Noise in fairing

[MontgomeryLittle]

2011 TG. Has developed a noise or pop inside fairing. Of course we are in the middle of Louisiana. Its my wifes ride and has me a little concerned. I have tools, just not sure what it maybe. It does not feel like a broken bracket. Praying its not a neck bearing or end play in there. I wont have the tools for that on the road.

Also its more pronouced when front brake is applied or I hold the front brake and compress the front shocks or "bounce" it.

Any ideas? Sorry for the rambling post, I've never posted from a cell phone and its's odd to say the least for me.

 

[screwball]

Two things. I have broken both the left and right support brackets on our '09. I read somewhere that the 'newer' brackets were stronger and not as probe to fatigue. I just had a front end rattle. Got worse with the breaks on, or if i put pressure down on the right bar. It was the lateral brace on the engine. Bolts to the front cylinder and frame. I had ignored the sound until the bottom bolt completely backed out, and the top was getting ready to. Since it is just below the faring, I was sure it came from there and had the outer removed before I spotted the loose bracket.

Good Luck

 

[trikermutha]

could be a broken fairing bracket..You will need to check..a T27 driver will work to take off the outer fairing..

 

[MontgomeryLittle]

Thanks for the replies. Yesterday was a short day. After about 100 miles we stoped in a Target parking lot I pulled the outer fairing. The stearing nut, not sure if thats the correct name for these modern bikes,but it was not even finger tight. Went in Target got a cheap hammer and a flat head scredriver, they had no punches or wrenches to fit the nut. Used the screwdriver as punch and I got almost half a turn on it. I know it needs torqued but for the mean time it's100% better.
My experience with broken brackets is that the fairing will flex, may take some pressure but they will flex.
Then there was a gas issue. We toped off before we left, somehow she managed to get 2 gallons of kerosene in the trike. It ran like that for the 100 miles. After I pulled the fairing and got that fixed I pulled the plugs. Took about 5 minutes to figure out what she had done. Put my spare plugs in and topped her off with high test and the trike was happy again.

Been an interesting trip to say the least.

 

[Gorilla]

Good trouble shooting. That stearing nut can really be down tight. I would tighten it to the point where you feel resistance to movement but not a lot. That should get you back to where you can have it torqued if necessary.

 

[Bikerbozo]

Wait, it actually ran for 100 miles with what I will assume was kerosene mixed with gas? I'm actually surprised. Aside from blackening the plugs, how did it run?

 

[MontgomeryLittle]

Yes you are correct, Kerosene. 2 gallons. Trike would hardly idle after about 100 yards. She was rattling off on the headset, we hit the interstate and it cleared up. At about 100 miles she said it was pinging and seemed hotter than normal. Thats when I decided to pull over and see what was going on. More later we got to get home.

 

[screwball]

Kerosene!! They sell kerosene at the pumps? Had friends pump Diesel fuel into their bikes.

 

[trikermutha]

my neck of the woods kerosene at the pump is in a whole different area than the regular gas pumps..yep kerosene can be bought at a pump..hard to find at times..

 

[Phu Cat]

Huh??? Putting kerosene in your Triglide gas tank? Why would anyone do that??? Without getting technical, sooner or later it's goin to burn the exhaust valves.

Phu Cat

 

[rhino 2]

Out here kero in nowhere near the gas pumps, Diesel is but you have to be color blind to put it in a gas tank, Diesel nozzles are green. Also they don't have the bellows type PTA nozzle.:Shrug:

 

[iaff84]

Sorry to hear about the pump mix-up. The way some are setup around here, easy to do. Hope you made it home OK and the overall trip made this one part worth a laugh a few years down the road.<O

 

[MontgomeryLittle]

Sorry meant to repost on this when I got home Saturday. I was at the end of my reply and my PC had to reboot for some kinda printer update, I thought I had all that garbage cut off.

Anyway, I think the bike is fine now and she learned a valuable lesson. Do not get distracted pumping gas, just because the nozzle fits into the gas cap does not make it the right grade or even gas, the nozzle must fit into the smaller hole inside of the big hole. I made her cry when I told her it could have burnt a piston or valve, on our dime.
I think if she had ridden it much further we may have gotten into trouble way worse than it turned out.
I know some places put Diesel next to the gas pumps, never seen kerosene in the mix though. Usually they are set off by thier self.

Hopefully this was just a one time thing for her and we will laugh about it someday.