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2016 Hammer – Crunchy roll
I am curious if anyone would have insight on next steps. I appreciate Rylan’s last video on the output shaft as it seems timely, and it could be a good starting point, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.
Context: 2016 Hammer S, 11k miles, used for both inner-city and speedy highway riding. It’s insanely loud, which I like, but I wear sealed ear-plugs and don’t quite pick up all the nuances on sound. Engine is great and no problem moving between gears or accelerating. Fun fun fun. I’ve had it for 2 years the last oil change was at 9500 miles.
Problem: I think it is throwing and grinding bearings or similar, like eating rocks. In neutral or with the clutch in it all sounds wonderful, but when engaging the clutch there’s a medium-light continuous crunchy sound. Sometimes when sitting at a light or shifting between 5th or 6th, it occasionally sounds like something is bouncing around. It has not impacted performance. This is all within the last 150 miles.
I am wondering if I should try to record the sound and zero in on the area or simply start pulling it apart. I like wrenching but would rather ride. What would you do?
Thanks all!
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3 Replies
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It would be extremely rare to have a major internal gear issue on a bike with 11k miles.
It would be far more common to have the noise be related to something that has been done to the bike after it was sold at the dealership. Some goofy mechanic messed up an adjustment, or some aftermarket part was too cheap for real world duty, or it was installed incorrectly. These are the things I see everyday.
Lets see a video and keep in mind the quality of the videography can directly influence the ability for me to spot the issue. So don’t “put the blinders on”. I want to see the whole bike, the aftermarket mods, the drivetrain, how you ride, etc.
I’ve seen videos come back where the guy has a car tire on the front, fork oil leaking down on the brakes, a chopped off rear fender with a custom wheel from a Harley poorly fitted up with homemade spacers, duct tape streaming off of loose wires hanging from under the tank. And then the guy rides it at 1700 rpms on the open road, never shifts over 3000 rpms, unless he’s doing a 6th gear burnout. All kinds of weird crap.
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Hey Rylan. Great feedback, thank you. I tried getting some video but a phone does not suffice. I took it out today and realized there was no unusual noise when it is cold, but after running for an hour and warming the entire bike up, it is more of sound like something needing lubrication. It does not affect performance, but subtle enough that I can’t nail it down. It leaves me edgy, but I will ride more and see what I can figure out. Getting a video is a great idea.
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If I had a dollar for every “my (new to me) Victory is making a weird noise” question, I could retire early.
Sometimes, that’s just the noise that a Victory makes.
I have seen plenty of people take their bike apart and then message me back “ok, then engine is all torn down and I don’t see anything wrong”. Yeah, because that’s just how it sounds! And then I get a message another week later “We put the bike back together and now it won’t start” *face palm*
So, just make damn sure you’re actually hearing a problem, and it’s not just “the way the bike sounds”.
And if there is actually a problem, not to freak out and tear your whole engine down. Because I’ve seen it where it turns out to be a loose clamp on your exhaust heat shield that was the source of the noise. Or a misadjusted belt. Or some other brutally simple answer.
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