Bike/Engine Characteristics vs Issues (gear whine amongst others)

[petshark]

I'm inspired to write this based on this old Gear Whine thread.

I have many issues with this bike but gear whine is not one of them. As @Ride365 put it in that thread: "Love the gear whine".

I've also read reports of people who are selling the Tracer because they can't stand it anymore. When reading the replies I get the impression that the advice on forums and facebook is often based on a consensus that all CP3 engines act the same. In other words: what the OP is experiencing must be the same as what we all experience. It's just a characteristic of the bike and if it's not for you, just move on... Based on my recent woes I would like to address that.

As some of you know I am real sensitive to any changes in the ride experience in general and have been known to start looking for answers long before a problem develops into something that the dealer acknowledges (bearings, chain, clutch cable, brake power, seizing switches, ... ). I have often questioned my observations, mostly because I simply lack experience and there have been so many problems in the short time that I have owned the bike (as said in many other threads, it's still anyone's guess why this one is riddled with them) but also because of some of the reactions. It is often assumed that the problem is not with the bike, but with the rider.

While I certainly won't claim that this never is the case, I do think it's very likely that some have gear whine that is a lot louder than normal and I see a tendency that reports like that are not taken seriously. On mine it's not really louder than the other gears and, knowing how quickly I can be concerned that something is off, I am sure that I would be one of the first to be bothered by it if it were. As it sounds perfectly normal to me, I simply cannot imagine these people complaining about nothing. Who knows, it could be an oil thing or gear tolerances that are just a little different. There are many here that are more qualified than me to speculate what could be the cause The challenge is to convince them that you have a real problem and are not just complaining about the same thing that they are hearing.

My bike is still in trouble and I have some jobs planned that will hopefully fix it. But I have learned these last months that characteristics of an engine (or the whole bike for that matter) can be negatively enlarged by (compounded) problems, and when you seek help the nice people on the other side cannot know if you are (in my case) complaining about the rowdy nature of a triple or indeed about an engine that is just not running as it should. Add to that a bad chain and bearings and you can imagine how unpleasant the rides can be.

I hope nobody takes this as criticism. It's actually more about Facebook but I would never write such a lengthy post there and without going in depth there is no use saying anything about it IMO. I am very grateful to everyone for being so generous with their time and experience and I have learned a great deal here. I would not have been able to resolve anything without that help. I'm just stating that diagnosing problems on any forum is very tricky and I have been frustrated because of it. I hope to help others in my position when I say that if something really seems off, it probably is off and not a characteristic of the bike. These things can be subtle at first but trust yourself when you notice something changes because you will soon grow used to it and wonder if it has always been that way. In my experience things can really deteriorate quite far while you keep second guessing yourself and when you get to finally fix it the difference is night and day.

[duckie]

I rode a Ducati 900ss with a dry clutch..noisy is subjective.... 

I think 3 and 6 are straight cut gears which is what causes the gear whine.

If this is indeed true, the only way to get rid of the whine is to replace with gears not straight cut. 

I have no issues with the gear whine. Since I still have stock exhaust, the gear whine helps me hear what the engine is doing. 

Edited May 21, 2021 by duckie

[whisperquiet]

I have hearing loss, wear hearing aids when not riding, and wear ear plugs when riding…..what?

[CJ3cyl]

To me, it is gear wine.

[micah2074]

Never noticed her whining. I do make her squeal on occasion. 

[Ride365]

I love the whine, I assume this engine has gear driven cams? 

[kilo3]

1 hour ago, duckie said:

I think 3 and 6 are straight cut gears which is what causes the gear whine.

If this is indeed true, the only way to get rid of the whine is to replace with gears not straight cut.

I'm not aware of any motorcycle transmission that's not straight cut across the board besides the final output to a shaft drive.

[Wintersdark]

Mine doesn't have any noticable gear whine; at least, I don't think so.  Mine's sounds are largely limited to normal engine noise at idle, and induction/exhaust noise under power.  And, of course, the assorted clunks and such from the wiggly bits of the chassis.

However, my hearing is definitely not what it once was, after a lifetime of motorcycle riding without hearing protection, and working around printing presses (which make a *tremendous* amount of noise), albeit with hearing protection.  

I can't say gear whine is something I've ever noticed though; at least, no more or less than any other motorcycle.

[CRFan250]

No real objective whine on my 2020 GT.  What there is I like. Like above, I have a 2010 Ducati Streetfighter 1098 with a dry cutch.  if I put it in nuetral at a light, people immediately look to see when my bike is gonna blow up, lolol.

[1moreroad]

@petshark best thing you can do is find another FJ or FZ or Tracer or XSR of an owner that thinks it's fine and see what it sounds like. Or develop a good relationship with a mechanic who can take a quick listen/feel for your bike without charging an arm and a leg. 

My Kawasakis made every bit as much racket as the FJ, so it doesn't bother me. But on this bike and the Kwaks, the difference in sound between normal and CCT going out or valve clatter was small unlike some other bikes that are much smoother/quieter. 

[peteinpa]

As I said in that gear whine thread mine is in 6th only from about 50 to 70 mph. I wear ear plugs all the time riding and the whine bothers me some days more than others.

No improvement with 5200 miles on it now. I figure the engine cases need split and the gear box shafts shimmed correctly. Not going to happen.

ALL the gears are straight cut.

I wish it wasn't there, but it's a small gripe in the whole package.

[fddriver2]

What?! What did you say?! I can't hear you, there's all this gear whine!!!!!! 😱

[piotrek]

All I hear is the beastly growl of my Scorpion slip-on. I was not a fan of the sound the stock muffler made. I do recall it was a higher whiny pitch 😛. The only time I heard mechanical whine on the bike was a tight chain.

[betoney]

8 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Mine doesn't have any noticable gear whine; at least, I don't think so.  Mine's sounds are largely limited to normal engine noise at idle, and induction/exhaust noise under power.  And, of course, the assorted clunks and such from the wiggly bits of the chassis.

However, my hearing is definitely not what it once was, after a lifetime of motorcycle riding without hearing protection, and working around printing presses (which make a *tremendous* amount of noise), albeit with hearing protection.  

I can't say gear whine is something I've ever noticed though; at least, no more or less than any other motorcycle.

I have never noticed any whine either. I always wear earplugs and usually hear the intake roar until Highway speeds and then the whoosh of wind noise. 

[dazzler24]

11 hours ago, micah2074 said:

Never noticed her whining. I do make her squeal on occasion. 

Reminds me of a song from George Thorogood & The Destroyers 🙂