High Pitch Whistle/Whine (Transmission?)

[Paul Cleveland]

Just bought a 2005 Tour Deluxe. Notice the distinct whine/whistle at lower speeds and during acceleration. Seems to go away if I pull in the clutch or let off the throttle, not so noticable on the freeway. This appears to be a common phenomenon and I have seen it attributed to Clutch, transmission, and/or shaft. Looking for help here as to what exactly this is and what I need to do to have this fixed or reduced (if possible) and if I cant do it myself, how much it should cost and who can fix it. Thanks for ANY help. Paul

[Judes Dude]

Hi Paul

I too, have just recently purchased a 2005 RSTD and am in the process of getting to know the ins and outs of the bike.

 

The noise may be the classic Yamaha whine. I have had a Virago, vstar1100 and now the RSTD. They all had various noises that came from within.

 

If you read the posts you will see many on this subject. There are some suggested fixes but most it appears just live with it.

 

I have it at a certain RPM so it is noticable in all gears. It is especially noticable in 3rd and 4th. In fourth it comes on strong at just under 50 and goes away if I accelerate a little faster.

 

since we don't have radios on the RSTD we can't drown it out.

 

I really noticed mine after reading posts and at first it annoyed me but now I use it as a audible speed sense and know about how fast I am going by the pitch of the whine.

 

The other thing I want to mention is that the v4's like to run at higher RPMs than a V-twin.

 

I too, don't notice the noise on the highway and with a little experimenting have found ways to minimize it when cruising around town.

 

I would have it checked out and hopefully it is just the "normal" whine.

 

Small price in my opinion to pay for a great bike.

 

Good luck

Dan:grandpa: Ear Plugs???

[BoomerCPO]

As I understand it (from reading here) the whine is caused by either the clutch basket OR the cut of the gears in the tranny.

 

Many have cited success with a clutch basket change out but not a 100% reduction of the whine.

 

I,like many others, have chosen to go with loud pipes and a IPOD music system,and lastly....trying various oils to help reduce the whine.

 

After all that you can do the choice is simple....Learn to live with it or trade the scoot for another brand.

 

Good luck with your efforts and your ultimate decision.

 

 

Boomer........who is keeping his Midnight Venture,whine and all.

[Guest Boomerbiker]

Google Yamaha Royal Star Venture clutch whine and you can read about the source and fix (for some) of the problem for hours on end. I have owned two Ventures, neither of which had the problem. I would never buy an RSTD or Venture without a test drive. The new RSTD that I rode in 2006 sounded like a million chirping crickets. I turned around after 4 miles and said no thanks. The Venturers website also has extensive postings and a visual display of the clutch assembly believed by most knowledgeable owners as the source of the problem.

[bobbyduck]

This sounds exactly like the "chirp" that is inherent with straight cut gears, which our machines have at the clutch basket / transmission interface. Mine was excruciatingly loud and got much better with an "I" coded clutch basket, though it took 6 months of screaming at Yamaha Canada to get any action at all. Amsoil has helped quiet this down even further, though it is still present. BUBs and the iPod cleared out the rest...

 

The bottom line is that it is a flaw in the motorcycle because it ruins the experience that you bought the bike to enjoy....and it is correctable in most cases but you need Yamaha on board or it may become expensive, good luck!

[Pecker]

There is an easy fix for this whine, it'll cost you about 400 bucks and can be done in a couple of hours. Order a set of Baron's Nasty Boys slip-ons and install them, then your good to go! There is an added bonus to the pipes, the neighbors will just love em!

Seriously, you can try having the clutch basket changed, it may or may not solve the problem. I wouldn't put that off too long, your bike is still under warranty, until 2010.

[keboostman]

An even less expensive solution: ear plugs.

[FreezyRider]

There is an easy fix for this whine, it'll cost you about 400 bucks and can be done in a couple of hours. Order a set of Baron's Nasty Boys slip-ons and install them, then your good to go! There is an added bonus to the pipes, the neighbors will just love em!

Seriously, you can try having the clutch basket changed, it may or may not solve the problem. I wouldn't put that off too long, your bike is still under warranty, until 2010.

 

 

Dave,

Not picking on you or wanting to get an argument started....but I've always wondered exactly how adding more noise can fix a noise problem? Most (not all) people who buy Ventures don't want a bike that puts out enough noise to offend other people, and doing things like adding loud pipes and cranking the radio up high enough to rattle windows in order to cover an obnoxiously loud chirp sounds like someone trying to PO his neighbors.

Plus, if you have anything more than a mild chirp it won't help. I know what I'm talking about here. I have a 99 that my friends call "the screamer". The chirp is outrageous. It came with 4-2-4 nasty boys when I bought it in June. Not only was the chirp annoying, so were the pipes. So, I had 2 sources of obnoxious noise to deal with.

