OK, so my '05 DR has been parked up for 10 days while I waited for a replacement rear tyre, the bike was running perfectly before it was temporarily laid up. Yesterday I finally got my new tyre (Truck drivers have been on strike in greece) put it on and went to fire up the bike for a test drive and when turning over it was making a horrible loud knocking noise and started only briefly before dying again.

The bike has been stood on its centre stand, without its rear wheel on in a field where we are camping. As I said bike was running perfectly before I had tyre troubles and always has. It was too dark to do anything last night so I dropped the bike back onto its side stand on the off chance that it might help get some oil back in to some much needed place and left it til this morning, managed to get it started and idling today but it is still knocking, not as loud as before but definately knocking, and gets worse when you open the throttle.

It sounds like top end, my first thoughts are valve clearances, but it seems very odd that they would just go so suddenly but I've left the bike to cool down and will check them later.

Any other thoughts/suggestions

Last oil change was about 2000 miles ago new filter at previous change, good semi synthetic, valves last checked about 9000 miles ago.

Thanks in advance

Matt

__________________
a2wheeledadventure.com