Glee doesn't like 5000rpm

[TheRatCatcher]

For some reason, halfway through a ride yesterday, my glee has decided that when revs are at around the 5000rpm mark it wants to make an almighty clattering racket that sounds like it's trying to blow itself apart. It sounds fine at all other rpm (above and below) and otherwise runs fine. It's only done 8000miles, so a bit bewildered. Anyone any clues what this might be or any advise on how best to diagnose it?

[kwackboy]

Shot in the dark here , Do you have crash bars ? A mounting may be a bit loose . 

[mrp192]

I think something loose is on the right track. My Glee has a slight rough spot in the revs if you sit at 5000 revs so if similar to all bikes something might have shaken itself loose and resonate at that point.

[Rusty Nuts]

4,500-5,000 seems to be the common range in which vibes magnify any loose fastenings. It was lamps on the engine bars for me, just a loose screw but sounded like a whole load of expensive mechanical mayhem.

[MartinW]

Another vote for Engine Bars.

[TheRatCatcher]

Cheers all. I do have bars, but they've passed the tightness check. Loose bolt definitely sounds like the right thing though, so looks like a day of slack-hunting ahead. Really wishing I had a heater in the garage today!!

[greywolf]

They don't have to be loose. The offending area is the connection in the front between the two sides. It can be like clanging two pipes together but is usually something a little less obvious. Some people have good luck making the connection more solid but the best results seem to come from getting all the connections in front rubber mounted. The metal parts like to destroy the rubber isolating bits through vibration though.

[Fat Rat]

I found that by loosening the side mounting points of the bars, clamping up the front joint and then re-tightening the sides, all was well.

[Rich:-)]

OK, could try another tack.
Remove the bars and go for a test ride. If it's not that then take something else off. Eventually/hopefully you'll remove the culprit.

[wurzel]

Get a bit of old boot leather between them before clamping it up, worked well enough on vehicle suspension coil springs for years, go through the process of elimination starting with the easiest and most likely culprits.

[Barbel Mick]

Rich's idea of taking things off 'till noise stops would be my method too and Fat Rat's point about tightening the front before the main bolts is what I did.   
I have put a piece of inner tube between the front joint of my bars.

[Rich:-)]

I once chased down a noise on my wee by holding it at the troublesome revs and getting my mrs hold things until it was found. That identified the pannier frames as a noise source.

To date I have found two noise culprits on my bike.
1st was the rear pannier frames, now removed as I generally only use top box.
2nd was the screen, the givi clamps allowing the upper screen to vibrate at a certain height (my screen is a Madstad/OEM/Givi hybrid).

[TheRatCatcher]

Finally tracked it down. As suggested by many of you good people it was indeed the joining connection between the two halves of the crash bars. An hour of fiddling and a section of bicycle inner tube later and it's all behaving again. Thanks again for the cracking advice!

Celebrated by going for a spin, and creating myself an avatar. Relief to know there's nothing seriously wrong. Phew! 

[King Orry]

Good to hear it sorted, and as you say, cracking advice from the folks on here.

[tallpaul]

  glad to hear you got it sorted 

[Barbel Mick]

 

[MartinW]