[Dav101]

4500 miles 22 SP, no noise like that

 

[Dav101]

I have been hoping that the 6 people above that posted in this thread (over a month ago) that had a noise issue would return and share if the sound ever repeated again.

But it appears 5 of those 6 posters above have only posted once on this forum ...and that was in this thread, so I'm not holding my breath.

If any of you are still out there, does your issue remain?

I remain curious to know of an instance where this was verified by a dealer mechanic just to learn what it was identified as but can't find an example.

Luckily, with over 6700 miles on my SP, I haven't had any trouble outside of a noisy chain with a tight spot which I corrected at 3700 miles with an after market sealed chain.

Anyone?

 

[Dav101]

I wonder if the noise has anything to do with the way these 2022 Groms show up at dealerships with an extremely tight chain setting?

I've encountered 3 3rd generation Groms brand new on dealer floors that presented with the chain tighter than a banjo string. I mean no wiggle room at all.

If that isn't corrected by the dealer and it gets overlooked by the owner and the bike gets ridden in that state maybe the resulting forces pull on something causing an internal binding type wear of some kind?

Could that result in a transmission bearing getting stressed and messed up?

???

 

[Dav101]

Seems like gromsquatch, I believe is his name, on YouTube has had it many times.

My 2 cents for what it's worth

I first learned of this noise issue watching a youtuber that goes by Grom X Squatch with new content on the Grom from months ago. He posted a clear video of the sound while riding and said his dealer told him to just ride it until something catastrophic happens and then they would proceed with repairs. This youtuber has been very vocal and commented all over social media about the issue yet I could never find evidence where the issue was diagnosed and fixed. It is noteworthy to mention this youtuber is on the heavy side and off roads a lot on dirt trails.

This morning I was looking at comments on a video about a chimera clip-on mount for the Grom. In that video's comments Grom X Squatch posted and passed along what this may all come down to:

"it's caused by an over tight chain and jumping or heavier riders"

I can see where poor chain calibration or a combination of these factors could be the root cause. His full comment on the video: "this is what someone said on a video yesterday... 3 people that have had full engine replacement from 1 Dealer in my area,so it's a known issue, the main bearing housing slips in the stator side caused by the gearbox shaft bearings being to thin,it's caused by an over tight chain and jumping or heavier riders,total rebuild, split cases,specialist tools,,re machine the bearing housing, but it's to thin,,,,thanks honda"

Whether the shaft bearings were changed to be thinner between model generations remains unconfirmed as well as a "full engine replacement" being really necessary to correct the issue. But I can understand where an engine replacement happens so it can be sent to Honda during the diagnosis phase.

Clearly anyone buying a 2022 model should first check chain tension and correct it if necessary before accepting delivery on the newest bike.

As I've said, every new generation Grom I've seen on show room floors had an unnaturally tight chain. Both bikes I bought were given to me in just that state. I found it laughable but at least I caught it and corrected it before riding and break-in commenced.

 

[Dav101]

I have checked chain tension on two brand new units that a friend and I purchased a week apart from the same dealer and chain tension was correct.I have 0 miles on mine and he has about 40 miles on his.I am hoping all is well with ours.

You have a good dealer. I think the bikes show up with a tight chain right out of the crate. I can't imagine the dealers I've been to adjust the chains this way willfully. I think they're just un-crating the bikes and putting them on the sales floor as is and then perform necessary maintenance after each gets sold. I feel this way because I was presented with 2 tight roped chained bikes from 2 different dealers and passed on an ABS model I noticed the same way.

I could be wrong about all this, again ...just my theory.

 

[Dav101]

So aftermarket chain will fix the issue?
How much do they cost?

I wouldn't think so, a sealed chain only makes maintenance a bit easier. I replaced my original after about 3500 miles with an RK 420MRU U-RING chain from mnnthbx that works nicely with the OEM sprockets when I upgraded my chain adjusters.

You should be able to get a sealed chain for half that price from your local Honda dealer's parts department.

 

[Dav101]

When you say "loosen the chain almost the entire way" I'm thinking that is supposed to mean to within the specifications for chain slack.

Sounds like what Honda wants you to do when you adjust your chain, loosen the axel nut and adjust to 1.6" slack. A little over 1 inch and a half. When you tighten your axle nut to 44 foot pounds that will tighten up the chain just a bit, but that's ok.

Now ride and have fun. Keep it adjusted this way and that's the best you can do for the issue.

I've got over 13,000 miles on the 22 model Groms and it's worked for me since day 1 so far.

Hope it works for you too.

