Pinking noise from front wheel

[Green1]

Ash's post has just reminded me. I have had a few wheels respoked and never come across this before my 550 front wheel has been recently respoked and it makes a loud pinking noise when wheeling the bike about.

There doesn't seem to be any loose or overly tightened spokes so what would cause it?   

[RGP750]

Disconnect the speedo drive and try it!!!

[Green1]

Tried that at first I thought it was the cable itself as that was making a racket but that has now been replaced as the old one snapped.

It even does it when you turn the bars and the bike is stationary.

[RGP750]

Have you got loose change in your trouser pocket?
Weird! need to be there really.

[Green1]

Just checked the only thing I found in my pockets were some nuts 

[RGP750]

 

[Colonial-Clive (yindi)]

Disc Pad flopping on to disk?

[mike the bike]

Is the sound affected when the brakes are applied?

[Green1]

It does it with and without the brakes applied so it can't be the pad on the disk.
It sounds a bit like a spanner on the spokes.

[mike the bike]

Try to isolate it by jacking up the front end and spinning the wheel by hand.

[Tomb]

My 500 front wheel spokes make pinging noises when wheeling the bike around, I guess from the tension in them. Once on the move it stops, I 'spose from the higher speed.

This may be why Honda used washers as mention in another thread.

My 550 doesn't do it.

[Orcade-Ian]

I have exactly the same noise when wheeling my 75 GL1000 around but that has the standard alloy rim.  That's probably the heaviest Honda on spoked wheels.  At the moment it's too good to strip down (I will re-plate the spokes and nipples someday) and not needing a tyre at present I can't say if it has washers.  Neither of the others (350/4 and 400/4) do it and I built those wheels myself without washers and they have steel rims - a DID on the 400 and a Takasago on the 350.

Green1 - Is your 550 on a steel rim, and your 500 Tomb?

I originally put it down to the sheer weight of the Wing and it did it when I first bought it in the 90's.  My Cousin then had it for 8 years or so, then I bought it back and it's still doing it!  It must be the rim (and therefore the spokes) moving very slightly relative to the hub flanges but there are no tell tale signs of fretting around the holes and no grey liquid around the nipples from the alloy rim after a ride in the rain.

[Green1]

The 550 is on its original DID rims with stainless spokes.
If you take the weight of the wheel it doesn't do it
My 750 has its original DID rims and stainless spokes in the front wheel that doesn't do it.
My Aprilia has alloy rims and stainless spokes and that doesn't do it.

I may ask a wheel builder and see what they say.

[Tomb]

Both my 550 and 500 are on the OE rims and spokes

[Orcade-Ian]

Hm, a puzzle then,
Anyway, I just moved my GL1000 back and forth and the noise only appears when the bars are turned and the bike is being wheeled, there is no noise in the dead ahead position when wheeled.  So it appears it's not the loading/unloading of each spoke in turn as the wheel rotates but the torsion supplied by the axle relative to the rim/tyre and certainly nowt to do specifically with alloy rims.

Ian