strange rattle/grinding noise. (non kwaka)

Sorry for the non kawasaki question here but there is a shitload of pretty cluey people on here so its worth a shot.

A friend just bought a damaged GSXR600 (03) for a track bike.

It all seemed ok but after its been idling for a while it gets a very bad sounding rattle/grinding noise coming out of the left side of the motor (Gear lever side). if you put your hand against that engine cover you can actually feel it.

once you put it in gear and ride it a little it seems to go away.
as its not registered we cant really ride it that far to really test it to see if it comes back.

I know this kind of stuff is pretty damn hard to diagnose over the net but i was hoping someone may have experienced something similar or could offer some advice on what to trouble shoot to eliminate different problems.

bottom end?? big end bearings??

I can think of a few things which could be causing these symptoms. They're all bad.

Giz a full rundown of how it happens.

You start the bike... does it start normally? Does it idle normally?
The noise appears... when? How long after starting and at what engine temp?
What happens if you blip the throttle?
What happens if you put the bike in gear as soon as the noise starts?
How do gearchanges feel?
When you ride the bike, does it feel like it has a normal amount of pull?
When you ride the bike, how soon does the noise disappear? Does it disappear in some gears only, and come back in others?
What if you switch the bike off, wait a few minutes, then hit it again? Does the noise come back?

Worst-case scenario, the bike'd gone for a slide on the right side and the engine'd kept running for a while. Oil had sloshed into the right side of the engine, away from the pickup in the sump, and that's fucked either the big-ends and/or main bearings on the left side of the crank.

Alternately, I suppose it could be that 1st gear dogs and/or selector fork could be fucked, which could be causing things which shouldn't be to bang into each other as the gearbox spins around in neutral.

If the rattle's coming through the generator cover, though, I'd be more inclined to think it's the crank...

it certainly doesnt sound good huh...

thanks alot for your input Neka and IK.

i will go through that list IK and add more details after we do a better inspection/test of it tmw.

I went and started it this morning and let it idle up to 60 degrees celcius.

it doesnt make the sound anymore.

i gave it a couple short bursts on the throttle to see if that would induce it.
(i didnt want to rev it too much cause its sunday morning and i assume the neighbours are all still sleeping)

Anyway i couldnt get it to do it.

This bike hadnt been started for a very long time before we started messing with it yesterday. would it be possible that it was struggling to get oil into all parts of the engine?

its got me Stuffed.... all i know about bike engines is where to put the fluids

This arvo im going to get him to ride it up the road and see what happens. (probably get arrested...)

From the two reports it sounds like a dry joint of some variety. You never know how long these things have been sitting prior to sale. Like other have said, lack of oil in accident and storage will cause all told issues with bits that need lubrication.

These parts now have oil and are sound free, that doesn't mean there is no damage. It could be a bearing, which may let go at high pressure (I had a friend with similar issues - lost main bearings shutting the throttle at 140mph). It could be a sticky valve, which will worsen until it goes fatal. The early signs of valve problems are hot running and associated smell (been there, sold that ).

Moral of the story, get it in for a full service and tell a trusted mechanic the issues so far.

Moral of the story, get it in for a full service and tell a trusted mechanic the issues so far.

thanks mike

thats exactly what is going to happen.

i just went and ran the thing again and its sounds fine. but you dont want these things coming back to bite you at stupid speeds.

hes going to take in to a shop and get them to go over it just to have some peace of mind.

having a piston shoot thru the head, thru the tank and hit ya in the nuts at 9000rpm wouldnt be much fun u reckon??

good luck wiv it, and let us kno the outcome...

having a piston shoot thru the head, thru the tank and hit ya in the nuts at 9000rpm wouldnt be much fun u reckon??

good luck wiv it, and let us kno the outcome...

No that certainly doesnt sound too good

hopefully it will work out ok. im sure it will if he throws enough money at it.

i plan on "borrowing" it next track day for session or two