Every once in a while when I start or stop or turn tight in low gear, I hear some kind of a noise coming from my front differential. I asked my mechanic about it but he said without actually hearing it, it was probably normal.

I have a 99 Honda ES, has anybody else experienced this? I hate to take my scooter in to have it looked at for this if there is nothing abnormal about it. (They will keep it for two weeks before they even look at it!) I have had two other scooters and I never heard the front diff. make any noise.

 

Snap? Crackle? Pop? Growl? Whine? What kind of noise? An occasional pop may be just a CV or universal joint temporarily binding, maybe a burr on the driveshaft and collar splines; a steady repetition may indicate worn joints and/or bearings.

Tree Farmer

 

The best way I can describe the noise is if you could imagine two large gears turning together without any pressure on them. (Let me try to explain.) If you had the rear axle of a car out on your workbench and there was no grease/oil in the hub and you manually spun the axle, the noise you would hear coming from the gear box in the hub is close to what I hear! Does that help?