A Dream engine sounds like.............???

[nevada72]

Like many others, I've wandered into Dream ownership w/o ever seeing or driving one other than mine so I have no frame of reference. Anyway, should it sound like someone is rattling a can with a marble in it at higher RPMs? I'm thinking not. The motor pulls well enough and has what is probably a normal clickety clack sound at low RPMs, but up around (what I'm guessing is) 3-4k she gets a little noisy - the marble sound. Also, there seems to be some play somewhere because when slowing down there is a hard to describe "slack" between the motor and rear wheel and inside the motor, as if something is not tight. Definitely not the drive chain.

Any ideas?

[Hahnda]

Have you adjusted the cam chain?

[305]

how about adjusting the valves?

slop in the drive line may be the rubber pads in the rear hub

[nevada72]

Have you adjusted the cam chain?

No I haven't. I was wondering if that might do it. I did adjust the valves. Why not the cam chain? Slipped my mind I guess as I've been toying with 4 other bikes too. I'll try that tomorrow.

The drive dampers, or whatever they're called, are fine. I had the back wheel off to do a tire change and they looked new. It's also definitely coming from inside the motor.

I'll post results. Thanks!

[nevada72]

I adjusted the cam chain with no improvement. I was hopeful as the adjustment screw was really frozen in there necessitating and overnight soak in penetrating oil. I figured it haden't been touched in a long while. When I loosened it, no familiar "clunk" of the chain slack being taken up.

I'm thinking it's a combination of things in the transmission and valvetrain. I have a bottom end and head that I might swap in this winter to test my theory.