I changed to RK pipes and the overall experience is better. Less overall noise is far less irritating even though the chirp is still there. Funny, the chirp doesn't seem as loud as it was WITH the Baron's pipes. The 2 sources of noise seemed to feed on each other.

Just my

 

 

Joe

Edited August 5, 2009 by FreezyRider
typo

[SteveW]

Ear plugs work for me !

[Pecker]

Freezy, the first part of my post was purely in jest, nothing I do should be taken seriously. My wife often says I am an eight year old disguised as a 40 year old man! I too do not want to start any serious debate about loud pipes or the abilty (or inability) to save lives, I was just having a little fun. I do not want to promote nor deter people in their choice in aftermarket exhuast fashion, it's their bike and their choice.

I appologize if I may have hit a nerve, that was not my intention.

[TIMEtoRIDE]

At least you guys know where the sound comes from. Straight cut gears on a clutch basket make a serious racket.

On the XJ forum , they think it comes from the bevel gears at the front of the driveshaft. The middle gear. I try to shed some light, and I get arguements !

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=18442.html

[FreezyRider]

Freezy, the first part of my post was purely in jest, nothing I do should be taken seriously. My wife often says I am an eight year old disguised as a 40 year old man! I too do not want to start any serious debate about loud pipes or the abilty (or inability) to save lives, I was just having a little fun. I do not want to promote nor deter people in their choice in aftermarket exhuast fashion, it's their bike and their choice.

I appologize if I may have hit a nerve, that was not my intention.

 

No, you didn't hit a nerve....I probably came across a bit stern. That's the problem with just reading words and not speaking face to face, it's hard to tell what the poster meant.

 

It's just that I have read "add loud pipes" about a hundred times as serious advise to someone wanting to know about a possible fix for the chirp. And I think it's seriously flawed advise. To me, it's like telling someone with a toothache to drive a nail through the palm of their hand in order to fix the toothache. Yeah, the tooth wouldn't bother you for a while, but the problem is still there and will resurface.

 

This might get long, but here goes....

 

In my opinion, there are 3 kinds of clutch noise common to the Venture/ RSTD. There is the Whine, the Chirp, and the SCREAM (in ascending order of irritation). I've experience 2 of these 3 first hand on bikes I've owned, and the third I have heard on other's bikes.

 

If you have the Whine it may be irritating at first but you'll soon get used to it and after a short time you won't even hear it anymore unless someone asks about it. This is kind of like what happens when you live next to an airport. After a time you adjust to the sound of planes taking off and landing in the middle of the night and you don't even hear it anymore.

 

If you have a chirp you may also get the whine with it. If so, you'll hear the whine in most RPM ranges. Again, it won't really be bothersome, you'll just know that the gears are spinning. But at certain ranges the whine changes....kinda like the green HULK....and becomes something else altogether. The pitch of the noise moves into a different, irritating frequency, and it no longer sounds like a smooth consistent whine. You can hear definite, individual chirps...although they come so fast that unless you listen closely you may think that it is one consistent noise. It isn't. This is the noise that my first RSV had.

 

Now to the bad one....the scream. I should have capitalized that word, because lower case doesn't do justice to the sound. What does it sound like? Well, it sounds like a CHIRP on STEROIDS!!! Look at a picture of Barry Bonds before steroids, and then one after. Now imagine that the before pic is a chirp. The 'after' pic is the SCREAM. No kidding.

My current RSV, which I bought in June, had the scream. A constant (within the bad rpm range) humongous chirp that has no "valleys", just a mountaintop of ear-piercing scream.

 

I have, thankfully, been able to lessen this noise somewhat.....at least to a point where it is tolerable. There is no one thing, no easy answer. I believe that every bike is different and takes a different attack plan to resolve this. I tried every oil that has been recommended here...Rotella Dino (horrible...screamed worse), Castrol 20w-50, Amsoil, Mobil 1, Rotella Synth. I have found that for my bike synthetic oil makes it quieter than dino oil. And it doesn't matter whether it is the highest priced synth or the lowest. It all works about the same. In addition, making sure that the rear end drive pins (not the splines) were well lubed and that the rear end was in proper alignment helped a bit. But the biggest difference was made by .....are you ready for this? An additive. Yes, one of those evil additives that some here will surely jump in and tell me will ruin my clutch, rot my teeth, and cause Satan to claim my first born. This product is called MotorKote. Amazing stuff. I will not argue with those who refuse to try it. That's fine with me. I checked it out thoroughly, even got a written guarantee from the manufacturer that it would not harm a wet clutch system. And it took 50% (at least) of the noise away. I'm sold on it. Check it out if you want to ( http://www.motorkote.com ) maybe it will help your chirp. I'm glad I found it.

