OK, so my '05 DR has been parked up for 10 days while I waited for a replacement rear tyre, the bike was running perfectly before it was temporarily laid up. Yesterday I finally got my new tyre (Truck drivers have been on strike in greece) put it on and went to fire up the bike for a test drive and when turning over it was making a horrible loud knocking noise and started only briefly before dying again.

The bike has been stood on its centre stand, without its rear wheel on in a field where we are camping. As I said bike was running perfectly before I had tyre troubles and always has. It was too dark to do anything last night so I dropped the bike back onto its side stand on the off chance that it might help get some oil back in to some much needed place and left it til this morning, managed to get it started and idling today but it is still knocking, not as loud as before but definately knocking, and gets worse when you open the throttle.

It sounds like top end, my first thoughts are valve clearances, but it seems very odd that they would just go so suddenly but I've left the bike to cool down and will check them later.

Any other thoughts/suggestions

Last oil change was about 2000 miles ago new filter at previous change, good semi synthetic, valves last checked about 9000 miles ago.

Thanks in advance

Matt

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Hi Matt,

give EVERYTHING else a good check over before you start thinking about top end rebuilds, look at the whole of the induction system, spark plugs - Tigthten first to see if loose, then pull and see if they are clean or oily, also operate the clutch while its running and make sure its just not this rattling a bit - they can be a little noisey sometimes on the older DR650's

I have heard of bugs making a home in someones airbox when their bike was parked up before, so look at EVERY possible minor problem first.

If you cannot find anything minor, then start to look at more serious problems including the neutral sender unit screws here:

Potential problems to be aware of - Suzuki DR650 Wiki

OHH $hit Oil Chage... - ThumperTalk;

If you cannot find anything minor, I would also drop the oil and filter it ( a paper coffee filter will work) and have a good look through it for swarf/particles etc.

This will help tell you if something is screwed in the top end.

I fitted a magnetic sump plug to my DR650 as soon as I bought it.

Good Luck and fingers crossed its something minor, let us know what you find.

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

Anyone nicked anything ???

Deffo check your oil first. Has any water got into the fuel ?? It is a mechanical knock or a combustion sound ??

You really need to try very hard to pinpoint where the sound is coming from.

Put a long screwdriver to your ear and use it as a probe on the engine..

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Handle in ear pointy end on engine! Alarming the noises you hear.

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Anything can happen in the next half hour

That they are ! lol..

It's handy to truoble shoot engine problems. Well.. sometimes !

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Whip the cam cover off & check camchain tension, could be that the spring in the tensioner has let go & tge tensioner's retracted, leaving the camchain to fly about. Mine sounded like more of a rumble than a knocking noise though?

Happened on my old DR600, a spare tensioner to hand fixed it.

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