[Gary]

My '13 GT with 42,000 miles seemed as bullet proof as my '07 ST which I sold well at 65,000 miles.
I ride when weather permits here at 7,000 feet, but this is the off time of winter.
She's been sitting for about 6-7 weeks in heated garage (40 degrees) so I started her and let run at idle for one cycle of fan.
All sounds good so, since she's on the center stand, I put her in 1st gear and let her spin. I've never tried that before.
What's that noise! clack, clack, clack increasing with rpm increase.
Disengaged clutch, noise stops. Engage clutch, noise continues.
Kneel down listening, both sides but more on clutch side it seems.
OK I must admit its first time i ever engaged 1st gear while on side stand so i have no experience to compare this to, I usually just ride away and may not have ever heard a cold clutch Clack, clack, clack ?
So any experienced advise about this?
Maybe my mistake was to hear cold clutch on center stand while in gear, 2nd gear same noise; neutral no noise.
Oh one more piece of data; Amsoil syn 15-50 changed religiously at 5000 miles, and happens to have only few hundred on current oil.
Any experienced advise welcome and Thank You

 

[Closterman]

I’m sure a member will be able t explain why so much noise but you describe the same feeling I had when I did the same … pretty scary noises !! Been doing this noise for years and no issue when riding . So I figured the clunky sound is “normal”

 

[rcb78]

Was the chain slapping around? A worn chain/cogs will sound AWFUL when run like that with no load.

 

[chris f]

For many years, the F800's were famous for two noises:
1]death rattle from engine for a few seconds after start up. Due to delay in oil pressure build up to engage the cam chain tensioner. Many years ago, BMW introduced a stronger back up spring in the tensioner (not a recall) --I had spring changed on my ST but made little improvement.
2]rattle from clutch with engine idling and clutch engaged. Noise vanished if clutch disengaged. Don't recall any mention of BMW making changes to address this but think there were posts from a forum member who made modifications to his clutch to fix the issue but it was a big job.
If you run forum searches from origins of F800 you will find very many posts on above being an annoyance but don't recall any mention of breakdowns and owners just lived with them.
However, in October 2019, I bought a new GT just prior to end of production run and found that it was wonderfully quiet on both issues. Dealer was unaware of any changes made by BMW and now, at 12,000 m remains quiet!

 

[Flook]

I found that years back on my ST, apparently it's because there is no resistance from the rear wheel being on the road, so it is basically free wheeling and everything is loose.
On the road the bike having your body weight along with any passengers etc including the bikes weight takes up all the strain so it runs smoother.

Hope this helps

Flook 😎

 

[Miv]

Try (very very) gently adding slight pressure to the rear brake lever while the the bike is idling in first gear, this will give resistance to the drive gear lash as Flook explained above, the noise should then stop.
Be careful not to push the bike off the centre stand though.

 

[BoxerBits]

Try (very very) gently adding slight pressure to the rear brake lever while the the bike is idling in first gear, this will give resistance to the drive gear lash as Flook explained above, the noise should then stop.
Be careful not to push the bike off the centre stand though.

Or just take it off the stand, and sit on it. (Ooh err matron!)


Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

 

[Flook]

I suggest you do as BoxerBits suggested and enjoy your bike ...... Don't worry about it life is too short

 

[ccramerusc]

That's how they are with no load. As mentioned above, dragging the rear brake will make the sound disappear. I've always chalked it up to slop in the transmission. I hear the same thing while riding when I'm trying to maintain 30 mph in 4th gear. Just barely touching the throttle it sounds fine, but when I come off the throttle I get the rattle. Mine has been like that for 70,000miles. It's kind of embarrassing while I leisurely cruise through neighborhoods.

 

[Gary]

Was the chain slapping around? A worn chain/cogs will sound AWFUL when run like that with no load.

Its a GT, so Belt drive was virtually silent. thank you anyway.

 

[Gary]

I found that years back on my ST, apparently it's because there is no resistance from the rear wheel being on the road, so it is basically free wheeling and everything is loose.
On the road the bike having your body weight along with any passengers etc including the bikes weight takes up all the strain so it runs smoother.

Hope this helps

Flook 😎

Oh Wow that's wonderful to hear, thank you

 

[Gary]

Try (very very) gently adding slight pressure to the rear brake lever while the the bike is idling in first gear, this will give resistance to the drive gear lash as Flook explained above, the noise should then stop.
Be careful not to push the bike off the centre stand though.

Will do, thank you

 

[Gary]

thank you all very much.
this is why i stay a member of our forum
Experienced advice like this.
gary of taos

 

[scf]

And if you ask your dealer about any strange noise or any weird behavior your F800 exhibits, the standard answer is always, “They all do That”

 

[Thumpin]

As others have suggested......the slack/slop/clearance in the drive train is creating the noise. All the needed clearance for each item are amplified when added up.....the rear wheel is rotating back and forth between the two limits and creates the noise (I suspect if you added a small amount of rear brake the noise would go away).

I am not a fan of starting the bike and not riding it....idling on a side stand is not really good for an engine. I believe the engine really needs to be ridden for 20 minutes or more to get all the moisture created during a cold start out of the engine and oil.

Once my bikes are put away for the winter they are not started again until riding weather returns.....I put a battery tender on every few weeks and take it off once the battery is fully charged.

 

[Redned]

Thumpin. I agree entirely. Starting the bike (or any engine for that matter) and letting it idle to "warm up" before riding is the worst thing you can do. The quicker the engine (oil) reaches operating temp the quicker the piston, rings and bearings etc reach their operating tolerances. At start up, a fair amount moisture from the intake the air, and acid from the combustion process, by-passes the piston rings and ends up in the oil. In oil at operaring temps, this is evapourated out the crank case breather. In cold engine (oil), this acid slurry pumps around the engine, doing damage. The quickest way to bring the engine up to temp is to work it. Certainly not too hard for the first few k's (miles), but you'll be doing your engine a favour.

 

[Richard230]

I agree with Redned in his post above. BMW has been recommending taking off shortly after you start your bike and ride off gently as the best way to warm up your engine.

But apparently it is different in India. My Royal Enfield owner's manual says to warm up the engine for at least two minutes before riding off (perhaps to keep the piston from freezing in the bore - according to some reports), while my 2020 KTM Duke recommends that the engine be warmed up enough so that at least one bar shows on the coolant temperature display before taking off, which usually takes about 3 minutes depening upon the ambient temperature when the engine is cold.

 

[Redned]

Richard. I suspect that the reason some manufacturers advise that type of warm up is that if they don't, their less mechanically minded owners will just jump on and ride off at 10,000 rpm! By including that advice in the owners manual (albiet less than ideal), they assume owners may pay attention and do less damage to the engine. Yes I AM a cynical old git.

 

[Gary]

Yes, well noted, snow and ice prevent any ride these days. From now on I'll just leave it till spring I guess.
thank you all.

 

[Pat H]

I've always started the bike for a minute or two as I finish putting gloves one etc and then setting off. Within 2 minutes I'm doing 70mph on a dual carriage way.
Som I never warm the bike just jump on and ride. Take it a bit easier for the first few minutes. The bike is now over 133000 miles and still running well.