 

Joe

Edited August 5, 2009 by FreezyRider
typo...why do I always see it right after hitting Submit?

[bobbyduck]

I too had a SCREAMER when I bought my 2006 RSTD. It was so loud, that with the windshield off and BUB slipons, at 70 MPH all I could hear was the scream. People would come up to me in a parking lot and tell me that I really need to get that bike fixed, something is wrong with it!

 

An "I" basket did most of the trick in my case. It's still in there but not really objectionable. Amsoil helped more.

 

The sad part is that it took 6 months, starting with a simple request, then restating it nicely, finally ending up with both my dealer and myself shouting at Yamaha Canada. During that period, I was put off with lies, excuses, being ignored entirely, and even having a factory "rep" in Montreal try to explain to me that "Noise is subjective. Some motorcyclists actually modify their motorcycles to make more noise"..! (Like you could ever find anyone who would intentionally increase gear whine...sheesh!) Further, their entire attitude was as if I was being unreasonable and that they finally helped me when they didn't really need to, just because they were so nice. Even after I politely requested it, they absolutely refused to be the slightest bit apologetic about building it that way in the first place, or being so hard to deal with about it. The Montral Rep stated "I'm sorry my explanation didn't make you happy!

 

Anyhow, good luck to any who have a screamer...!

[rdhc]

Joe,

 

How much motorkote do you use? Do you use it every oil change? How long have you been using it?

 

Thanks,

Randy

[FreezyRider]

Joe,

 

How much motorkote do you use? Do you use it every oil change? How long have you been using it?

 

Thanks,

Randy

 

I have only used it once so far. The company suggested that I start with 1 oz per quart of oil. Being of a rather independent nature, I decided that they had probably never heard a scream of the magnitude that my engine had, and I used 2 oz per quart. They say to use it every 3rd or 4th oil change. I will use it every change for awhile to see what happens. I have about 2000 miles on my first usage, and it took about 800 miles for the full effect to be heard. I did hear a change starting around 3-4 hundred miles and it progressively got better.

Another member here has been using it for 2 riding seasons and has experienced nothing but good results. Your mileage may vary.....

 

Joe

[keboostman]

If I can stand the whine is it safe to not do anything about it? In other words, does the whine eventually lead to some catastrophic failure or is it simply irritating?

[silverdeer0454]

The whine, chirp, squeel, scream, generally means nothing. Damage isn't being caused except to your hearing. My ride is loud and hasn't become less noticable after installing Khrome Werks mufflers, heck even the mechanic said it was pretty bad. But it doesn't bother me at all. On another post about this same subject some one said "I tell people it's the turbo waste gate" That's the reason I give. Doesn't change the fact that this is the bike I have wanted my whole life. I can deal with the little things such as noise. My ex was much louder than this bike will ever be and I lived with that for 20 years!.

 

 

[BIG MO]

Were do you buy it . Will try any thing one time . Can't do much harm for one try . Thanks for the info big mo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i have only used it once so far. The company suggested that i start with 1 oz per quart of oil. Being of a rather independent nature, i decided that they had probably never heard a scream of the magnitude that my engine had, and i used 2 oz per quart. They say to use it every 3rd or 4th oil change. I will use it every change for awhile to see what happens. I have about 2000 miles on my first usage, and it took about 800 miles for the full effect to be heard. I did hear a change starting around 3-4 hundred miles and it progressively got better.

Another member here has been using it for 2 riding seasons and has experienced nothing but good results. Your mileage may vary.....

 

Joe

[FreezyRider]

I buy from their website http://www.motorkote.com

 

BigMO, I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. It will be interesting to hear your results. I am convinced that every situation is different, and what works for one will not necessarily work for others. Some are able to quiet it down by using Amsoil or Mobil 1 or "you name your oil", but those didn't work for me. So let us know how this works out for you. Give it about 500 miles and then report back.

 

 

Joe

Edited August 7, 2009 by FreezyRider

[Paul Cleveland]

Hello All - I realize I have the distinct chirp, and it may be close to the "scream". Thanks so much for all the responses.

I have a follow up question. What exactly is an "I" basket and how does it differ from the original equipment straight cut gears? How does it reduce the chirp? I found some great pictures of a clutch replacement procedure here,

 

http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002006&id=309

 

I think I understand where the chirp is coming from.

 

I have searched the internet for bad stuff about MotorKote and can not find anything but anecdotal "Do not use additives". I have never used additives since my high school auto shop teacher said not to, but this chirp is annoying and I am willing to take a leap of faith on Dave's experience with this stuff.

