Honda XL600LM
 

I've got a Honda Xl600LM, '87 model, and when it is started from cold there is a tapping sound from the top of the engine. As the engine warms up it become more intermitent, until it stops after about 10 minutes. It has a definate "rhythm" to it, and as the engine warms up the "tapping" fades in and out, becoming less until stopping.

The valve clearances are as the Haynes manual recomends, it's done 35,000km, has a handle bar and kick start decompressor on it.

A friend suggests the noise might be piston slap, but as it's coming from the top of the engine, and not from around the barrel area i'm not sure it is?

any help would be much appreciated

Stuart

Just a thought...The XL600LM is a single cylinder (road version of the XR), and not a V-twin like the Transalp. So if any one with an XR has experienced these noises that may help.

Cheers
Stuart

I had an XR a while back and thought the same thing, it also created a noise when i reved it hard. It ended up being the cam chain, got it replaced and refitted tensioner etc and all was fine till the gears went!

Hello Stuart,

I've been travelling on a XL600LM for 1,5 years.Bike's in Bangkok.I'm in Taiwan.I'll go back to continue in July or August.Anyway,i'm sorry to say but i didn't have any problems before like you mention in your topic.Even though if you've got other questions,i'll be glad to help you out if i can.My suggestion on your problem is,if it really continues,to start to take off the cilinder head and check or you see anything wrong.You can see the the valves as well as the cam chain.And it's not the big job anyway.Hope to hear from you how you solved that one.Could be interesting for me as well.

Cheers,Bossit