I hate to whine....

[Roadflyer]

I have a 2009 RSTD that I bought with a bad motor.

I finished replacing the motor yesterday and took the bike for a 25 mile test ride.

I've read about the "whine" but didn't know what to expect.

Cruising along, all is fine and nothing out of the ordinary. When accelerating up a steep hill in a lower gear it can be REALLY loud

(I'd guess the noise peaks at about 3500 rpm)

I'm not too worried about it, do they all do that?

Is it worthwhile to change the clutch basket ( I have a spare from the original motor).

 

BTW, super nice bike, I'm really impressed! Makes my 2016 Road King feel agricultural !!

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Roadflyer

[XV1100SE]

What year bike did the motor come out of? I believe pre-2009 the basket was different. There is a stamp on the basket. From memory....and someone can correct....think you want an "I" basket...or did you use the one from the 2009 motor?

Some have said different oil lessens the "whine". What oil are you using? I use Rotella T6 in my '09 Venture...no noticeable whine.

[XV1100SE]

I have a 2009 RSTD that I bought with a bad motor.

A Venture/RSTD with a "bad motor"? You really need to explain this comment.

[Roadflyer]

What year bike did the motor come out of? I believe pre-2009 the basket was different. There is a stamp on the basket. From memory....and someone can correct....think you want an "I" basket...or did you use the one from the 2009 motor?

Some have said different oil lessens the "whine". What oil are you using? I use Rotella T6 in my '09 Venture...no noticeable whine.

 

The new motor is a 2008, I'm using 20-50 Castrol motorcycle oil.

Would the 09 and 08 clutch baskets interchange?

[Guest divey]

Your RSTD looks very nice. If you do a search on the forums, there are quite a few posts over the years on the pros and cons of changing clutchbaskets, different oils, etc. to try and eliminate the whine. I think most have the whine. My 07 RSV had it but it wasn’t really noticeable to me anyway and I didn’t mind it. The 2012 RSV didn’t have it. I was using Yamalube 20-50. Doug

[Roadflyer]

A Venture/RSTD with a "bad motor"? You really need to explain this comment.

 

What I know from the previous owner is:

He tried to start the bike and there was a loud "pop like a backfire" and the engine would not turn over.

He thought the battery was bad and installed a new one with the same result minus the big pop.

Then he took the bike out on the road and tried to jump start it down a steep road and still no go.

 

What I know from ripping it apart.

There was rust in the right rear cylinder.

right rear connecting rod was bent badly and had hit and cracked the bottom of the cylinder.

 

What I suppose happened.

They put the bike away for the winter hot and perhaps a bad head gasket weeped enough coolant into the cylinder to cause it to hydraulic

when he tried to start it in the spring.

[Roadflyer]

Your RSTD looks very nice. If you do a search on the forums, there are quite a few posts over the years on the pros and cons of changing clutchbaskets, different oils, etc. to try and eliminate the whine. I think most have the whine. My 07 RSV had it but it wasn’t really noticeable to me anyway and I didn’t mind it. The 2012 RSV didn’t have it. I was using Yamalube 20-50. Doug

 

 

I'm not much a believer in liquid fixes. Over the years I've tried many different oils etc that have been recommended to try and fix problems.

Pretty much none have worked for me. I will admit, that changing the oil in a bike engine will quieten it down for maybe a day or two before it goes back to the way it was.

 

I'll shoot you a message the next time I'm in Leduc visiting my Daughter !

[Guest divey]

I'm not much a believer in liquid fixes. Over the years I've tried many different oils etc that have been recommended to try and fix problems.

Pretty much none have worked for me. I will admit, that changing the oil in a bike engine will quieten it down for maybe a day or two before it goes back to the way it was.

 

I'll shoot you a message the next time I'm in Leduc visiting my Daughter !

Sounds good.

[BlueSky]

That's a beautiful bike! I think most of the bikes with that engine have the loud clutch basket whine. I know my 07 RSV does. If you get the right basket it supposedly quietens down. I don't know. Thicker oil will quieten it a little but who knows if that is best for the engine. If you search the forums, you might find a part number for a new clutch basket that might help.

[WildBill1]

I had a 06 Venture with the "Clutch Whine"--- Everybody got their on idea for the cause and remedy for the whine. So here is mine: Cause clutch basket had machining stress induced during manufacturing and wasn't stressed relieved at completion. My reason for this it has a harmonic sound much like a tuning fork. My intended cure was to remove the clutch basket and bead blast it to stress relieve it. But instead I traded it on another bike which is also long gone. Some have had good luck on changing to another basket if it were me I would take it out tap lightly with a screw driver if it rings a note stress relieve it by bead blasting and see if it whines then.