 

Again, thanks all - I will let you know how the Motorkote works, good,bad, or indifferent.

 

Paul

[Paul Cleveland]

I meant Joe's experience. I tried to post on the end of my original thread. I will try again.

Thanks guys.

Paul

[FreezyRider]

As I understand it, and I might not have the definitive answer, the only difference between the different "letters" of clutch baskets is the clearance between the gears when they mesh. In other words, the I basket provides a very small amount of additional clearance than the stock basket.

 

Joe

[Paul Cleveland]

I guess I did post to the end - didn't go to the second page, Duh.

 

I tried that link but it takes you to the front of the Ventures tech library. The article is titled "Removing the Clutch Basket"

 

Later

[Jethroish]

My wife often says I am an eight year old disguised as a 40 year old man!

 

 

Eight? She gives you that much? Heck, I rarely get half of that.

[ManWithAVision]

No, you didn't hit a nerve....I probably came across a bit stern. That's the problem with just reading words and not speaking face to face, it's hard to tell what the poster meant.

 

It's just that I have read "add loud pipes" about a hundred times as serious advise to someone wanting to know about a possible fix for the chirp. And I think it's seriously flawed advise. To me, it's like telling someone with a toothache to drive a nail through the palm of their hand in order to fix the toothache. Yeah, the tooth wouldn't bother you for a while, but the problem is still there and will resurface.

 

This might get long, but here goes....

 

In my opinion, there are 3 kinds of clutch noise common to the Venture/ RSTD. There is the Whine, the Chirp, and the SCREAM (in ascending order of irritation). I've experience 2 of these 3 first hand on bikes I've owned, and the third I have heard on other's bikes.

 

If you have the Whine it may be irritating at first but you'll soon get used to it and after a short time you won't even hear it anymore unless someone asks about it. This is kind of like what happens when you live next to an airport. After a time you adjust to the sound of planes taking off and landing in the middle of the night and you don't even hear it anymore.

 

If you have a chirp you may also get the whine with it. If so, you'll hear the whine in most RPM ranges. Again, it won't really be bothersome, you'll just know that the gears are spinning. But at certain ranges the whine changes....kinda like the green HULK....and becomes something else altogether. The pitch of the noise moves into a different, irritating frequency, and it no longer sounds like a smooth consistent whine. You can hear definite, individual chirps...although they come so fast that unless you listen closely you may think that it is one consistent noise. It isn't. This is the noise that my first RSV had.

 

Now to the bad one....the scream. I should have capitalized that word, because lower case doesn't do justice to the sound. What does it sound like? Well, it sounds like a CHIRP on STEROIDS!!! Look at a picture of Barry Bonds before steroids, and then one after. Now imagine that the before pic is a chirp. The 'after' pic is the SCREAM. No kidding.

My current RSV, which I bought in June, had the scream. A constant (within the bad rpm range) humongous chirp that has no "valleys", just a mountaintop of ear-piercing scream.

 

I have, thankfully, been able to lessen this noise somewhat.....at least to a point where it is tolerable. There is no one thing, no easy answer. I believe that every bike is different and takes a different attack plan to resolve this. I tried every oil that has been recommended here...Rotella Dino (horrible...screamed worse), Castrol 20w-50, Amsoil, Mobil 1, Rotella Synth. I have found that for my bike synthetic oil makes it quieter than dino oil. And it doesn't matter whether it is the highest priced synth or the lowest. It all works about the same. In addition, making sure that the rear end drive pins (not the splines) were well lubed and that the rear end was in proper alignment helped a bit. But the biggest difference was made by .....are you ready for this? An additive. Yes, one of those evil additives that some here will surely jump in and tell me will ruin my clutch, rot my teeth, and cause Satan to claim my first born. This product is called MotorKote. Amazing stuff. I will not argue with those who refuse to try it. That's fine with me. I checked it out thoroughly, even got a written guarantee from the manufacturer that it would not harm a wet clutch system. And it took 50% (at least) of the noise away. I'm sold on it. Check it out if you want to ( http://www.motorkote.com ) maybe it will help your chirp. I'm glad I found it.

 

Joe

 

I did some digging and have found that the Motorkote products are distributed in Canada at www.motorkote.ca by a company based in Winnipeg. They also have two distributors in the Toronto area - Lotus Distributing @ 705-434-0141 and 416-434-8145 (Tom) as well as Owol Distributing in Barrie @ 705-735-9479.

 

The products are quite popular in the trucking industry and the lady I spoke with at Lotus says they all use it in their cars as well and saw no reason why it could not be used in motorcycles. I plan on giving it a try as my 06 RSTD has both the whine and the chirp. I will be leaving for a week long bike trip next week so I hope to add some before I go and will post the results of the trial upon my retrun.