popping noises?
 

so...my bike seems to occasionally make popping noises - I think from the exhaust - usually when I am engine braking but sometimes also when shifting. Is this normal??

I noticed the same thing today on my RX3, but only on hard, decelerating, engine braking.

jb

can't speak to the rx3 specifically - but its common to any bike with a pretty free flowing exhaust.

Mine does it mostly during engine braking, especially on a decline.

AIS.... "Air Injection System"
lets air into the exhaust pipe to burn
unburnt fuel that enters the pipe on
a trailing throttle...
If theres no AIS most lightly a air leak
in the exhust...



..

Very possibly exhaust air leak.

I suggest double checking the nuts that secure the exhaust pipe to the cylinder head (tight, but not "hero" tight) and the clamp that connects the exhaust pipe to the muffler head pipe.

Mine had started the popping between 100-200 miles so I tightened them up (they were all a bit loose), but about 1000 miles later it started again. That's when I remembered that CSC had advised to take off the right rear plastic and check that the two muffler mount bolts are tight. One of mine was VERY loose.

Tightened up both, no problem since.
Hope this helps.

Good advice on tightening all the bolts. My exhaust used to pop a lot too, but it went away after I tightened up the exhaust header bolts and pipe clamp. I haven't checked the main muffler mount though. I'll have to do that :tup:

thanks for the tips - ran out of daylight and time on Sunday to work on the bike - will see if I can't get some time during the week to do a quick check on all the bolts/fittings for the exhaust system. I take it I should be able to trace everything straight from the motor on out to the tailpipe and make sure all the fittings are tight, is that right?

Make sure you warm the bike up prior when tightening the exhaust system bolts. I have found on almost every motorcycle I have owned when new, after a few warming and cooling cycles of the engine the exhaust needed tightening.

I suggest you apply some red loctite to the muffler bolts. ;)

Right, Sprite. Almost.

Two nuts where the pipe attaches to the engine, then the clamp the holds the exhaust pipe & muffler pipe together. Those are easy to access.

Then two muffler mount bolts, one is easy to get to, but the other one is a "you can see it and point at it" location, but to tighten it, you have to take the right rear plastic part off, which means you have to take other stuff off to get the plastic off. THAT is the one on mine that I was able to see was backing out.

https://www.cscmotorcycles.com/Articles.asp?ID=268

So....just how does one access the Right Nut (gads that sounds dirty) for the engine & exhaust pipe connection?

The left one was tight, the right one looks like it is one thread looser than the right, but I can't for the life of me seem to get to it - all kinds of things seem to be blocking my access including a bundle of wires, the frame, and the exhaust pipe itself.

as for the muffler mount bolts - the one under the plastics looks tight, but I was just realizing that I was going to take everything off the hind end of the bike to get the plastic off....so I haven't done that yet.

:lmao:

After I stop laughing, I will reply to your questions. :lol:

Approaching from the right side of the bike, under the radiator, I slip a 12 mm wrench over the nut. ;)

You don't have to remove everything from the back of the motorcycle. Here is the procedure I recommed. ;)

First, open the right pannier, and remove the 4 bolts which attach the pannier to the rack. Then remove the right pannier.

Next, remove the 5 bolts which hold the right pannier rack to the motorcycle. Remove the only the right pannier rack; leaving the left pannier rack attached to the bike.

Remove the two saddles, and shift the rear plastic cover enough to access the muffler mounting bolt. Apply red loctite, and tighten bolt muffler mounting bolts.

Finally, repeat the above steps in reverse order to reassemble the motorcycle. :)

I was thinking the same thing. :D

Thanks Spud :) For some reason I failed to think of using a wrench rather than a socket on that nut *sigh*

Glad I could bring some humor to the forum ;)

Thank you also for the recommendations on accessing those muffler bolts. They are on my list of things to do next. I'm finally at 500 mi on the bike - but poor planning has me stuck with a full tank of gas to burn down before I tackle the valve check :P