Creaking rear wheel..normal?

[zman]

I just installed the rear wheel and I am confident all was done to specs, , Bike is on the centerstand the wheel spins smooth but has a light creak every 360 turn, does not cause any resistance.. just wondering I have never owned a shaft drive.
Thanks.

 

[dan filipi]

I get that same creek, haven't had a chance to look into it. It's been doing it for several thousands of miles. Since I bought it 6-8 years ago actually.

 

[zman]

Sounds good to me, Thanks Dan.

 

[Dadster]

I had the same noise. Finally traced it to my knees. Meloxicam took care of the creeking. Don't know the dose for the final drive though. Have to check with an orthopaedic dr. :BigGrin: :smilie_happy:

 

[dan filipi]

I am curious though Jeff if you followed the rear wheel install tightening sequence from the manual. I'm not sure if I did last time but the next time I will.

 

[ekvh]

Rivets were known to loosen and creak on comstars. Look around each one for wear marks or black residue ???

 

[Steve83]

What I thought was a creaking sound on my '83 turned out to be part of the plastic inner fender just barely touching the tire. There are tabs and slots on the inner fender, the gas tank, and the battery tray that all must fit together.

The drive shaft turns about 3 times for every wheel rotation, so if you're hearing the noise every turn of the wheel, the shaft and u-joint are not the problem.

 

[slabghost]

Agreed. Probably slight tire rub.

 

[Denver]

Have had a slight squeak, or creak before, that turned out to be the wheel bearings. Very slight, not very loud at all, & noise went away when replaced. Not a very hard job, & did seals at same time.

 

[zman]

Decided to loosen it up and re install it again, haven't installed the plastic yet so better to do it now then worry about it later. I`ll report back on it later..pretty sure it didn't creak before , did notice the axle wasn't torqued to 65lbs when I removed it..tight but just enough not 65 ft lbs, maybe that`s why I didn't hear it before.

 

[Terry]

I have had several shafties, never had a creak out of a bike.
Bad bearing typically make more of a gritty growling noise in my experience.
What have had were cars and trucks with dry bearings and worn out u joints. They begin with creaking slightly but eventually squeak and squeal too bad to ignore. If you should continue to ignore, you will drop the driveshaft and all hell will break loose under a car. :shock:

This may not be the case with a shaft driven bike since it is housed.

 

[zman]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I took the wheel back off and inspected it, nothing out of the norm. It is a very subtle creak and when you stop the wheel after and reverse the direction there is no creak and when you turn it back again in the direction of the creak it sometimes isn't there at all.. going to ride it without the bags and re inspect , could be something to do with being up in the air and not resting on the ground, seriously you couldn't hear it from 3 feet away , you need to get up close to the wheel..maybe just me being over careful.

 

[julimike54]

Can you video the noise?