I bought a low mileage 2015 XT250 in March and just changed the oil, filter and o-rings at 600 miles a few days ago. All has been going well until today.

This evening I started the bike while it was on the side stand and, as I donned my helmet I heard a scraping noise emanating from the underside of the engine . Of course the aluminum skid plate amplifies all noises great and small, but this noise was new and sounded like something was "dry".

I stood the bike upright and the noise "dampened" and subsided. I held it upright for about 30 seconds then leaned it back on the side stand. I shut off the engine and stood the bike upright and looked into the sight glass. Slowly the oil filled up the glass to the halfway mark. All seemed okay and I rode it to a friend's house for a visit.

On the return ride the engine was started twice while upright. Frankly, I had forgotten about the noise nor did I hear anything to remind me of it. Once home I left the bike in the driveway on the sidestand. And it stood for several hours before putting it away. But before moving it to put it away I wondered if the same noise could be replicated. So, I again started the bike while on the sidestand and the dry, scraping noise was again heard.

I stood the bike up, the noise dampened/dissipated. As soon as it did, I tipped it back to the side stand and the noise came back. I did this a couple of times and it seems like a bearing or some moving part is high and dry when the bike is on the side stand and then gets washed with oil when I stand it upright.

I'm afraid that some damage may be occurring, but I do not know the cause for the suspected "dry bearing" (?) scraping noise.

Any ideas?

Stating the obvious, but with no idea what it might be not being there to hear it first hand, when you straddle the bike and have it upright as you start it, with the oil level consistent and no high side potentially running dry, apparently it doesn't make the sound you're concerned about. Only when you start it while it's leaning on the kickstand.

For now, while you're coming to a firm conclusion, obviously you'll want to start your bike only when it's upright - making certain its oil level is where it should be. Others may have better ideas than that, but until you have the answer you're looking for start it only when it's upright. At least you won't be troubled with the noise you're concerned with when it's leaning on the kickstand.

When you do come up with the answer you're looking for let us know what you find..

That bike is too new for any serious issues unless it had been abused by the prior owner. As for oil, the pleated filter could have caused damage if it was mixed up with an XT225 filter. Yamaha did sort of a dumb thing regarding those filters. As in mixing them up (they look the same) can starve off oil flow.

I'd do the obvious first. Remove your skid plate and clear the engine case of anything not OEM. See if that eliminates the noise. You can also drain the oil and look for any metal filings. A new bike may produce a small amount of these which isn't of concern. You should be past that point now and the oil should be clean.

Where I'm heading is to rule out external mechanical noise first before thinking about more serious internal problems. Good luck.

Many single cylinder bikes vibrate enough to scrape the side-stand with each cylinder pulse on concrete or a hard surface (if there is no weight on the bike).

Lean the bike over with the side-stand up and check for the sound....or start it on the lawn with the side-stand down.

It's a wild shot yes, but maybe....

patuca

Was the bike dropped before you bought it?

Bike was apparently too heavy for previous owner to manage on the trail. (I think her testosterone-jacked husband, with years of experience, expected her to keep up with him...)

Despite the low miles; the handlebars. hand guards, brake lever, shift lever, rear blinkers, left foot peg, and even the license plate (from a loop, perhaps?), were either buggered, bent or broken. The fork tubes were slightly twisted in the triple clamp and the tank has a dime sized dent neat the filler cap. Other than that it runs strong, sounds good (except for recent noise).

I fixed all the other, cosmetic issues, but this has me wundrin'. I isolated the skid plate with rubber grommets and undercoating. That took care of 90% of the reflected noise. That's why this new sound was so obvious.

A riding buddy said he had a similar issue with his KLX 250. His cam chain wouldn't auto advance. He checked the oil, warmed it up on a ride then twisted the throttle and screamed it. He said his chain was forced to grab the next tooth. And all was good. 🤔

I'll keep checking with those in the know. Rather difficult on a Sunday and shops aren't open until Tuesday...

Thanks for any ideas. Tho' I don't think it was the sidestand on the pavement (I've actually heard that sound on another bike, some time ago). The sound was definitely engine related.

His cam chain? or his cct? wouldn't auto advance.
His chain? or his cct? was forced to grab the next tooth.

I would describe a loose cam chain as more of a rattling noise, rather than a scraping noise.

Is this a random noise? Or does it happen whenever the bike is started on the side stand? Could be easier to diagnose if it happens all the time.

I have a bike (not the XT) where the clutch pressure plate would rub up against the clutch cover. When you start the bike up you can pull in the clutch lever and see if the sound goes away. If the sound goes away, then that is probably where the problem lies. If the sound doesn't go away, you have probably eliminated the possibility that it is clutch related.

I would also go ahead and adjust the valves if you haven't already done so. Not that I think this is where the problem is, but you need to do that anyway (assuming the 250 is on a similar maintenance schedule as the 225).

I think worst case scenario you have an oil flow issue. Although I think this is highly unlikely, even on a bike that has been dropped (maybe even several times).

Ok, so it did lead a relatively hard life before you got it. I would definitely confirm you've got the correct oil filter. An XT225 oil filter installed in an XT250 starves the valve train of oil and will kill it in short order. All the crashing certainly could have bent or damaged something that's causing the noise.







I'll agree with #brer15 on this one and say... huh? Cam chain tensioners (CCT's) are supposed to automatically maintain the proper tension, but running the bike wide open doesn't fix that. Most CCT's have a spring-loaded plunger that pushes plastic guides against the slack side of the chain to keep it from flapping around too much. Bad CCT's tend to make a rattling noise as the chain slaps against the casing or guides and will make aluminum filings in the oil. It can also break the cam chain guides and leave pieces of plastic in the oil sump.

Clutches can make rattly noises when in neutral. If pulling in the clutch lever makes the noise go away, perhaps you've found the source.

I like patuca's suggestion to lean the bike over (both directions) with the side stand up and see what happens. I'd do that both cold and hot.

Your bike, relatively recent though it is, has obviously been through the wringer with its previous owner/rider. The more you tell us the more I side with the guys who suggest you make sure the oil filter you have installed is for an XT250, not a 225. The wrong filter will kill your engine. So don't delay and don't start it again until you have that question answered.

There is a picture of those 2 filters somewhere on the site, if anyone remembers where it is. D2X250 would probably recognize which one he used from that.
I think if you used the wrong one, you would have already seized the engine by now.