Triumphrat

10-03-2005, 11:10 PM

hi everyone ,,,
Im the proud owner of a 96 t bird and the bike has been wonderful so far
well,,,
Until last weekend
I've noticed something peculiar lately and i was wondering if anyone else has experienced this ,,,, A loud Beep every once in a while like a jap bike horn only much louder...
ive found its not the horn or an alarm and it sounds like its from the left front of the bike and only on the highway
its getting more frequent as time goes on and its really starting to worry me
it started happening about 4 or 5 times in a 120 mile ride ,,,now its about 4 or 5 times in 10 miles :???:
can anyone help me troubleshoot this?
any ideas as to what might make a sound like that?
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
thank you

[ This message was edited by: darcon on 2005-10-03 21:11 ]

jimmyj900 · 10-04-2005, 12:13 AM

I'd suspect either an alternator or water pump bearing has failed since it's happening at speed.

I'd check the alternator first.

Jim

SWare · 10-05-2005, 10:51 AM

A bad bearing that make a loud squeal is not a good thing. That is likely a bearing trying to seize. I wouldn't ride the bike unless you absolutely have to for diagnostics. If it does not involve the drive train, you should be able to duplicate the sound by running th engine while parked. Maybe get someone to hold the bike up and vary the engine speed while you listen for the sound. You might be able to hear a noisy bearing before it make your beeping noise using a stethoscope, piece of pipe, etc..

Stan

10-05-2005, 11:36 AM

well it only happens once in a while when cruising steady and going over bumps and cracks in the road but not under acceleration or decelleration .
it sounds like quickly brushing a japanese motorcycle horn like eep not beep and twice as loud as one (same pitch at any speed above 40 mph and only happens above 40
ive checked the alternator and its not the culprit
oiled the speedo cable
tapped wiggled and checked everything i could think of even removed both sidecovers on engine. nothing loose no shavings no glitter in oil,,,,nothing,,, unhooked the horn and problem still persists
. I cant duplicate it unless im moving so im totally at a loss here
so im down to ,,,the bike has to be moving and only rough roads set it off
can there be something involved in cam chain/ tensioner or valve train that would make this sound?
i wouldnt think something internal could be so dang loud but im new to all this and im not giving up my t-bird for anything
ive wanted one every since i was in high school 27 years ago and now i finally got one

[ This message was edited by: darcon on 2005-10-05 09:38 ]

jimmyj900 · 10-05-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

...well it only happens once in a while when cruising steady and going over bumps and cracks in the
road but not under acceleration ... the bike has to be moving and only rough roads set it off ...

Well now, that's a bit different story.

Have you ever greased the swing arm? I'd also check that the front sprocket is tight and take a look at the wheel bearings.

Jim

MickMaguire · 10-05-2005, 07:53 PM

personally I would be checking the front mudguard is tight and not distorted in any way. Do you have the front fender extention fitted?

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-10-05 17:56 ]

10-10-2005, 11:32 AM

Update

problem fixed;

the race for the speedo gear housing was dried out and chirping ,,,but the way the front hub is designed actually amplified it just like that of a speaker which created a beep sound just like a horn
ive had speedo noises on other bikes before but nothing that sounded like this one did.

thanks for all the help as the things to check for ive read so far have been adressed and preventitive maintenance was preformed on numerous items
so rather then ride this weekend i went through everything that requires being greased ,reset, tightened, etc,,,etc,,, has been done and this bike runs incredible now ,,,, better then new lol