Thread: Kawasaki EN500 - Engine knocking noise untill hot..then fades - what could it be?

I aquired a '90 Kawasaki EN500 (Vulcan) which is an inline twin, carb, belt drive, cam chain not lifters.. 17-18K miles?? had to replace speedo cable so who knows!
Worry:
At cold, (cold as it gets in hawaii) - There seems to be a knocking noise every revolution of the engine. it *seems* louder from the lower part of the motor. (not a head / valve noise) Not a gear /final drive noise. Not a buzzing noise.
chunk chunk chunk is more like it at idle.
I noted that twitching the throttle can cause the noise to come and go, even when motor still cold, but chunking returns if motor left at idle.
Noted that the noise will fade at idle after the motor gets hot.
After motor hot, noise seems like it appears quietly when the engine is loaded ( like in 1st gear pulling up an incline)
Idle is smooth and there seems plenty of torque.
Can't afford a shop, I do have good electrical and mechanical skills, looking for suggestions of what to suspect.
I do have a manual.
~Aloha

Hey hostile! You think its a POS? Ya probably rode the snot out of it and now its done.