Cure for the RSTD Whine?

[Steve-O]

Has there been a certified "fix" for the Royal Star Whine? I understand some have worse than others. Later models seem to have it better. Synthetic oil helps. But has there been a source identified (clutch basket is thought to be the cause) and a fix?

 

Saw this in an earlier thread:

After 3 trips to my local dealership to see about an I-basket swap, the dealership felt it was a final drive (rear end) issue and not a clutch issue. Two trips and a call to Yamaha yielded that there was a "message" out about improperly installed spacers in the final drive housing. Mine was found to have this issue. The tech pulled mine apart, found the grommets that hold the spacers were not seated correctly, liberally lubed everything and put it all back together. I have only been riding it for about 150 miles since the "fix", but so far all the whine and chirp is gone.

Wondering if there was something to this.... Needless to say, my 2006 has the whine bad. Pretty much whines in all gears if there is a load of any kind on the motor.

 

Love the bike EXCEPT for this. It's something I don't want to live with...might have to get a different bike if I can't come up with a solution.

[dacheedah]

Do you have any warrantee left???

[Cougar]

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=51870

 

I have had 5 baskets in mine already. did it until I found

the right rpm range to be in. just be above 3k rpm

and you won't hear it. to bad some of us have to

do this though. I just learned over the years

how to make it go away while riding. otherwise

your pretty much stuck with it, unless you see the bike.

Good Luck,

Jeff

[TDunc]

I basket swap moved mine from power on to only while downshifting... It was a much quieter ride.

[Steve-O]

Do you have any warrantee left???

 

It's a 2006. But only has 8k miles on it. No warranty. I was encouraged by the post I found. Seemed like someone had finally found a fix. Seems if this is a constant problem on the Royal Star that Yamaha would look into it. Tight gears or not, I don't think the whine I have is in the normal/acceptable range.... Still love the bike and know that earbuds will fix it. But IMHO earbuds should not be a requirement.....

[Cougar]

Most think it is fixed with a brand new basket but after putting some

miles on the bike it will come back over time sorry to say.

Note: all my basket change's, there was no whine for the first couple hundred miles.

PM the person or persons and ask them how the sound is

now days.

Just my two cents worth!

Jeff

[RSTDdog]

It's a 2006. But only has 8k miles on it. No warranty. I was encouraged by the post I found. Seemed like someone had finally found a fix. Seems if this is a constant problem on the Royal Star that Yamaha would look into it. Tight gears or not, I don't think the whine I have is in the normal/acceptable range.... Still love the bike and know that earbuds will fix it. But IMHO earbuds should not be a requirement.....

 

Have your dealer check the warranty repair history on the bike and see if the basket has ever been changed under warranty. If it hasn't been changed before, Yamaha may pay to do it as a goodwill repair, particlularly with such low miles. This depends alot on your dealer and if they are willing to go to bat for you.

 

If you have a constant whine that is not rpm dependent (i.e. you can't rev into or out of the whine range), you may have a problem with the rear end. I have an 06 and its had the basket changed, mine whines/chirps in lower RPMS but not in the range where you normally operate and make good power. The bike does so many other things well that I can live with it.

 

RSTDdog

[fredster66]

Loud pipes. No, really. Anybody who gets a new basket or lubricates whatever and gets rid of the whine is lucky. They all do it. Always have. Always will until we get a new motor.

[brainfart]

Loud pipes and BIG-EAR stereo earplugs.. ...

[Acadieman]

Loud pipes. No, really. Anybody who gets a new basket or lubricates whatever and gets rid of the whine is lucky. They all do it. Always have. Always will until we get a new motor.

 

NO,NO,NO and NO Again they Do not I repeat Do not all do it .

[Stache]

NO,NO,NO and NO Again they Do not I repeat Do not all do it .

 

+1 for that. 09 RSTD, no whine at all. Bought new in '11 over 12000 km and climbing.

[Jakbag]

Is there a certain model year or years that this affects or is it with all 2nd Gens? I have an 01 RSV with 7400 miles and hear nothing.....

 

Jakbag

[MikeWa]

It seems to me if someone wanted to pin the source of the noise down one of these would be handy.

 

http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1/page_28342_103/j_s_products_steelman_06600_stethescope_electronic.html

 

Mike

[fredster66]

Okay, they don't ALL do it. But you won the whine lottery if yours doesn't. I've been through a few clutch baskets myself. I looked up some fix a couple of years back (may have been on this site) that involved cutting some shaft and affixing something somewhere else. I took that fix to my dealer who just shook his head. If there is an unorthodox mod that takes care of it, that's not really a fix in that it would probably void the warranty.

