clicking sound in rear wheel

 

Hi,
After riding home last night and shutting off the engine, I noticed a
clicking sound in the rear wheel.  After putting on a rear wheel
stand, the clicking occurred during wheel rotation in either
direction.  I could feel the click with the hand used to turn the
wheel.  I'm guessing a bad bearing, does this sound reasonable?  Is
this common?  I should mention that I dropped it 1,000 miles ago but
didn't notice any clicking noise until now.  It's an 06 kawasaki
vulcan 500 with 5,000 miles on it.
Thanks,
Greg

 


Sure it's not just chain noise?

 


That would be my first suspicion, too.

 


Easy first test. Remove the chain from the
sprocket and see. Might also be a brake
noise I suppose.

Does this noise occur at one particular
point in the wheel rotation ?

If in doubt, I'd definitely bring the wheel
in to a shop. Not a good idea to ride
for days or weeks while trying to figure
it out.

 


Bearings don't make a clicking sound when a ball wears out, they make
an irregular grinding sound at first, then the grinding becomes
continuous.

When the front sprocket is really worn out, the tops of the individual
teeth are gone and the chain makes a clunking sound when you turn the
wheel forward or backward.

Loosening the chain makes the clunk go away temporarily, but it's not
safe to ride with a really loose chain.

Your click may be a broken spring on the rear brake shoes, or there
may be a lot of brake dust build up causing the shoes to stick a bit.

You should inspect your countershaft sprocket at least once a year if
you ride a lot. The 92200 safety washer under the nut that holds the
sprocket on is made of soft metal and it will fret and wear away and
the nut will loosen up.

You'll hear a tinkling noise if the front sprocket is loose.

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/kawasaki-motorcycle-vulcan-500=
-ltd-en500c6f-49-state-spec-us-2006-transmission/o/m4504sch436341

92200: WASHER