noisy forks when pulling away
 

The squeak from the forks seems to have disappeared to be replaced by a bit of a groan from the top of the forks or around the head of the steering, ie the bearing. It happens when pulling away with a little or more urgency. Easy take offs pose no problem. So basilcally when the forks are elongated I get abit of a metallic groan. Is this normal? Or something to be talking to the dealer about?

Cheers and thanks

I get that from time to time as well. My 749's done 2100 miles, how many miles has your bike done? I havent got a clue what it is either...someone more knowledgeable will be round soon!

noisy forks
 

Its been doing it since about 2350miles. am a bit worried that the bearings for the steering may be dry.

Do the forks squeak/groan when you pump them with the front brake on?Do they make a noise if you turn the bars lock to lock?Are you sure its the forks making the noise as you pull away?Could be the brakes or even the "braying donkey" sound from the clutch.
I guess the bike is still under warranty?

Do the forks squeak/groan when you pump them with the front brake on?Do they make a noise if you turn the bars lock to lock?Are you sure its the forks making the noise as you pull away?Could be the brakes or even the "braying donkey" sound from the clutch.
I guess the bike is still under warranty? [/quote]

Definitely not the clutch as I can feel what a vibration through my hands. Seems more pronounced when I ham pulling away and turning the bars at the same time. Seem to recall the vibration and noise varying as I turned the bars.

Have pumped the forks but not with the front brake on. Will try that again, so thanks for the tip.

Yes bike is only 5 months old so will call the dealer tomorrow.

cheers

Derek

did I say "definitely not the clutch"

Apparently this is common and is due to the glazing of the clutch plates, so these need stripped out and treated or the clutch replaced. 2500 miles God help us. So Khu996 seems we have the same problem.

Seems that town riding is a bit of a no no with these dry clutches, always have to kick it into nuetral at the lights, and avoid riding the clutch when filtering. Easier said than done. Also apparently we are not supposed to be moving quickly off the lights too frequently either. Always slow away with little more than 1200rpm. Wish someone had told me all this at the start.

Any tips for coping with filtering etc would be appreciated. I tend to ride with a lot of rear break when filtering so need the drive...

thanks

DM

Yep,that squeak or groaning sound is the clutch plates slipping.You can feel the vibes through the clutch lever and sometimes it transmits down to the bars.
Sorry cant help with any filtering tips,I tend to keep away from town centres myself.:)

The clutch? FFS...its only done 2100 miles and I havent abused it (that much!!), surely it can't be time for a new clutch?

749er, what do you mean when you say they need to be treated?

Aha, I was gonna ask about that myself after the clutch kept making those noises when I first had mine...

So am I right in saying there isnt any chance of a 'flying' start from the lights??

Chances are the clutch just needs cleaning out. The dust accumulates and gives a "grindy" feeling as you pull away. On a typical Jap bike witha wet clutch the oil tends to carry away the dust particles but 'course on a Ducati that doesn't happen.

It takes about 10-15 minutes and only requires a tiny bit of mechanical sense to do the job...

Perfect excuse to fit an open clutch cover too which lets the dust blow away in normal use.

Darren

Spoke to Ducati South London.

The guy said they removing the glazing from the clutch plates, then reassemble. An hours work at a cost of about £60. new clutch is £160 fitted.

I thought I was taking care of mine too, but apparently we should be pulling away with only about 1200rpm and slowly easing out the clutch. Not giving it 2500-3000rpm, letting the clutch out quickly to the bite then rolling on the throttle, and easing the clutch out more, which is what I do quite a bit though not always. Cant help but feel that the clutch is a bit of a con as when I first got the bike from new, it kept cutting out when pulling away, so minimum rpm when joining a roundabout was not an option as far as I was concerned.

Apparently using to many revs, eg more than 1500, at take off does them in quite quickly. Was advised that you can do it now and then but not all the time as you can with a jap bike with a wet clutch.

Have not noticed my clutch slipping yet only the noise when taking off with more than 2000rpm, lower engne speeds its quiet

Sounds like a case for D S C ear plugs for peace of mind club.
The other day it was valve train noises that were upsetting the riding experience, now it’s the squeaky clutch that’s got you going.
Right go out, buy a new clutch stick it on top of your wardrobe and change it when the old ones slipping.
Buy yourself an open basket and revel in the tortured squeal that is a Ducati dry clutch.
Come on snap out of it, looz some mechanical sympathy and learn to love a new sound track. Coz you’re missing out on all the fun.

:P:P:P

Pulling away at only 1200 rpm seems excessive, you should avoid slipping the clutch unnecessarily, but you should be able to ride normally

lowering the gearing will help with filtering (1 down on the front or 2 or 3 up on the rear)

If my clutch was slipping at less than 6000 miles I would be asking for a warantee replacement

I was thinking about the warranty implications...surely however much its been abused (and it hasn't :P) it shouldnt require a new clutch after only 2100 miles?

Its had an open cover since 1500 miles so there shouldn't be much of a dust issue :puzzled:

[Edited on 30-3-2005 by khu996]

Forgot to add that while you've got the clutch plates apart giving 'em a bit of a spring clean to also give the friction surfaces a good rubbing down with some wet'n'dry. Hopefully that'll stop the "graunching" sensation on pulling away.

Warranty or not it'll take you longer to get the bike to the dealer than to actually do it and if it doesn't do the job all you've lost is a small amount of time.

Darren

I have noticed this 'groan' and in fact it is quite noticeable when I wheel the bike backwards into the garage i.e. no engine running so seems to rule out the clutch. (5k now and still does it)
I will be checking with local dealer and feedback any positive info.

clutch
 

am new to Ducatis and dry clutches, as the sound was coming from the head of the bars, I was a bit concerned it might have been the bearings there, which I dont fancy loosing at motorway speeds, hence the query. Will have a look round the site for a "how to" on sorting out the dust on the clutch

I would be very surprised if you need a new clutch mate, they usually last around 12-15K, which is four or five years at today's average of about 3K miles per year.

Even if the dust can get out, you'll still get a honk out of it if you slip the clutch a bit too much pulling away. I haven't got an open cover, my clutch is on about 5K miles now (it's my first replacement clutch after 18K miles) and in a 250 mile ride like we did with the BHC crew last weekend it probably gave a honking sound a couple of times.

Don't worry about it

Went out today for a quick blast, and the noise is indeed coming from the clutch! Oh well, at least its not the bearings! Time for a spring clean :)

Cheers Jools.