\i went to have a look at a JTX320 for sale near me today and it seemed a bit noisy on tickover.... sort of a knocky kind of noise... when i revved it it didnt seem to get louder really. I dont know much about gasgas engines... just wondering if they are generally noisy on tickover? Any help greatly appreciated!

Cheers, Maz

Did the noise alter when you pulled the clutch in? Or was it definately engine noise?

no it did not seem to alter when i pulled in the clutch.... it sounded its worse when it was idling! sounds like a big end to me. Pity really.... other than that its a nice bike!

Is it cheap enough that you could afford an engine rebuild if it gets worse,or is it noisy enough to need looking at now?Does it start ok,gearbox/clutch work properly?should be very a torquey engine that'll drag you up anything,they were a brilliant mud bike.,what does it ride like?

You might take another look. My 1999 321 and our 2000 280 both sounded loose, and I've heard lot's of GG's that have. Mine started sounding like that right after I bought it. I worried so much about it that I put a new piston and rings in it about a year after I got it, going from an A piston to a B. When I got it apart it didn't even look worn a bit, and the lower end bearings were fine. It was just as you described, sort of rattly sounding at idle that would pretty much disappear as the RPM came up. Always had great power. Even after I put the the new top end in it sounded exactly the same. So I rode it for the next eight years without a single problem. Same thing with the 280. Both ran perfectly and sounded exactly the same the day I sold them. New owners have been tickled to death with them.

Sounds like piston slap to me........ie, too much piston skirt to cylinder wall clearance. My 02 280 pro got very noisy.......still ran fine but you could run the risk of the skirt breaking off and grenading the engine. Then again, I've seen people get away with it for years as stated above. I replaced the cylinder and piston in mine and it is now very quiet at idle. I think if you want absolute certainty, replacing the piston and cylinder as a matched set is the way to go. My brother owns the exact same bike as you do and his is also very quiet at idle........I'd personally find another bike that's tighter unless you don't mind repairs or the money associated with them.......... Just my $.02

My 2000 200 is exactly the same a rattle on tickover but when revs are built up it dissapears. Was worried at first but had it looked at and it's spot on just a gasser thing

Mine has the same only when cold, after warming up it's quiet. It also helps to keep the airfilter very clean and only use 98 octane gas.