Pull the headlight off and check to see if any of the wires in there are hitting the bucket. That would sound like it is coming from the gauge.

 

it's possible that you're actually hearing a rattle from the headlight bucket - many people have had a connector come un-moored and start rattling in there. i'd check that first, as it's relatively simple (pull the screws holding on the headlight ring and have a boo inside).

i also have a front-end rattle from my clutch when idling in neutral. i can make it go away temporarily by tightening the cable, but it's usually back a couple of rides later. that's a much lower pitched rattle, though.

the other thing it might be is buzzing from the fuel pump working - do you hear the same sound when you turn on the key and the pump primes? sounds like a wasp in a soup can

cheers!

-mistress k

 

Also do you have the original grips or a replacement? If the old ones were not taken off correctly there is a nut or two in the handlebars.

 

Wow.. you guys are fast.. heh. But as for the rattling, i'm pretty sure it is from the gauge itself, because when I place my hand on it and hold it, it stops.
as for the rest of the questions, the bike is pretty much OEM and I can hear (and distinguish) the fuel pump.
I'll take a look at the headlight, but again, it of course rattles w/ the engine, but when I press on the gauge it stops...
Any other thoughts?

 

OK... When you had the gauge off did you flip it over? There are a few screws on the underside that hold everything in place. Maybe one of those is loose....
This may help
http://tinyurl.com/23rz6v

 

I had the exact same problem and it was actually the left side of my fuel tank making contact with something along the frame of the bike vibrating along the tank...Drove me crazy! :lol:

While you're riding grab ahold of the middle of the tank and pull up on it..See if the rattle goes away? If it does,get yourself some of that round foamy stuff made to put around your pipes as an insulation,and line the part of your frame on both sides that is along the inside of the tank...This was the problem I had and this fixed it "totally"...I tryed putting pieces of foam between the cluster and the tank and it didn't solve anything until I pulled the tank and lined it with that split round foam stuff....Home Depot and Lowes sells it...

The headlight lamp bucket is another source for weird noise and you can try taping and repositioning wires in there also...You don't want wires sitting at the buttom of the bucket or they will create a rattle also..

 

I had this same problem too, and it was the speedo cluster. I got a tank bib and put it on. The tank bib takes up the space between the cluster and the tank. The cluster screws that hold it to the tank go into rubber expansion nuts (what are those things called?) and the cluster will flex. The tank bib provides some soft "insulation" between the cluster and the tank to remedy this. You could probably also use some chrome edge trim around the bottom of the cluster to accomplish the same thing.

 

i have the EXACT same problem since i had the bike. i finally found a fix, but it ain't perty. i just had to find the right size bit of cardboard that i could fold just enough to cram tightly between the chrome ring of the speedo face and the chrome ring of the housing to stop the rattle. at one point i switched it out to a white piece of cardboard i found so it's not quite so noticeable looking at it.

 

pac50t, they're called "well nuts", and they're a pain in the butt on the speedo console!

i have chrome edge trim and a tank bra (which required a longer screw for the bottom console mount - the one rear of the black panel), so maybe that's why i haven't experienced this except once, when it really was loose mounting screws.

cheers!

-mistress k

 

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but it fits what's going on with my bike to the T. I installed a tank bib some time back and ever since, I have had an annoying rattle comming from the speedometer cluster. I just spent all afternoon tearing the cluster off the tank, shaving this, lining that, adding padding and changing screw lengths. Nothing has helped.

I'm going to try the pipe-foam along the frame rail. It seems that if I hold my knees tight against the tank, the rattle in the speedo stops.

 

Check that you have both rubber donuts that hold the front of the tank down.