Clunking and whining noises!

[WashingtonApple]

A week or 2 ago I had my ST in the shop (with about 1000 miles on it) because the clutch went out. The shop said the slave cylinder piston was leaking and they replaced it and a few other parts associated with it under warranty. I did not see any fluid leaks when it went out so when they fixed it I asked if they had replaced the transmission oil because of possible contamination with clutch fluid and the shop guy said the spyder tech did not say that was necessary. I figured oh well its under warranty so I'll take his word for it. It had a little bit of a whine after and lately its been getting worse, so I thought maybe the drive belt is too tight and I picked up a Krikit II on Amazon to give it a check. The belt was within the recommended tolerances (about 240 pounds) so I decided to run it while I had the rear tire off the ground to see if I could hear the whine better. Its very obvious and I can hear a clunking noise that shudders the whole bike when its in gear as well. I'll include a couple videos and maybe you guys can tell me what you think. In the second video you can hear a bit of the whine, but at higher speeds its much much louder, to the point of being a little embarrassing to ride out on the street. I have about 1300 miles on it now and even though I love riding it its been a real headache so far.

 

[billybovine]

I'm sorry but I don't hear it.

There is no transmission oil. Engine oil lubes everything, engine, clutch and gearbox.

If you hear a whine most likely from the wheel bearings. Pop the belt off and give the wheel a spin.

 

[cuznjohn]

i hear it but have no clue what it is, i do know it would drive me nuts, dealer time again

 

[Chupaca]

Relax..!!

that clunking is because you have the wheel in the air and the swingarm is being pulled up by the belt. If you hear or feel it on the ground then worry. The whinning is a different thing. Make sure the belt is tracking right. Business card to credit card away from the inside edge. Tension is the other thing. All of them are different. I have an RS 2012 sm5 and on the krikit runs 160/180 lbs but they keep changing. Brp lowered the tension because main shaft and wheel bearings were going out. Now they raised it again so check or have your adjusted by the dealer and check it with the krikit and that should be your point. Quick test is you should not be able to twist the belt 90* with two fingers. If you hace a belt tensioner they tend to whin as well...:thumbup:

 

[WashingtonApple]

On the first 2 videos the bike was supported by jacking the frame, so I took another with the jack under the rear shock. Still clunks just as loud. The noise is more apparent as I increased the wheel speed in this video quite a bit. I cycle through all gears and give it a little gas in 5th. I agree it needs some time in the shop. I think this problem is beyond what I can fix (without violating the warranty anyway) as I have already tried changing the belt tracking all the way up to having 1/8" of gap with no reduction in noise. I dont see any signs of bad tracking either like chewed belt or excessive dust either, so I dont think that is the issue. Perhaps wheel bearings for the whine but I suspect the clunk is more likely a transmission or clutch issue.

 

[Chupaca]

Just saying..!!

when mine is in the air it klunks and klatters a lot. Not so when ryding...not a good idea to raise the roadster from the rear shock..:lecturef_smilie: But by all means have it checked out and confirm the belt tension. I think they now have three settings for different years...:thumbup:

 

[WashingtonApple]

when mine is in the air it klunks and klatters a lot. Not so when ryding...not a good idea to raise the roadster from the rear shock..:lecturef_smilie: But by all means have it checked out and confirm the belt tension. I think they now have three settings for different years...:thumbup:

I put it back together and reduced the belt tension to 200 pounds and took it for a ride. I am not really hearing the clunking anymore. Sounds like you are right about it making more noise when its jacked up and not on the road. Or there really is a problem and the wind noise and tupperware could just be masking it nicely lol. The whine had reduced some, and I have read other posts on the forum about others experiencing whining noises, sometimes for many thousands of miles.
I'll have it looked at but for now its not alarming me as much as it was earlier. Thanks for the input!