 

[Dav101]

I am going to call Honda North America and see what they say. I will tell them I refuse to take the bike to a dealership until a real solution is found. I am going to cite @Yellow22 's and GromXsquatch's rediclulous experiences as to why I will not take it to the dealership.

I wouldn't use GromXsuatch in your example to Honda. After he came to the realization he was running his chain too tight causing the issue, he made adjustments on the looser end of chain slack parameters and hasn't had the issue come up in a long time. Seems this problem was solved for him.

 

[Dav101]

3. If the issue only happens after 20 miles or so, I'm kind of screwed. He said no dealership is going to ride my bike that far to test it out because they don't have the time and Honda doesn't pay them to do that.

You could always just run the bike until it makes the sound your having after you've travelled to the dealer locale and then set someone from the dealer off on it to discover the sound for themselves.

 

[Dav101]

I did not see this. I assume he has a video on this? I'll look it up. Still curious to why a properly adjusted chain would cause this noise...

He hasn't made any videos about his Grom experience for months while constantly makes other unrelated ones but you can find in his comments where he admits his folly from having the chain adjusted too tightly.

I don't think a properly adjusted chain causes the issue. It's when the chain is set too tight where the issue begins to arise.

I've paid attention to this issue from day one and have yet to find definitive answers. I keep finding where someone complains about it and others suddenly come out of the woodwork and pile on yet inexplicably no one seems to follow through and share their solution.

Whether people are shy about sharing the simplicity of the solution or what action Honda may have taken to correct it remains a mystery to me.

One thing that the shared experiences I've found have in common is it appears to happen with bikes with lower mileages. No one with high mileage bikes seems to have an ongoing issue. Maybe people are learning something and have taken corrective measures but they're sure not sharing for whatever reason.

 

[Dav101]

I don't get the not sharing thing. Seems like gromx made so many videos complaining about it, IMO he owes an explanation for his solution.

I hope it is just the chain as I can't wait to replace mine anyway. IMO non sealed chains are garbage. I have never oiled it and I don't plan on it. When it wears out I'm getting an x ring chain.

Agreed. But after all that exaggerated heated hate he put on Honda I'm thinking it might be a little embarrassing for him to come out and say it was due to something he was contributing to the cause of.

I have never oiled it and I don't plan on it.

That right there. Be careful! I was of the same mind. After 1700 miles on your bike it wouldn't surprise me if you check chain slack and it's fine. But, and this is a big but, if you put the rear on a stand and slowly turn the rear wheel keep checking the slack and you may find a tight spot.

If you wash your bike a lot with a garden hose - chain rust likes to hide inside the inner links and not initially presenting on the outer side surfaces and might go unnoticed.

I was guilty of this, but it's how I last discovered when I needed a new chain - I rotated that wheel a quarter turn and suddenly my perfect slack went tight! Bam! Kept rotating slowly, now it's fine, rotate, tight again.

Looking at the big picture I think a lot of new riders are prone to adjusting their chain from only one reference point in the chain and not rotating to different areas of the chain and re-checking it here and there to facilitate discovery.

Imagine if you checked slack on a bad chain and made the adjustment based on a loose spot. You'd have a tight chain setting and not know it.

I have personally had noise from my non-sealed OEM chain and discovered it had tight and or loose areas. (And I know my lack of lubricating it didn't help.) The crazy thing is I was absolutely sure the sound was coming from the front of my bike before realizing it was caused by the OEM chain! I even swapped out my front brake pads to rule them out as the cause of the sound. I was so wrong but I could hear a faint rubbing when spinning the wheel and thought maybe it was contributing under speed. Swapped out the chain and my sound immediately disappeared.

A sealed chain is indeed more forgiving compared to the delicate fickle nature of the OEM non-sealed chain. My last 2 Groms I swapped the OEM chain out on day one before even putting a mile on them LoL

Edit: Also, lube that chain! At least it will keep the rust at bay.

 

[Dav101]

I am still doubting the chain adjustment is the cause of this issue. (Sub par chains sourced by Honda more likely?!?!) My Grom's chain has been in spec since the first ride. This noise does not sound like a noise the chain could possibly make. (I could definitely be wrong here. Just my opinion.) Yellow22 said his grom still makes the noise with the chain out of spec loose.

Still waiting for an acceptable solution.

I think people have differing noise issues and things become conflated. My personal example was simply chain related. Others seem to have quite a different issue. Maybe my rambling above can help some people define and sort out theirs.

As I've said I haven't found any definitive answers but remain interested in the subject because there isn't a concrete diagnosis to even create a solution for. I too am waiting to see where the issue goes.