New to me 2015 FJ-09 Problems ?

[ShawnM]

Ok, just picked up a used FJ-09 from a dealer here in LA.  I only got to ride it for about 5 minutes before making the purchase decision.

On the longer ride home of about 30 minutes, I noticed that:

• There is some kind of grinding noise when in neutral and rolling.  It almost sounds to me like the chain grinding.  Its like a wahhh-----wahhh------wahhh grinding noise and I can feel the vibration in the bike.  I checked the chain tension and wheel alignment, and it looks ok.
• When the bike is in neutral and the clutch lever is out, the clutch is VERY noisy and rattles a lot.  

I realize there is a lot of posts on here, but can someone give me some ideas of where to start? 

[jthayer09]

My 2015 FJ was also really noisy when the clutch was out, it didn't get the slipper clutch the 2018 and onward models had with rubber dampers and different springs. The springs in the '15 wear out over time and get louder, it's considered a wear item by Yamaha apparently.

Take a video of the noise so we can see what you're doing and hear the sound.

[peteinpa]

First off, Welcome!

How many miles on your new to you FJ?

The chain slack spec. in the manuals is wrong, aim for 1.5 in. on centerstand.

Clutch basket rattle is a known issue, some worse than others depending on mileage. There is an updated basket from Yamaha or you can change rubbers in the one you have, it's kind of involved. 3rd option later years slipper clutch.

[lolocastsb]

had two 2015's, both are noisy in neutral. always figured it was just a quirk of the bike

[ShawnM]

Meant to say that it has 15K miles.  I'm guessing it is the "clutch basket rattle" you are mentioning.  Guess that isn't a problem?

I'm more concerned about the slight grinding noise...my initial thought was a wheel alignment issue, but that isn't it.  Hard to tell if the grinding is coming from the chain/sprocket area or internal.  I can feel it under low power or no power rolling.

[tedski]

Put it on the centerstand and spin each wheel independently (have someone push down on the rear of the bike to lift the front).  It may be the rotors dragging in certain spots of the rotation.

[jthayer09]

Is your rear brake dragging? Set it on the center stand and see if the wheel spins freely; or go for a quick ride and see if your rotor is hot to touch. 

EDIT: Tedski beat me by a minute 😁

[dazzler24]

Chain in good condition?  No stiff links?

[peteinpa]

At 15K miles the OEM chain is sure to be spent and probably the source of your noise.

Look for any links that stay kinked when coming off the front sprocket.

[bwringer]

Yep, the stock chain never lasts very long, so that could be it.

Another source of weird noises is having the chain too tight; the spec in the manual is INSANELY BAD & WRONG, WAY way way way waaaaaaaaayyyyy too tight. No one knows why, exactly.

 

And yeah, the clutch is noisy in neutral with the lever out. You should be wearing good ear plugs anyway, but the clutch whacking around certainly makes plenty of racket to hear and feel. Just how these things are unless they get updated with late-model bits, and thus far it seems fairly benign, just annoying.

Many also notice and complain about gear whine in 6th gear. This is just the bike's character.

Cam chain noise from a failing tensioner is also common, and needs to be dealt with immediately. I haven't experienced this, so I'll let others give a better description.

Edited August 9, 2021 by bwringer

[ShawnM]

Just an update to this, it was the chain.  It was in bad shape!