Engine noise at cold start-up in '18 F3 Limited Anniversary Edition

My Spyder's engine (left side) produces an unsettling sound that occurs only on cold start ups after the Spyder has been sitting overnight in the garage. I made a video recording to capture what sounds like loose metal rattling inside the engine casing.

Can anyone else – specifically those who have a 2018 F3 – share if this also occurs after their Spyder has been sitting overnight in an area where there's shade or in a garage. The unsettling intensity of the rattling noise completely fades away approximately after 5 minutes of idling or riding. My Spyder has 715 miles so I realise it's not broken in as of yet. However a couple months ago I had a brand new '18 RT Limited on loan for a couple weeks (which had 2 miles on the odometer when I left with it) while my Spyder was in for warranty work (unrelated to this particular one) and I didn't hear this unsettling noise in the loaner RTL.

I've already made arrangements to bring my Spyder back into the dealer in a couple weeks to address this concern if it's not normal.

My 2018 f3 limited does not make any unusual noises on start up after sitting over night or even a week. I have a little over a 1000 miles on it.

I've had the same noises on my F3 Ltd. Just a thought, check your oil level. I have finally got mine down to where it's supposed to be (close) and the noise was been reduced by quite a bit. When they did my first oil change they put too much in. It was also this way when I bought it! :gaah: So far I have taken 1/2 quart (500 ml) out and it's just now down to the max fill mark. It's been this way now for 4200 miles without damage, I hope. The noise did go down a lot after about 5 minutes of running before. If it wasn' t such a pain in the ass to check the oil level correctly we wouldn't have this problem. :banghead: . I still need to suck out some more. Before you laugh, I use a 1/2 inch clear plastic tubing and push it down into the oil reservour. You can watch the oil being sucked out so you don't get a mouth full. Like siphoning gas LOL. It takes about 2 oz out at a time. BTW, the engine does seen to rev easier now, ya think:banghead:

My 2017 F3 LTD does this also. Please post what your dealer finds.

Thanks.

I've always felt that our 2017 F3L was rather "uncomfortably noisier" than expected and more "metal-icky sounding" than I would really like. However, following others' advice to "ryde more, worry less", I have grown to (mostly) ignore and (grudgingly) accept it. For the first few weeks/months I kept checking out other running Spyders, listening for and comparing their engine sounds. Mine always sounded to me like metal was rubbing on metal, kind of a "metallic whirring"; a noise kind of like what I imagined a berserk sewing machine would sound like when out of control. Someone else described it recently as " a blender gone mad". I'll go for that!! And, like the OP here, it always seemed to me to be coming from under the left front.

Well, all I can say today is that we have managed to ryde about 13,000 km in the past 13 months - in varying weather, in both hot and cool temps, in FL and in Canada. Our F3L sounds pretty much the same everywhere, and whether it's at start-up or after running the roads - still whirring and blending. Anyway, it runs well, is lots of fun otherwise, AND is covered by warranty. I have checked the oil level from time to time, but didn't find any fault there, so hardly bother now. If it "whirrs" itself to death, I'm leaving it to my dealer and/or BRP to figure it out.

Meanwhile, we're just "blending along", enjoying the back country roads and Spyder-filled days while we can. And hoping to concentrate more on the songbirds we see/hear. Safe and happy ryding folks.

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Originally Posted by Seattle

My Spyder's engine (left side) produces an unsettling sound that occurs only on cold start ups

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Could be part of the exhaust is a little loose and tightens up when hot; maybe even something inside the CAT.
But most of that stuff is on the right side, from the riders perspective.

You might have to arrange to BE THERE some morning when the shop first opens up to be sure they are actually testing for what you are hearing.

I know it might be hard to imagine but some shops just blow off complaints like this ;).......only to have parts fall off later.:shocked:

It's rather common with the Spyders. I couldn't believe what I was hearing once I was well enough to start ryding it after my accident. Compared to any of my wet clutch bikes it sounded like the clutch was gonna grenade! :yikes:

Mine was like yours up to and thru the first service and on to the next oil change (5000 miles later) where I did it myself and switched to Castrol Power RS (now called Power 1) 10w-50 full synth that I had on the shelf from my 2 wheel days prior to the accident. They make it in 10w-40 for those worried about it for whatever reason. Now, it is pretty much quiet. I can hear a very feint bit of it if I listen real close and it goes away in 1 min vs 5... It shifts SOOOOO much better after the switch! :bowdown:

My 2017 F3 limited with 200 miles, made an unusual rough noise and went into Limp Home Mode. I took it in for repair it was a bad sparkplug from factory.

Thanks for responding. I can say without a doubt it's unlikely it's anything related the exhaust system. I was able to mostly isolate the unsettling noise mainly in the upper left side of the engine.

Unfortunately the closest authorised Spyder dealer is 65 miles away from me so my only option is to leave it with them and borrow another Spyder to return home. Hopefully they'll be able to distinguish the noise from the other '18 F3 models they have in their showroom. The owner of the dealer is a friend as well so I trust he will do what he can to help accommodate my concerns. He has always been receptive to my requests so I entrust he will continue to do as such for this issue.

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Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Could be part of the exhaust is a little loose and tightens up when hot; maybe even something inside the CAT.
But most of that stuff is on the right side, from the riders perspective.

You might have to arrange to BE THERE some morning when the shop first opens up to be sure they are actually testing for what you are hearing.

I know it might be hard to imagine but some shops just blow off complaints like this ;).......only to have parts fall off later.:shocked:

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Thanks to everyone who so far has responded as to their own experiences as to what's causing the engine noise. I'll be sharing your responses with my dealer's service team when I make arrangements to have my Spyder looked at in their shop.

I hope more people will continue to chime in with their experiences or suggestions so that these too can be passed along. If enough people continue to share their stories in this discussion thread where this shows it's not isolated to a few Spyder owners but many F3's, BRP may look into this further for some sort of resolution if there's one to be made.

My 17 F3L is also noisy on cold start-up. Dealers tell me it is normal. And if it is going to blow-up will happen under warranty. This is a popular issue with many posts with many theories of it’s cause. Search for them. I’ve had a lot of new bikes and each seems to have it’s own clunks and noises. If you want to be reassured, give a listen to a Victory or Harley on a cold start.

Thanks for confirming. Dealer also fired up the new F3's and like mine, similar engine noise while cold which dissipates after it's warmed up a few minutes later. As long as the engine temp remains consistent and the motor doesn't seize up then I'll consider it good and hope the warranty won't be needed for engine work.

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Originally Posted by GaryinWI

My 17 F3L is also noisy on cold start-up. Dealers tell me it is normal. And if it is going to blow-up will happen under warranty. This is a popular issue with many posts with many theories of it’s cause. Search for them. I’ve had a lot of new bikes and each seems to have it’s own clunks and noises. If you want to be reassured, give a listen to a Victory or Harley on a cold start.

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This is normal for these engines. There was a thread a while back also discussing this. Ill try to find it.

The new 1330 with the new 6 speed tranny also got a new clutch system. They went hydraulic...these systems need to charge up and in some cases it takes a few minutes for this to occur. With the weight oil being used it could be with a rather hot engine the oil is draining out thus making the rather unpleasant noise most hear at some point. I remember some big twin Kawasaki's we would service and have to push away from the area and start cause they sounded like the top end was gone and we would have to test ride them a long time till the lifters would charge up. You don't want the customer to hear all that....:roflblack: Seems a heavier weight oil in hot climates or going to a better quality helps with the noise as well as putting some miles on it....

I have it my brother has it 17 F3L this is normal it will not do it when u restart dealer said was not an issue