Yes, I have the same noise on my 2010 multistrada since years now. It is mostly noticeable with the belt cover off. The only way I could bring it down a bit is to lower the belt tension to something like 90hz (can’t find the note with the exact value I used at the moment). I will pm you right away, thank you very much. I understand why the OP used the “crickets” expression. The sound is metallic, like something hollow or light that lightly hits something with high frequency. It is not so different from the dry clutch (with a bit of imagination, of course), but I think it’s a bearing somewhere or maybe more than one. Everybody says the main bearing, but it is too big and too stressed to last so much, and I replaced mine personally not long ago so I tend to discard that idea for now. I think that it is something on the belts, like the rollers or something on the main pulley’s shaft...
My multistrada (my2011 1200s ) had exact same sound. It comes from metal plate between main pulleys of the cambelt system: when belt gets pressed and also flattened by pulley it makes minor contact to plate with its side when it gets also little bit wider. I made big desmo service to my MTS: now with new belt sound is totally gone. Old belts were just ok, so I think it is not problem at all. When tension of the belt change I am almost sure the sound gets back on my MTS.
same here. What tension value do you use? 110hz or lower? still there. It does not change with time or mileage, it seems. I tried to replace the plate with the new model, but it seems not to change. Why does it happen only to certain specific engines, and not all of them? What is different in our engines?
You can try to start it without the belts, then you know what the cause is….belts, valves, piston you’d be done with it. ps; doesn’t sound like a engine that is on it last few miles. I wouldn’t worry.
My belts were set to 110Hz. I think the main reason is little missalignments with pulleys and belt line which change by belt tension, more tension -> more bending torque in pulley axles and bearings-> belt line moves little and contact with steel plate starts (or stops).