[WildBill1]

Oh, by the way very nice Yamaha you have there!!!!!

[Roadflyer]

Oh, by the way very nice Yamaha you have there!!!!!

 

Thanks for the compliment!

 

I agree with you on the ringing, its way too loud to just be gear whine. You can hear the noise increase while the revs go up until it hits the resonant frequency,

then the amplitude starts to fall off with increased rpm.

[cowpuc]

What I know from the previous owner is:

He tried to start the bike and there was a loud "pop like a backfire" and the engine would not turn over.

He thought the battery was bad and installed a new one with the same result minus the big pop.

Then he took the bike out on the road and tried to jump start it down a steep road and still no go.

 

What I know from ripping it apart.

There was rust in the right rear cylinder.

right rear connecting rod was bent badly and had hit and cracked the bottom of the cylinder.

 

What I suppose happened.

They put the bike away for the winter hot and perhaps a bad head gasket weeped enough coolant into the cylinder to cause it to hydraulic

when he tried to start it in the spring.

 

BEAUTIFUL SCOOT FLYER,,, JUST GORGEOUS!!! While neither here nor there and strickly from a knowing nothing of what you saw in relating to the prior engines failure,,,, sounds to me more like a leaky/sticky float valve allowed fuel into that jug and, slowly over time, the fuel washed the cylinder of its lube and left behind enough fuel in the combustion chamber to hydrolock it.. I only say that cause,, and this is JUST an opinion,, the combustability of coolant is low and I highly suspect that the damage you describe would,, more opinion here, be the result of combustion (not enough umphhh from a starter to do that)..

Concerning the "whine"... Again,, another opinion here,,, I have yet to meet a V-4 of our type that didnt have some form of it,,, V-Maxes to RSV's,, its as common and as well known as the mighty V-4's perfect performance levels.. Here is a short video of Tip (my wife) and I doing some whine testing on @videoarizona's RSV... Sound familiar? Is yours worse or better?

Being a person who always enjoyed tweeking and having long since being suspicious that the whine of our 83's was being produced by the straight cut drive gears pushing the clutch,,, I have always wondered if grinding a small edge of relief on the tips of the gear faces may cut some noise down.. A test/trial that I never got around to as I actually enjoy listening to the sounds of a healthy V-4 singing it's song (always reminded me of a gear driven super charger spooling up LOL).. If you are of the tweekin type and find the whine annoying,,, and still have a "parts motor" left over?,,, perhaps pulling the clutch on the old one and knocking the edge of the gear tips (not all,,, just a slight 45 ground at an angle on each meeting edge) would quiet it some... Then swapping in the altered clutch and mating gears to see the results... Who knows,, you may solve a life long issue and become a multi million air in the process

Any of that make sense? Probably not

At any rate,, CONGRATS on the scoot!! SHE'S A DANDY!!

 

[vzuden]

My 2006 had a pretty strong gear whine. I waited until it was almost out of the five year warranty and then brought it to the dealer for the newer basket. I don’t recall the letter designation on either one. I don’t think it helped much and didn’t really care since it doesn’t hurt anything. My 2012 has a little gear whine but I don’t listen for it,

[BlueSky]

This clutch basket is the new part number that "may" get rid of the whine. I don't know of anyone who has tried it....

 

https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/detail/yamaha/4xy-16150-09-00/b1200808?affiliate_id=43737&click_id=2862838815&utm_content=43737&utm_term=2-235013&utm_source=eb&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=eb&clickId=2862838815

[RDawson]

I installed headsets in both helmets and taught her how to use the intercom. Now the gear whine is the least annoying sound I hear.

[cowpuc]

I installed headsets in both helmets and taught her how to use the intercom. Now the gear whine is the least annoying sound I hear.

 

:rotfl:,,, no Tip,, my laughter outburst had nothing to do with you,, just two buddies having fun,,,, SHEESH Corporal Newkirk,,, ya ALMOST got me in trouble over that one :rotf:

[Roadflyer]

This clutch basket is the new part number that "may" get rid of the whine. I don't know of anyone who has tried it....

 

https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/detail/yamaha/4xy-16150-09-00/b1200808?affiliate_id=43737&click_id=2862838815&utm_content=43737&utm_term=2-235013&utm_source=eb&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=eb&clickId=2862838815

 

Is this the " I " basket that people refer to? if so, why is it referred to as that?

 

I'll try out the spare clutch I have from the original motor long before I shell out $300 bucks for a "may fix".

[RDawson]

:rotfl:,,, no Tip,, my laughter outburst had nothing to do with you,, just two buddies having fun,,,, SHEESH Corporal Newkirk,,, ya ALMOST got me in trouble over that one :rotf:

I can get away with it Puc. The school marm doesn't get on here n see what I post.

