Nasty noise at rear end

[RJS]

Have a heavy 'clicking/clunking' noise from rear wheel or final drive as wheel rotates.
Most noticable when in first gear at low speed without clutch engaged.
Changed final drive oil (tested with no metal found), checked bearings and brakes, with all appearing in order.
Anyone have any similar history or diagnostic thoughts?

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Have you removed the final drive and looked at the splines where the drive shaft inserts into it ? While it's off you could check the pinion bearings for play and feel for roughness when you turn it. Hopefully it's not your output shaft bearings. The drive shaft can transfer that sound to the back.

 

[TriumPhil]

Is your ride still covered by the factory warranty, RJS?

If so, I'd let a Triumph authorized dealer sort it out.

That way, you have an ostensible "responsible party", i.e., they will have some liability and you will have some recourse if they cannot sort it out or if they stuff it up any further.

 

[RJS]

Yep, purchased new in Jan this year, so still good to go with warranty.
The Triumph dealer had an intial look at it (prior to a warranty booking early Jan), and was baffled.
I mentioned that I'd do some research and suggested he do the same with more experienced Triumph techs.

 

[DaRiz]

I had a rear wheel bearing go out like that.
Couldn’t really track the noise until one day on the way home, rear end got squirrely.
Pulled the wheel for a look BINGO.
If you get the same, be sure and pull the inside lock ring before attempting to press out the bearing. If not DOUBLE BINGO.... You get a new wheel!
Don’t ask how I know...
But, there are good replacement deals on eBay.

 

[sleeves]

Have a heavy 'clicking/clunking' noise from rear wheel or final drive as wheel rotates.
Most noticable when in first gear at low speed without clutch engaged.
Changed final drive oil (tested with no metal found), checked bearings and brakes, with all appearing in order.
Anyone have any similar history or diagnostic thoughts?

Gday, you may be describing something that happens on my bike also. I have an 05 and its done this for its entire life. Only in low gear when crawling through traffic, times when your feathering the clutch, trying to avoid stop/starts, there's a knocking. Never happens to me on takeoff or "normal" riding.

I just put it down to driveshaft lash, as your basically in idle, and there is a lot of torque from motor putting pulses through the drivetrain .

Initially I thought there was something majorly wrong and stripped the back end, checked the drive shaft shock absorber rubbers, lubricated the driveshaft splines, checked wheel bearings etc. Never found a fault.

Now I just either stop and start fully and coast. Best solution? avoid cities.

If someone can confirm this is the case it would give me piece of mind to.

 

[barbagris]

Gday, you may be describing something that happens on my bike also. I have an 05 and its done this for its entire life. Only in low gear when crawling through traffic, times when your feathering the clutch, trying to avoid stop/starts, there's a knocking. Never happens to me on takeoff or "normal" riding..

My 2009 did this too - But oddly ONLY when it was wet. An oddly on really bad surfaces - Cobble stones or Railyards. I say "did" as I have not ridden under those circumstances for a while.

 

[Mittzy]

If that was me I’d be changing the wheel bearings (2 in the wheel AND 1 on the drive plate that connects the wheel to the final drive) just to be sure

 

[Mittzy]

Oh and use GOOD quality bearings

 

[sleeves]

Oh and use GOOD quality bearings

Hi Mittzy

I've checked the rear wheel bearing and diff bearing are sweet, this is definitely a lash type issue, I thought I had teeth missing off the diff or the splines had failed.

Have learnt how to not make it happen now and haven't had the noise for the past three or four years.

Sometimes I wish things would just break so you can look at it and go "Oh that's what it was" and fix it.