Tick tick tick from right hand case TE 310

Today heard tick tick tick coming from the right hand case. Engine was shut down, the side stand was down. As soon as I took the bike off the side stand and held it upright the sound stopped. So was it the clutch plates wanting their oil bath back? Or what?

I'm not sure I understand- it seems like you're saying the engine was NOT running and you heard a ticking sound? I'm guessing I'm wrong and you mean the engine was idling?

I cannot say what the sound might be, but let me throw a few things out there for you to look at:

• loose timing chain (broken tensioner?)
• clutch hub dampers rotting away (look for rubber material during your oil change; also does the sound vary while the clutch lever is being actuated?)
• kickstarter pawl mechanism or spring broken (how's the kickstarter working?)
• pull the clutch cover and take a look. maybe idle the bike for a quick 10 secs with it off (might be messy)
• hell, pull the stator cover (lay the bike down) and take a look there too. clean the rotor.
• drain the oil and take a look at it for metal flakes or rubber chunks or any other foreign stuff; look at the magnet on the drain plug, too of course. Inspect the filter pleats.

good luck.

Yeah the engine was not running. No strange sounds prior to shutting it down and leaning the bike on the side stand. Then I got the tick sound. Once the bike was sat upright off the stand the sound stopped. I have never drained cold oil but perhaps I should do so tomorrow morning and let the case and return hose drip for an hour or so.

oh- hmmm. you sure it's not the old-school exhaust silencer cooling off with a ticking sound? I can't think of anything internal to make a sound like that... maybe a check-ball in an oil pressure system going bad & letting oil drain back- but that's a reach.

btw, ignore most of those ideas in my first post now.

I wanna throw another wild idea out there: look for something electrical/electronic (eg. starter solenoid, turn sig relay, battery boiling, loose connections, power or fuel pump or dc relay)

Maybe the kick stand pivot needs some grease.

Ears are -> !

After a 3 mile ride through the hood. The stethoscope found the front heat shield ticking and the starter relay ticking some.

Changed oil. Filter clean, magnet clean, oil had a few tiny black flat particles.

Could the particles be clutch material?

Why does the starter relay tick after the dash and lights have turned off?

there is a relay that is on a 7 second delay that turns the lights off after the the engine quits (also turns 'em on 2 secs after startup)... could that relay be what you're hearing (a single "click" 7 seconds after the engine is stopped)? hell... unplug the relay (the DC relay, IIRC)
start the bike up, and kill it after running for a bit (your lights etc won't work)- then listen for the now (hopefully) non-existent "click" to confirm.

yeah, the heat shield is a classic source of that sound: different metals cooling (shrinking) at different rates.

the particles in the oil could be clutch fibers; or even damper chunks. but if they are as small as you're implying: no worries

btw, I always drain my oil cold. hell, the stuff is as thin as water practically. And after sitting all night, all of the oil is as low as it can get. Sludge hasn't been a problem with detergent oils since '69 or so.
(plus- I don't get burned. that's a big plus in my opinion)

Are you sure it's not just the aluminum cooling down? Aluminum makes a lot of ticking noise as it cools down since it cools at a faster rate than steel.

I'll have to try the relay this weekend. Maybe its time to stop the old habit of draining hot oil. Been doing it since the days of the SS 396 lol. The stethoscope may have picked up the heat shield sound after I moved away from it. I can say for certain the forward heat shield was ticking when the stethoscope was placed next to it.