 

I can modify my riding habits to minimize the noise, but don't feel I should have to. I think Yamaha should be making the modifications. They've been aware of the problem for years. I have no clue why they wouldn't fix it. If some dude in a machine shop somewhere can, I'm betting they can, too. No doubt that noise cost Yamaha a whole lotta sales. Hm. Where will my next motorcycle come from? A new fi 1700cc RSTD with no whine? Hope so.

 

There ya go. Whining about a whine.

 

[albyzee]

I am far from an expert on this but I do have a question. If the problem happens to be straight cut gears (from what I have read) why can't these be changed to something else like diagonal cut? Is that to much rework? Just wondering.

[Rick Butler]

Guys,

 

This issue has been discussed longer than I care to remember and it started back with the MK1 where the first one I heard was a friend's 85. But on a 1st gen, it was not that much of an issue because most of the motor was covered up with the fairing.

 

But the issue comes from the fact that the straight cut drive gear on the crank mates with the driven gear on the clutch basket in a very confined space that makes it impossible to measure the gear lash. Yamaha has made 5 to 6 driven gears on the clutch that I feel are hand fitted during assembly. If one clutch basket feels too loose, they take it off and pick the next one. Each has a alpha character scribed on the back of the gear, where the lower characters have a tighter fit. The solutiuon to the whine is to remove the clutch basket and observe what character in on the back. If it has a "D" then replace it with a basket with an "E" or the next one higher. In most all cases going up one basket usually resolves the problem. Not knowing this at the time I replaced a "F" basket with a "D" and turned it into a screamer. A friend from Houston who was a Venture mechanic clued me in that I should have went up instead of down, and that did the trick. But if you have a "H" basket, you will need an "I" basket which does not have a part number and can only be gotten from a Yamaha Tech Rep, who used to carry one in a brief case along with a gasket for the cover. But you are going to need a dealer and service manager that will work with you in getting Yamaha to resolve this issue. And this service manager will have to support your case that this clutch whine is too annoying that you will have to sell the bike. And the reason there has not ever been a recall is because it is not a chronic problem. My 01 had it but my 02 didn't, however the 07 I just got last year has it.

 

Hope this helps clear the air on this problem,

 

Rick

[albyzee]

Thank you Rick that's the best response I have heard on this problem. Makes very much sense.

[Greg Powell]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum,  and found and cured the whine issue!

[Greg Powell]

Please let me know if you receive the response, and I'll describe in detail of the solution. 

[M61A1MECH]

Yes your message has ben posted, please post the details of your fix.

[Greg Powell]

Hey Steve-o, I just sent you a lengthy fix to the whine issue, along with the AIS delete and carb jetting.  Did you get it?  and if not, maybe you can help me retrieve it.   Thanks!

[Greg Powell]

I guess I'll give you the short version with more questions than answers.  I had a 96 Ryal Star, now I have an 05 RSTD.  The 96 had no whine, whereas the 05 does and it's very annoying.   When riding the 05, I noticed the whine disappeared when turning my head left or right about 60 degrees...WTF, right?   The real difference in the bikes were the lower fore and aft leg farings and I thought that maybe the engine noise was being reflected and directed up and to the rear towards the driver.  I removed all the above except the engine guard with all the electronics mounted on them.  Took for a test ride and the whine all but disappeared. I rerouted all the electronics and deleted the cruise.  I deleted all the AIS crap as well.  I removed the entire intake crap as well.  Rejected all carb main jets with  #135 and all pilot jets to #17.  I've unleashed the beast!!!

[Greg Powell]

This was my trial ony, I highly recommend taking off your farings and hopefully get the same results. 

[Greg Powell]

I put four pod air filters on, along with delete all vacuum lines to AIS, and put a chrome crankcase vent on the nipple at the engine. I also deleted the carb heaters, passenger seat, backrest, hard bags, bag rails, and installed leather bags...love the look! I installed a small chrome luggage rack on the rear fender.  I'll install a thumb controlled throttle lock to replace the cruise control. When I removed the AIS, you'll have a 1/2 aluminum tube coming from the exhaust manifold on each cylinder.  The ends of these tube's don't get that hot...I used 1/2inch vacuum caps with a clamp to sove that problem. 

[Greg Powell]

Just another thought, all engines make noise...cam chains, valve lash, clutch baskets etc.  There's just nowhere to disapate this noise on the Royal Stars with the faring placement.