cowbell noise

[oldschool73]

When I ride or if I bang on the grips when it's not running I get a cowbell type clanging noise. I have tag t2 bars and took them off , they aren't the source of the noise. could it be the upper stem mount? anyone else experience this . there is no up and down movement on the stem but maybe a tiny bit side to side , it doesn't seem excessive.any ideas? thanks

[atvRiDa400ex]

i have no idea but i would just say make sure all nuts and bolts are tightened!

[oldschool73]

checked that they are tight. Is the steering stem double walled?

[atvRiDa400ex]

no, i dont think so.

did you check the bottom of the steering stem where it hooks to the tie rods?

[almostred434]

havent had the same problem but i know a free solution of fixing it
DONT BANG ON THE BARS!!!!:devil:

[Yee-Haw_400EX]

MORE COWBELL

:D

[Carter]

:D :D

Knew that was coming eventually!

[lilhouskey]

I got a fever, and the only perscription is more cowbell!!!

[svahle]

Originally posted by lilhouskey
I got a fever, and the only perscription is more cowbell!!!

Let me guess. Saturday Night Live - quote from Will Ferrell's character, Gene Frenkle.

[oldschool73]

Why are you guys wasting your time here, you should be on the comedy tour somewhere!!!

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by svahle
Let me guess. Saturday Night Live - quote from Will Ferrell's character, Gene Frenkle.

He was playing the cowbell, but no he didn't say it...


Anyways, can you hit it and maybe have a friend or someone try and identify where the noise is coming from specifically. A cowbell is not a word I would use to describe a noise that could come from anything on the stem, so I am stumped myself. Let us know what you find.

[svahle]

Originally posted by oldschool73
Why are you guys wasting your time here, you should be on the comedy tour somewhere!!!

Sorry for screwing up your post its just that we don't get to use the "more cowbell" reference everyday.

Can you give us any more info on where the noise is coming from (top of steering stem, middle, bottom, etc.) Is there anything loose that might be banging against the steering stem (anything that may have been zip tied that has come loose). Have you checked the bushing in the stem mount up near the tank. If that bushing is worn through it could possibly allow the stem to contact the stem mount and possibly make this sound. Make sure you check to see if the bottom stem mount is good and tight with little to no slack. Do you have rad shrouds? They can sometimes be noisy and clank. This is just a difficult thing to diagnose without being able to hear the noise in person. Maybe some pics of the stem from top to bottom would help. Any more info you can provide would be helpful.

What I can say about the cowbell reference is that if you have seen the SNL skit, the cowbell references above are pretty darn funny.

Good luck.

[svahle]

Originally posted by 400exrider707
He was playing the cowbell, but no he didn't say it...


Your right it was Christopher Walken as "the Bruce Dickinson"

[oldschool73]

I have seen it , even almost bought a more cowbell t-shirt once. It was funny just this noise is driving me nuts! I have a new upper stem bushing coming. should be here by end of the week. Yes I do have rad shrouds. The noise seems to be coming from where the bar mounts attach to the stem. I loosened all the bolts and retightened. I might get some thin rubber washers to try and isolate the noise. I'm very mechanically inclined, rebuild engines before and what not, But this is baffling me. I had a couple different people looking at it and they are stumped too. I'm hoping to take it apart in a day or two so I can get a better look at the upper bushing but it sure seems tight. Is the plate where the bar mounts welded on or bolted? Mine is welded I just wanted to be sure it hadn't broken at one time and someone fixed it before I bought it. It sure looks like a factory weld. Thanks for any help.

P.S. NO MORE COWBELL

Here are some pics
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb45/mycaris73/DSCF2643.jpg

Is this weld normal or did someone put a rod down the stem and weld it in, if so this is probably the source of my noise.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb45/mycaris73/DSCF2640.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb45/mycaris73/DSCF2638.jpg

Here are the scoops
Thanks for any help

[svahle]

I think you are on to something. There should be a hole at the top of the stem where you pointed out the welding. I suspect that may be the source of the noise (we'll call it a clanking noise instead of a cowbell noise). Someone may have put something in the hole and welded it closed. I know that there have been instances where the stem can fill up with water. This can cause a few problems. First, the stem could of course rust from the inside out. Second, if the water level in the stem gets high enough and the vent hose from the fuel tank cap in inserted into the stem hole, the tank can't vent. This could either suck water into the tank or create a suction such that the flow of fuel will be interupted and the quad won't run.

Oh yeah, the plate is welded to the stem, not bolted.

I recently bent a stock stem and was able to purchase a new one off ebay for around $60 shipped. As you may already know, installing a stem is pretty easy.

I hope this helped.

[400exrider707]

There is supposed to be a hole at the top of the stem right where all that rusted metal is.