[cowpuc]

Is this the " I " basket that people refer to? if so, why is it referred to as that?

 

I'll try out the spare clutch I have from the original motor long before I shell out $300 bucks for a "may fix".

 

That is exactly what I would do too Flyer only before I stuck the original club hub into the motor you are running, I would take a dremel tool or die grinder and just add a little relief on the tooth of each gear tooth (not the face of the teeth that drives the gears, just the ends where they start the mesh with the mating gear) and see if that didnt run a lot quieter just for kicks.. Or,, maybe trying the original engines hub first to see if it's already quieter and then do the alterations on the one that is noisier... Tweek Tweek Tweek until ya get er where ya want her.. Tweekin's fun:thumbsup:

I would also do the bead blasting for stress relief that @WildBill1 mentions!! IMHO, that is good point of interest.. Bottom line,, I still have a sneaking hunch that a lot of the noise has to do with the straight cut drive/driven gears associated with the clutch system. IMHO, straight cuts are stronger then helical but they do tend to be noisier..

[XV1100SE]

The new motor is a 2008, I'm using 20-50 Castrol motorcycle oil.

Would the 09 and 08 clutch baskets interchange?

 

Between 1999 and 2013 the main thing that changed on the Venture was the colour annually. Seat changed in 2004 along with tank badges...don't know how often the clutch basket changed but pretty much any with a whine were 2008 and earlier. Everything is interchangeable. The RSTD and Venture shared the motor...probably some other parts as well but I haven't compared the two side-by-side.

[WildBill1]

That is exactly what I would do too Flyer only before I stuck the original club hub into the motor you are running, I would take a dremel tool or die grinder and just add a little relief on the tooth of each gear tooth (not the face of the teeth that drives the gears, just the ends where they start the mesh with the mating gear) and see if that didnt run a lot quieter just for kicks.. Or,, maybe trying the original engines hub first to see if it's already quieter and then do the alterations on the one that is noisier... Tweek Tweek Tweek until ya get er where ya want her.. Tweekin's fun:thumbsup:

I would also do the bead blasting for stress relief that @WildBill1 mentions!! IMHO, that is good point of interest.. Bottom line,, I still have a sneaking hunch that a lot of the noise has to do with the straight cut drive/driven gears associated with the clutch system. IMHO, straight cuts are stronger then helical but they do tend to be noisier..

 

Cowpuc I believe your using an old proven Harley Shovelhead remedy there by beveling gears. Really made them Shovelhead transmissions change a lot smoother especially top off with a can of STP oil treatment. I would suggest just beveling one gear and leave the mate straight cut to break the sound transfer. Also stress relieve that clutch basket.

[BlueSky]

Is this the " I " basket that people refer to? if so, why is it referred to as that?

 

I'll try out the spare clutch I have from the original motor long before I shell out $300 bucks for a "may fix".

 

If you search the forum, you might find a discussion of what the "I" basket might mean. I don't know. I just know that you can buy the clutch basket using the old part number or the new part number so they must be different in some way. If you look up the clutch basket on partzilla you will find that the same part number is listed for all years, 1999 thru 2013. I called partzilla and talked to their "tech" guy. He said the new part number did not supersede the old part number. He also said that he would have to order either one from Japan if I wanted to buy one. It appears that Bike Bandit may have one in stock? The new one also costs more. I think I might buy the new part number and give it a try.

Edited October 22, 2019 by BlueSky

[cowpuc]

Cowpuc I believe your using an old proven Harley Shovelhead remedy there by beveling gears. Really made them Shovelhead transmissions change a lot smoother especially top off with a can of STP oil treatment. I would suggest just beveling one gear and leave the mate straight cut to break the sound transfer. Also stress relieve that clutch basket.

 

Nailed me cold with that one brother,, spot on... Matter of fact,,, honing a bevel on a straight cut was considered part of a good tune up back than .... My ohhh my how times have changed... Sort of akin to smearing a lite coat of "Seal All" on those cases to close off some of the pores in the castings to keep the oil from seeping thru ...

Speaking of beveling on metrics though,, when the 750 Virago's first came out, they had known issues with the starter gears = even some of new ones sounded like they had rocks in the primary starter engagement system.. Due to the early years of beveling and some trial and error,, I found that adding relief in the same way REALLY helped in quieting em down... To Bevel Or Not To Bevel = this is the question

[djh3]

I'm with Puc. You have the donor engine so them parts are free. Also it's newer. Mine was an 09, the couple I ran across with the whine were 07 I think. One had pulled a trailer for some of its life, and it was loud. So if you take the donor part and modify it as mentioned all you have invested is some time and an oil change.