Transmission Whine ??

[swerve9031]

Hi guys, For once it's been a decent sunny day here in England so I took my 2006 FZ6 out for a spin.

I've only had it for a couple of weeks and normally ride with earplugs in, I forgot them today and noticed a definate whine, road speed, not engine speed related. The bike has only done 2400 miles so is hardly broken in.

Do they normally whine a bit? or is it something to return it to the dealer about d'ya reckon?


Peter

 

[killernoodle]

Probably your chain. It may be too tight.

Check the chain specs and check back with us.

 

[swerve9031]

Thanks Killer... will do. maybe a few days as I am away for a bit of work now

 

[Tailgate]

My 2007 with 1,300 miles has a whine. but it sounds like a healthy whine.

 

[urbanj]

its pretty normal. you have to understand that on a bike there is no sound dampening like in a car. you hear everything. from fuel injectors to valves and transmission whines, and clunks . think of all the gears. the straight cut gearsets are noisier in operation and have an inherent whine to them. This is due to the meshing of the teeth when the gears are rotating. unlike helical gears.

 

[killernoodle]

The transmission does have straight cut gears, but they are inside the case and are thus muffled quite a bit.

A pronounced whine is usually the result of an overtight chain.

 

[CanadianFZ6]

Have you swapped out the front sprocket for a 15 or 17 tooth? The stock 16tooth sprocket has a plastic or rubber damper around it that quiets the chain noise. When I swapped my stock sprocket for a 17tooth, it made quite a whining noise compared to the stock one.

 

[reiobard]

does it sound a bit like a 5 speed civic in reverse? if so mine gets that on deceleration if i use the tranny to slow quickly.

 

[swerve9031]

does it sound a bit like a 5 speed civic in reverse? if so mine gets that on deceleration if i use the tranny to slow quickly.

:Flash: Sorry I know I am old but I'm afraid I haven't got that bad yet that I drive a 5 speed civic!

 

[mustnt grumble]

Hi guys, For once it's been a decent sunny day here in England so I took my 2006 FZ6 out for a spin.

I've only had it for a couple of weeks and normally ride with earplugs in, I forgot them today and noticed a definate whine, road speed, not engine speed related. The bike has only done 2400 miles so is hardly broken in.

Do they normally whine a bit? or is it something to return it to the dealer about d'ya reckon?


Peter

My 2004 FZ6 has a real 'whine' too. It doesn't change when I pull in the clutch so it's not engine/gearbox related. I thought it may be the tyres but it hasn't changed with another 10,000 miles on the clock. I'm guessing it's wind noise-maybe related to the non standard screen it has.

 

[Silver05]

Have you swapped out the front sprocket for a 15 or 17 tooth? The stock 16tooth sprocket has a plastic or rubber damper around it that quiets the chain noise. When I swapped my stock sprocket for a 17tooth, it made quite a whining noise compared to the stock one.

Good info - I just replaced my front sprocket for a 17 toother, and noticed that damper on the stock sprocket, but didn't know what it was.

I adjusted, then readjusted, then re-readjusted my chain a few times now, thinking I didn't have it right. But now I think the leftover noise might just be a result of that new sprocket on the original chain. It should break in soon. I actually think the whine is less after one ride tonight anyway...

 

[HavBlue]

Good info - I just replaced my front sprocket for a 17 toother, and noticed that damper on the stock sprocket, but didn't know what it was.

I adjusted, then readjusted, then re-readjusted my chain a few times now, thinking I didn't have it right. But now I think the leftover noise might just be a result of that new sprocket on the original chain. It should break in soon. I actually think the whine is less after one ride tonight anyway...

I've never understood the reasoning behind going plus one as there are more disadvantages than advantages. Yes, the non-insulated aftermarket sprocket will make noise and even after it has adapted to the old chains wear patterns. To some extent it will be reduced over time but it will always be there none the less.

 

[Silver05]

I've never understood the reasoning behind going plus one as there are more disadvantages than advantages. Yes, the non-insulated aftermarket sprocket will make noise and even after it has adapted to the old chains wear patterns. To some extent it will be reduced over time but it will always be there none the less.

Reasoning is pretty simple - spread the transmission ratios out a bit. Same reasoning as dropping a tooth - just the opposite way. If your comment was to disapprove of my change, I guess its a good thing you don't have to ride my bike. :Flash:

 

[mdr]

I've got a moderately loud whine on my 2008 FZ6 with 2700 mi. It's most noticeable in 5th at about 5500 RPM. My solution is pretty simple - I don't stay in 5th at that RPM if I can help it. About 300 RPM above or below and it's fine again. Just part of the bike's "Personality" and the only reason I can hear it is that I'm running stock exhaust - but I plan to fix that pretty soon. :thumbup:

 

[rbesr]

Don't dismiss the square-cut gears as the source of the whine. Engine and tranny cases do very little to muffle the noise these gears make. If this many FZ6 owners are reporting the whine, it can't all be their chains.

I also have a '99 Yamaha Venture with the square-cut gears. Ventures, dating from 1983 when they were first produced, as well as the VMax, are famous for the MamaYama whine/chirp. They have driveshafts. Kinda shoots the chain noise in the foot, doesn't it? Some of them are pretty loud, others are hardly noticeable. Yamaha has been replacing the clutch baskets on them, under warranty, in order to appease the owners. It doesn't always do away with the whine but it does move it to a different rpm range to where you don't hear it as much. It's not a safety flaw or something that's going to cause you undo maintenance problems down the road. It's just an annoying noise that is pretty unbearable on some bikes.

Fortunately, my Venture is a quiet one. I get a bit of chirp every now and then but very seldom. The FZ6 does have some chirp in the lower rpm's but not enough to complain about. Kinda sounds like a turbo spooling up. Not unpleasant at all.

 

[poorwboy]

Also if you switch to synthetic oil the tranny will get louder. They make a supplement to put in if you run synthetic.

 

[gt89stang393]

Poorwboy,

that is the first time I ever heard of that, why would they make more noise from synthetic? Mine makes a noise that is very audible in gear on the gas, pull the clutch and it goes away, or let off the gas and it goes away.

 

[rbesr]

First for me, too. Most people I know reported the whine quieting down some after switching to synthetic oil.

 

[hunterfz6]

Would you like some cheese to go with it? :rockon:

 

[D-Mac]

What a coincidence. I noticed a definate whine while on a short ride tonight (quite loud actually) and was going to post about it when I saw this thread. Bike is an '07 with only 400 miles on it. Chain is within specs and hasn't been adjusted yet (no need to). Only happened in one gear (4th I think) at around 5000 rpm.

I just replaced the stock shield with an aftermarket one. I figure with the stock exhaust and a taller shield, I can hear all sorts of noises I couldn't before.

I really doubt this is anything serious. I'm just gonna ride the hell out of it.:thumbup: