Rattle on hard acceleration

[HeyJoe]

I had the same problem on my old '03 1500 Custom. Turned out it was a loose clamp underneath the gas tank

[Bmholzhauer]

I've got the same problem. It sounds almost as it my tank were empty and a tiny bolt fell in it. Same conditions, hard acceleration.
2006 nomad 1600, fully stock with 87 octane. I'm going to throw on my fuel processor, I have a cobra fi2000 auto tuner.

[deacon]

I put these in my 06 NGK DPR7EIX-9 Iridium Spark Plugs. Completely eliminated the engine rattle! WAY less money then a processor! Best thing I've done to the bike.

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by Bmholzhauer

I've got the same problem. It sounds almost as it my tank were empty and a tiny bolt fell in it. Same conditions, hard acceleration.
2006 nomad 1600, fully stock with 87 octane. I'm going to throw on my fuel processor, I have a cobra fi2000 auto tuner.

Try premium gas.
Good luck with the cobra processor.

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[ldhthept]

I had same exact problem, it's pinging. You're running lean, needs more fuel. I already had a fuel processor installed and just turned up the fuel a little and the problem went away. I use high octane gas.

[schoeney]

Did you rule out cam chain tensioner? More of a sawing sound. How many miles on your bike?

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[Caveman]

Thom, there are a number of good suggestions here. It appears the culprit is your fuel mixture, but first I would do a few maintenance items.

I always prefer to make sure the bike is in top condition before making any fuel mixture adjustments. Running the bike rich will get rid of pinging, but may be masking other contributing factors.

From the top:

Throttle bodies-- clean them if you haven't done so recently.

New spark plugs, NGK Iridium have run the best in my bike - as mentioned by deacon above. This will eliminate the potential issue of fouled plugs or bad spark due to bad plugs. If you don't spark efficiently, you won't burn efficiently.

Spark plug wires - make sure they are in good condition, no cracks and no carbon inside the boots... If so, replace ASAP.

Air - your engine must breathe, especially with your pipes. The stock setup is like making an Olympic sprinter try to run while you're choking them. If you don't like the cheap right side air filter mod, get a Baron's big air kit, a Thunder kit, or the one from Chuckster's. They will eliminate the crossover tube and left side air cleaner, along with the clicking and 'pfft' from the tubes and valves present in the stock dog bowls. You mentioned you didn't see any change when you had done this before--- that means you have other issues. I used the right side air cleaner for almost a year before I bought a Baron's ... Man I wish I would have done it sooner. It's worth every penny.

Oil - is your oil fresh? This may sound dumb, but it is worth mentioning.

Fuel injector cleaner-- like Seafoam. Run 3 tanks in a row with 1/3 can each... Unless you already regularly do this.

Now adjust your Cobra processor for optimum performance.

[Caveman]

Oh, one more thing, run premium fuel. Our fuel quality nowadays is subpar as it is.. Give your bike a fighting chance by running 91/92 or whatever is in your area. This wouldn't be a concern if you were not already experiencing issues.

[DragonLady58]

What They Said....My Dad taught me about bikes, he was a HD Dealership Machanic for 30 years then opened his own shop....
My bike will take unleaded regular, but likes octane booster. Premium fuel is the best. Sometimes I fill fillup and due to bad fuel, only get 70 miles out of a tank, but my motor is very high performanced....
But for sure....a tuner is needed because these bikes run so lean from the factory....
I'd go up .5 on the tuner each time till pinging stops....