Whine/Chirping - 2nd Gen vs 1st Gen

[jryan]

I've got an 89 VR. Looking to buy 06 RSV from dealer 2000 miles away. Had a friend go check it out for me...he's used to riding a Honda Shadow...never ridden a Venture. He said it was great except he noticed when in 4th gear at about 45 mph he was hearing what he called a gear whine...kept going until he shifted. Said it happened at in 3rd also. Said it wasn't unbearable but was noticeable. The bike has had the clutch basket replaced (which the original owner told me helped a LOT).

 

I think the 1st gen & 2nd gen engines are basically the same engine.

 

I've read all the threads here about the whine & chirp and now I'm leary of plunking down the money if it's something that's overtly noticeable.

 

I'm wondering if I would notice that whine as much myself, since I've ridden my VR for 17 years & am used to that engine (never noticed anything myself).

 

Any ideas? Thanks for the help...JR

[Tom]

Well if you dont like noises Id say do not buy it. MOST of the time it does not bother me but sometimes you dwell on it and it is slight but works on you. I love my bike and would probably buy another but it seems they could get the whine out...They say it is the straight cut gears but I dont know. Now nearly all the bikes Ive ridden have some kind of quirk so Try and find someone close that has a 2nd Gen and ride it. Tom

[jryan]

I did ride an 07 RSV and I didn't notice anything...but I didn't ride this particular one either. That's kinda why I was wondering if being used to a 1st gen sound that maybe I wouldn't notice it as much as someone that hasn't...?

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I dont notice the gear whine much, but a couple of friends who have ridden my bike say it was very noticeable...

 

I just crank up the XM and ride!

 

 

[Guest KitCarson]

Jerry.......I will make a mistake or two about some things......but this clutch basket chirp......I am now an expert on. I fought the dealers daily for close to 90 days about getting my bike fixed , finally Yamaha stepped in and took charge.....solved the issue....even brought in a mechanic from another dealer.

 

Bottom line is you will always........always......forever and ever.......always, have some chirp in the range your friend is describing to you. It is simply a design characteristic of this particular machine. You will never hear it until 3rd gear....at the top end of 3rd cruising 40 miles per hour in traffic..yep very distinct.......also in 4th and 5th at town cruise speed......will fade out in 4th about 50 mph and 55 to 60 in 5th. My bike had a scream when I got it.......finally went through 4 baskets......now mine is normal......and the above described is normal.

 

Some bikes have this more than others........Crickett is pretty quiet now, but I had a good mechanic put two baskets in the bike in one day....they worked at it. I went on a ride to North Carolina yesterday.......and rode middle and behind a lot this time.......I could hear the clutch whine from the other bikes....yes even through the loud pipes we run.......get two or three bikes close.....it sets up a whole new set of harmonics.

 

It is simply something that is what it is......something you get used to and just ignore.......these bikes run better than any on the road.....comfort is the best there is.......and a full face or 3/4 helmet also helps muffle that high pitch whine. All the foriegn bikes have a bit of this........Yamaha is the worst......then Suzuki.........honda has a whole different sound.....kinda like a sewing machine............hope this helps . Kit

 

Oh there is several other whines.....one can be the rear drive.....but that is a whine or a scream....not a chirp........you can eliminate that one but getting up to about 50 mph......pull in the clutch......turn off the ignition......let the bike roll......if there is a problem with the drive or the rear pins......you will hear it.....but what you are talking about is the CHIRP.

[Guest MotorCycleRadio]

I just purchased a 2008 Venture on Nov 30th. It has the whine also, kind of sounds like a "turbine" engine. I kind of like it. To me it's not loud enough to be distracting or a problem. Of course, after hearing the REALLY LOUD whine of turbine engines on Huey choppers for many years I may have a small hearing loss in that frequency range.

[jryan]

So do you guys think that since I've ridden a 1st gen all these years, I would be less likely to notice this sound than someone who hasn't ridden a Venture?

 

Or is the sound not there at all on a 1st gen?

[Condor]

I've never rode alongside a 2ndGen with the whine, so I'm kinda in the dark as to what to listen for, but I've had 1stGens that have had the whine. At least it sounds like a jet engine winding up to speed, or a turbo building boost. I believe the gear on the 1stGen clutch boss is straight cut like those on the 2ndGen's boss. At least I think that's what Yamaha is replacing when they install a new clutch basket?? The noise on some of my bikes is more noticible than others, but I've never found it to be anoying to the point that it's driving me nutz. Maybe the 2ndGen sound is different???

[SilvrT]

 

Or is the sound not there at all on a 1st gen?

 

FYI... this '87 is my 2nd frst gen. 1st one was an '85. The '85 had a real bothersome whine in 4th & 5th around 3000 rpm... I rode that for 5 years...learned to live with it...worked the gearing soas I wasn't in that rpm a lot. My '87 doesn't whine but has a noise on deceleration... again..I'm learning to live with it. I love the 1st gen Venture and eventually will get a 2nd gen because I love the looks of them and the ride as well and for me, if what I buy has a whine, I'll learn to live with that too because there are just too many good things about these bikes IMHO.

 

Yamaha VR's & RSV's ROCK!

[sarges46]

Hey Jerry

 

How far are you from me? I live in Brandon Manitoba. If you are reasonably close, I could pop down and let you take mine for a spin this spring...thats if you can wait that long!

 

I do not have a screamer....but it is a little noisier than my 89 VR. I think the gear noise is just a little more noticable on the RSV than it is on the 1st gen. Friends riding with me have never said anything though...so its not that bad.

 

Never mind looking it up Jerry! I just did...you are about 5 hours from us....nice little ride down. I have all kinds of stuff I could show you on mine. I was also thinking that 2k miles is a long way to go....but then again..for the right price...after all I did get mine from Atlanta and drive her home!

[Guest KitCarson]

So do you guys think that since I've ridden a 1st gen all these years, I would be less likely to notice this sound than someone who hasn't ridden a Venture?

 

Or is the sound not there at all on a 1st gen?

You will just have to go ride that particular bike. The 1st gen whine is just about like normal on a 2nd gen.......They all have it a bit......does seem the 2nd gen....for whatever reason...does have more of this. But the sound does vary from bike to bike.......all you can do is go ride it.......some are to the extreme they do need the basket work.

[boominup]

You will just have to go ride that particular bike. The 1st gen whine is just about like normal on a 2nd gen.......They all have it a bit......does seem the 2nd gen....for whatever reason...does have more of this. But the sound does vary from bike to bike.......all you can do is go ride it.......some are to the extreme they do need the basket work.

 

OK! Here is my take on the 2nd Gen whine vs the 1st Gen whine. I had an 83 VR with about 43K miles when I gathered the gumshen to get rid of it for a 2nd Gen. I remember riding it (1st Gen) around town one day with all the side covers off after a spring tune-up and realizing that I thought that there was something wrong with the tranny. It seemed like there was a terrible WHINE in the drivetrain that I'd never heard before and after replacing the side covers on my bike, the whine mysteriously was almost nonexistant. My 2nd Gen has no such side panels and it has the same whine as the VR did without the panels on. It really is not that loud that it is bothersome to me but I always know it is there. It gives it a bit of character, like driving a Nascar stockcar. Straight cut gears, they both use them for strength. Like some other threads have mentioned, if this bike has warranty left and the whine is too bothersome, a simple clutch basket change to the "I" basket will most probably help, but not cure it as all that does is change the RPM/speed range that the whine will occur. These RSV's are the best rides out there (IMHO) for the buck and anything you buy out there will have some kind of quirk. Enjoy! Brian