I have a noise coming from the engine that sounds a little like a rattling tappet, it starts at 4200 rpm and stops at 5400 rpm. It only makes the noise when actually riding along and not when the bike is stood still. Does anyone know what this could be? I'm a newbie to Ducati's so am conscious of every noise and rattle!! Cheers
More than likely you have flaking rockers, is it coming from the front? mine has just started doing this, will have mine out over the winter.
Thanks for the heads up Bish, quick search of the internet has come up with the 748 suffering with rocker problems. It is going to get new belts over the winter so will get the rockers checked at the same time.
Bloody good hearing if you can hear flaking rockers! If a valve clearance is out it may make a little more noise but it would need to be very bad before you could hear it. I'm not saying ignore it as it may be something in need of attention but my 916 makes so much valve-related noise that if I forget my earplugs I can't ride it properly as it just sounds 'broken'.
Earplugs will probably be the cheapest fix then :smile: I have just gone through all the paperwork I received with the bike and there is an invoice for the rockers to be replaced, it's dated Jul 06 and the mileage was 15k, the current mileage is 23k. So going off this info they should be good for another 7k. The thing that intrigues me about the noise is that it can only be heard when I am actually traveling along, it doesn't do it when the bike is stood still and either in neutral or in gear (clutch in) and only between 4200 & 5400 rpm. Would I be right in thinking that if it was incorrect valve clearance it would make the noise all the time?
Johnny, rockers don't wear to mileage the way you suggest. They wear based on a number of factors which include valve clearances, oil type, oil change intervals, engine warm up, riding style. If your bike is in the suspect batch built (not first registered) 99-00 then they have a higher frequency of failure. As the cost to replace them all with new OEM parts is over 800 quid in bits check your receipt. If all of them have been replaced then a previous owner will have abused his bike very badly indeed as the frequency of failure even in the dodgy batch of bikes is rarely much more than 3 or 4. My 02 748 is still on the original rockers at 33k miles which when last checked by Rich Llewellyn are in good nick, the clearances have not needed adjustment for over 10k miles. If you are planning on a belt service see if you can stretch to having the heads off and a top end set up. Accurate clearances really does make a big difference to the way the engine runs and its power delivery. If possible go to a renowned service agent like Louigi Moto or Moto Rapido. Louigi Moto give the best service for the lowest price BTW On the noise, my money is on the desmo valve closing rockers which tends to create more rattle in the mid range around 6k-5k when throttling off or using the engine braking. Also you can get odd speed dependent noises from the fairings as well as odd rattles from the discs if the bobbins are worn and the clutch if the centre spring is worn. After a while much of the cacophony of a Ducati becomes background noise and it took me a couple of years to get used to it.
My 748 started making a very slight tinkle rattle noise from the engine about 5 minutes before one of the valves dropped into the cylinder destroying half the engine. Luckily for you, it didnt sound like a noisey tappet noise so hopefully you wont experience the same!
I took the bike to Tim at Moto-vation in Cheltenham and asked him to give it a full service including belt change and rocker check. He found the rockers were in good condition and the clearances were checked and adjusted. The bike now starts easy and runs sweetly, although it still has the rattle! I have spent the summer just riding it, getting used to the noise and loving the whole ducati riding experience. I will strip the clutch down this winter and see if it needs any new bits. Thanks for the replies fellas.
