a problem. I did get hit by a beer can but that hit my foot , secure your load asshole.. I am going to have my service guy check it out when it stops rainging around here - probably next week btu i thought that some of you guys with yout infinite knowledge wold be able to help me out with a possibility. Thanks all.

[TheIglu]

Check to see that your axle is aligned on both sides. If the axle is more towards the front or rear on either side, then it will put it off a little and make your chain have a little noise to it. Also, do you oil/clean your chain regularly? With all the sand and water on the roads, mine gets loud faster than on clean roads. You can usually tell the difference between a dry chain and a well oiled chain while riding, so I'd try that first unless you just did it.

Check all the bolts in the rear end to make sure they are tight including everything for brakes, suspension and axle. Try to make the sound happen and then only use your rear brake and see if it goes away. Don't stomp on it, but use it as little as possible to see what happens. Could be loose/warped rotor, out of balance tire, dry spot in the chain, misaligned rear end, etc.

Let us know how it goes.

[benVFR]

Kinked/dirty chain and/or dirty/shot cush drive and bearings?

Also maybe dirt in the brake caliper/pads? You put a lot of miles on your bike, right? Dirt & dust will really accumulate in the back brake. It's usually really easy to get at and clean.

If you rode 338 mi in one day the chain could be freshly cleaned & lubed when you left and dirty/noisy by the time you were 1/2 way through the ride the way the roads are right now.

It depends on how the chain guard & rear end of the bike is designed too. The VFR had the funky swingarm that caused the rear brake to be mounted deep inside the wheel, really shielded, and it had a funky (ugly?) chain guard setup. It really kept the chain & brake clean for a long time compared to my SV as there was minimal splash hitting the chain & brake.

Ben

[TheIglu]

He's got my future bike ZRX1200, so that means he has a rotary adjustment. Make sure the axle is in the same exact rotation spot on either side, mang.

[zx7rou812]

"funny feeling in the rear......."


Aw shit...Thought this thread was about something else...


Same thing happened to my ZX-7R, turns out it was the axle. It was somehow worn more on one end than the other. THIS in turn screwed up the alignment of the rear tire, making the rear tire "crab" down the road instead of just merrily rollin' along...

Plus, that flat spot can't be helping too much !





So other than that Mrs. Kennedy, did you enjoy the convertible ?

[zx7rou812]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
So yeah, check out the alignment marks on each side (sometimes the marks are on the swingarm, and sometimes on this big square guidepiece that goes on behind the big nut) and make sure they are precisely the same on each side. I'm so paranoid about that kind of problem, that I take a magnifying glass and align as precisely as I can down to the millimeter or less.

You actually TRUST the factory marking for aligning your rear tire??? Those friggen marks are ALWAYS wrong !

[TheIglu]

bada-BING!

[Nikon]

Originally posted by TheIglu


bada-BING!

I know a chick with a blue one

Mines red. thanks guys - I will let you know what it ends up being.