johnmark101 Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 18 hours ago, Ride365 said: I love the whine, I assume this engine has gear driven cams? This bike has chain driven camshafts. There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRFan250 Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 20 hours ago, Ride365 said: I love the whine, I assume this engine has gear driven cams? The whine is actually from a gear driven counterbalancer. Triumph triples have the same sound... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 To me my FJ is an unrefined ride. By that I mean it is not tuned or designed for the Sedate road experience that a large touring bike provides. Noise, vibration and discomfort are the costs incurred by the bid to lighten and compact the machine. I accept the trade off and wear earplugs over 50 mph and padded leather riding pants under 80 degrees ambient! 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteinpa Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 4 minutes ago, CRFan250 said: The whine is actually from a gear driven counterbalancer. Triumph triples have the same sound... If that were true the sound would be the same in all gears at all speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRFan250 Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 21 minutes ago, peteinpa said: If that were true the sound would be the same in all gears at all speeds. Not necessarily...it can be driven by frequency which is RPM related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 24 minutes ago, peteinpa said: If that were true the sound would be the same in all gears at all speeds. It is true, there is a “sound” that comes from the balancer as well as the primary gear/crank gear interface. But the OP may be talking about “final drive” whine from the chain area. Similar to internet forums.... different frequency of whines (complaints) from multiple areas of the (forum) engine. -Skip 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petshark Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 Personally I have absolutely no problem with the sound of the transmission or the final drive. It sounds great. So when people complain about a deafening whine in 3rd and/or 6th gear I'm pretty sure that something is not right. It could be harmless but they are not hearing the same thing as our normal "whining". I hate to see those people sell their bikes because they are told that this is a normal characteristic. That is the short version of my post. 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckie Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 Consider this.......this is not a new motor. It has been use for awhile. From my poking around, it appears the gear whine has always been there. So, the next question is has there been any failures or repairs needed related to gear whine? I have no idea what other people are hearing. I do know from working as a counter person in a motorcycle shop a few years......some motorcyclist just imagine things.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted May 22, 2021 Share Posted May 22, 2021 The problem is that we are SO isolated from sounds and vibrations in today’s automobiles that we forget what normal sounds a machine makes. you go from that environment to being hyper aware of every little vibe and sound because you’re sitting on top and around it. Motorcycles make noise and vibrate. Period. How much you can tolerate vs what is bothersome is a very personal thing. comparing one bike to another identical one is really the only way to see if whatever you are hearing/feeling is “typical” -Skip 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petshark Posted May 23, 2021 Author Share Posted May 23, 2021 11 hours ago, duckie said: some motorcyclist just imagine things.... No doubt. But the opposite is also real. Some mechanics just assume that people are imagining things when they are not. This has been my experience at least. 9 hours ago, skipperT said: comparing one bike to another identical one is really the only way to see if whatever you are hearing/feeling is “typical” I agree. This should be the go-to advise for this complaint but it’s not often given. I just found this very informative video about the subject. It actually mentions what I suggested in the OP as well: Less oil might equal more whine. I can see the type of oil also being an influence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 9 hours ago, skipperT said: The problem is that we are SO isolated from sounds and vibrations in today’s automobiles that we forget what normal sounds a machine makes. This is so true. I have a 2005 Porsche Boxster and the engine is just behind my seat. You hear a whole symphony of noises due to the proximity, which gave me all sorts of paranoia when I first got the car. In contrast, our 5 series BMW is a remote, insulated experience. I much prefer being connected to the mechanical aspects of vehicles when I want to enjoy riding and driving. But the BMW is great for long distance travelling. 2 Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petshark Posted May 23, 2021 Author Share Posted May 23, 2021 9 hours ago, BBB said: This is so true. I have a 2005 Porsche Boxster and the engine is just behind my seat. You hear a whole symphony of noises due to the proximity, which gave me all sorts of paranoia when I first got the car. In contrast, our 5 series BMW is a remote, insulated experience. I much prefer being connected to the mechanical aspects of vehicles when I want to enjoy riding and driving. But the BMW is great for long distance travelling. Totally agree. I also owned a 5 series bmw and loved it but yes, what attracts me to bikes is also that sense of being one with the machine. Another benefit: with fine-tuned senses you can immediately pick up when something is not right. But then... see the OP. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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