heffergm Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 So the front end of my '13 evo started making an odd sound I really only noticed when rolling the bike around (engine off) and turning the bars from lock to lock. It's almost more a feeling than a sound, and my guess was that it was the headset being a bit loose, despite the fact that with the front end off the ground, I couldn't detect any free play when rocking it back and forth. So I pulled the headset apart, looked at the copious amounts of grease Beta kindly stuffed in there, and put it back together. I tightened it up until the steering started to drag, then backed it off a bit, bolted it all back together, and marveled at what I thought was the absence of the same noise/feeling. Went back to the bike later, after some failed attempts at hopping, and it seems to be doing the same thing again, albeit not as much. I may be having new bike anxiety, but given how many loose bolts I've found on this thing on the first checkup, I'm not so sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Are you sure it is not just the floating front disc brake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heffergm Posted May 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Would it make noise with brake not applied? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 On mine the hole in the top triple clamp is slightly too big for the stem. Same on my '08. Lock the front brake and rock the bike forward and back and see if you can feel the stem moving independent from the top triple clamp by placing a finger on where the stem goes through the top clamp. If it does pull the top clamp off, wind some Teflon plumbers tape around the stem below the threads. Doesn't take much. Put it all back together and no more clunk. The other thing that happens with Betas is the head bearings initially don't seat properly but you've already tensioned the stem nut so you've pretty much eliminated that as the cause. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mokwepa Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Mine does the same. Follow dans instructions. Sorted mine out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadof2 Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 On a 2012 which I think have the same forks, the fork internals can clunk when rocking the bike back and forth with the front brake on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liviob Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) My 09 EVO 290 makes the same distracting clack sound.I wonder if Jeroni's bike clacks? Dan's Teflon tape solution will help. I think i tried that and could not get the tape to stay on the stem when sliding the tree back into place. Maybe clear office tape would work. I didn't try that so it will probably work. I even tried to fit a feeler gauge into the slack and cut it off below the nut, but i couldn't find one thin enough to fit. I ended up tightening the steering stem nut just at / under the point of causing steering friction to get it to stop. I don't understand why Beta made the steering stem hole in the top triple tree oversize? Do stupid things faster. Drink more Coffee. Edited May 31, 2014 by liviob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 (edited) Well there are the two other causes of clunk I've experianced and one was a loose damper rod on a Zero which required the making of a special tool to stuff down into the fork to tighten and the other was the bearing seating issue which requires tighening the nut to reseat the bearings. For the teflon tape one or two layers only as more won't fit. Yeah it's a pain. Have you noticed most of my suggestions are? If it makes you feel any better last night I decided to swap out my combustion chamber. Bike is still in pieces. Bit more of a pain than I thought. Edited May 31, 2014 by dan williams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0007 Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Swap out your combustion chamber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 New bikes have a head that is a seperate combustion chamber inside a water jacket. Yeah it kind of weirds me out but that's the new normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineo Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 On mine the hole in the top triple clamp is slightly too big for the stem. Same on my '08. Lock the front brake and rock the bike forward and back and see if you can feel the stem moving independent from the top triple clamp by placing a finger on where the stem goes through the top clamp. If it does pull the top clamp off, wind some Teflon plumbers tape around the stem below the threads. Doesn't take much. Put it all back together and no more clunk. The other thing that happens with Betas is the head bearings initially don't seat properly but you've already tensioned the stem nut so you've pretty much eliminated that as the cause. Thank you for this fix. My 13 Evo kept making a bad sound turning. I found that the lock nut for the steering stem kept coming loose 1 ride after torqueing it??? A couple wraps of the teflon tape and the locknut is tight and no more creaking/cracking noise when turning. Has held up for over 4 rides now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Glad it helped and welcome to the Beta forum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonhazza Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 My 09 EVO made these noises when I first bought it, I tightened all the triple clamp bolts and the noise stopped and has never returned in the 3 years I have owned the bike, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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