Strange Noise

[BRPjunkie]

One week in and I only have 150 miles as it has been raining and storming here in southern MI and wdddings and graduations shut down the first weekend. No brake squeal and I can see the first signs of muffler burn spot which are the most frequent complaints. I am hearing a strange "whining" sound that I can't pinpoint. It appears most often during deceleration, but even when the gearbox is in neutral, I can hear it, so I don't think it is gear whine. It is intermitent and not always there. It does sound like gear whine or for those familiar with, it almost like a turbine whine. Any thoughts???

[LittleJohn]

One week in and I only have 150 miles as it has been raining and storming here in southern MI and wdddings and graduations shut down the first weekend. No brake squeal and I can see the first signs of muffler burn spot which are the most frequent complaints. I am hearing a strange "whining" sound that I can't pinpoint. It appears most often during deceleration, but even when the gearbox is in neutral, I can hear it, so I don't think it is gear whine. It is intermitent and not always there. It does sound like gear whine or for those familiar with, it almost like a turbine whine. Any thoughts???

Perhaps the final drive gears? I know my ST1300 shaft drive made some unique noises. Might be worth at least a quick stop by your dealer to get it "on record".

[Dyno824]

Hello there i had similar noises that where most noticeable slowing down or near a stop. I found that my drive belt was to tight.The fact that i am 300 miles from dealer i did the adjusting on my own.Rear wheel turns much better now more free and those weird almost gear whine noises are gone.Reading the post on this and the other site helped in the how to adjust Good Liuck #824 :spyder:

[BRPjunkie]

Thnaks for the replies. Drive belt is very tight and dealer is 60 miles away. Compared to many of you, that's almost in my backyard. I will check out the belt adjustment link and see if I want to try or just head up to the dealer.

[Dyno824]

Let me know if that solves the problem? That whining sound was driving me nuts along with the sometimes embarassing brake squeal.

[BRPjunkie]

I'm not going to fuss with the belt adjustment since I don't want to screw it up. I will try to get the dealer to listen to it and assesss it, but that will be at least a week.

[NancysToy]

Can't speak specifically to the belt tension, but the dealer has checked it twice and pronounced it OK. They did screw up the alignment at setup, though. Too close to flange, but not enough to show belt or flange wear. Mild whine on decel that got slightly worse as the mileage increased. At the 600 mile service, I had them adjust the alignment, supposedly to spec. Everything seemed worse, and got progressively noisier, even upon acceleration. Looked at the belt and it was tracking too wide. Aligned it myself, and it now it is much quieter. Seems to be touchy in the belt tension and alignment department.
-Scotty

[BRPjunkie]

That's why I'm leary of touching it and making things worse. The whine seems to be getting a little better with time. That may be due to the belt stretching a bit or maybe just my getting used to it.

[ataDude]

.... this is what the alignment should look like... I split the difference with about 3/32". And, it's easy enough to adjust IF you have a 36mm wrench.

http://www.st-owners.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=28&pictureid=421

[IdleUp]

The 3/32 is not the recommended distance from the flange, it's the Min. distance. I had the same problem with mine growling noise and the belt was up against the right side of the pulley. I loosened it and moved the belt 1/8" or so from the flange and everything is quiet and a heck of a lot free now.

[BRPjunkie]

Owner's gudie shows "1/32" as the min clearance.

[NancysToy]

I think the actual clearance is specified as a minimum of 1 mm, which is about 0.040" A bit more than 1/32", but close enough. When ours was against the flange, it was noisy and marked the flange. When it was adjusted much farther, as these pictures show, it was worse. Now it is adjusted to the minimum, and is quieter, and stays in the same place. Watch the tension, too!
-Scotty

[IdleUp]

Well if you look at the manual it's pretty general it's shows the min and it shows the belt ready to climb off the pulley, If you have the belt anywhere in the center of the pulley your good to go.

I believe the biggest problem with the belt is they have the tension far too tight which just adds to the problem of noise and or belt particles on the bike.

I might also add that prior to adjusting mine, I found the right side Hex head and cover just flopping around loose. Has anyone else noticed this or is it a dealer problem. Am I correct in assuming the axle bolt was too tight and the adjustment hex therefore had no effect on the alignment?

[ataDude]

The 3/32 is not the recommended distance from the flange, it's the Min. distance. I had the same problem with mine growling noise and the belt was up against the right side of the pulley. I loosened it and moved the belt 1/8" or so from the flange and everything is quiet and a heck of a lot free now.

1/32" min, 3/16" max per manual <to the best of my recollection> for us non-metric folks.

[SpyderMark]

One week in and I only have 150 miles as it has been raining and storming here in southern MI and wdddings and graduations shut down the first weekend. I am hearing a strange "whining" sound that I can't pinpoint. Any thoughts???

Many new owners report a "whining" or "groaning" noise during deceleration. The consensus among forum members is belt tension/alignment. The factory adjusts the belt tension quite high at the factory to allow for engine movement due to break in of the motor mounts.

I would suggest NOT adjusting anything until you get to the first service interval (600 miles/1000 Km). I adjusted the belt tension/alignment on ours at the first interval and all the noises went away.

Regards,

Mark

[LittleJohn]

Many new owners report a "whining" or "groaning" noise during deceleration. The consensus among forum members is belt tension/alignment. The factory adjusts the belt tension quite high at the factory to allow for engine movement due to break in of the motor mounts.

I would suggest NOT adjusting anything until you get to the first service interval (600 miles/1000 Km). I adjusted the belt tension/alignment on ours at the first interval and all the noises went away.

Regards,

Mark
Thanks Mark
I had this noise too, and guessed it was either belt noise, or transmission backlash. Ill have them take a look at the first service.

[matusky]

Any way we can get a quick little "how-to" together with some pics? Just curious on the tensioning and movement of the belt....... or am I just really clueless? :dontknow:

[SpyderMark]

Any way we can get a quick little "how-to" together with some pics? Just curious on the tensioning and movement of the belt....... or am I just really clueless? :dontknow:

Here's a good thread:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5162&highlight=belt+alignment


Regards,

Mark