Explanation of clutch whine

[bmccck]

Hello out there! I am new to the site as well as to the RSV. Am considering purchasing a 2007 Venture and I am afraid I am in need of some explanation of what the clutch whine is. Just how loud is it? Is it ony an issue with Yamahas? Is it something other people can hear as your bike approaches? I hear great things about the VEnture, yet am caused to hesitate because some of you have said you can't stand it any more and will or have sold your bikes for this reason. Please help me understand what to listen for and how bad it can get. Thanks!

[bongobobny]

Great question, and I'm sure you will get several responses on it. That cheery George Jetson sound is nothing to be alarmed with. Turn up the stereo, punch holes in your exhaust pipes, or attempt to fix it. From what I understand of it the issue is an "I" basket alignment problem that sometimes you can fix and sometimes not. Just do a search on clutch whine and you will find a plethoria of info here.

 

 

Other answers to the whine issue:

1. Leave her home next time

2. For less whine, give her more wine

 

I'm sure others will come up with even more interesting solutions...

[breese]

That whine is not something you will have to listen for. You can clearly hear it as you go through the gears. The whine is some bikes is louder than in others, dont know the reason for that. Yamaha used to fix it under warranty, but it is so prevelant they no longer do that. I can tell you with my RSTD it is very annoying, but not so much that i would get rid of it for that reason. You seem to get used to it. But ride a demo and if its something that you cant live with, get something else. its not going away on its own.

 

Boomer

[steamer]

On my trike it comes from the rear seat:Avatars_Gee_George:...Oh you mean the clutch whine. Both of my 99's did/do have it. As bongobob said you will get a ton of info on this issue. Most of us will tell you, for most of use all of the plus's of this bike far out weigh the negitives. I have not found another bike that fit's our need as well as the RSV.

[Cougar]

when your ears bleed a little that's when you will know .

[RandyR]

I was concerned too. But in reality all motorcycles make noises, and even a RSV with unusually load whine isn't as loud many other bikes 'normal' noise. I came to this conclusion after taking demo rides on several other makes of large motorcycles.

Edited March 8, 2013 by RandyR

[ragtop69gs]

My 2001 RSV has the whine, not bad and only at the top of 2nd & 3rd gears while on the throttle, adjusting the throttle opening or shifting gears makes it go away, so will turning up the radio. Our 2008 RSV trike has no sign of it, it's a crap shoot. All in all you'll love the bike.

[Sailor]

Mine has a whine but it is not bad and it is only in a certain rev range. You soon get used to it. My friends triumphs, he has two, are way louder.

[jakester]

Whine will vary with the bike....had a 2000 venture, no noticiable whine, 2003 midnight venture, no whine, now I have a 2006 RSTD with a noticiable whine that varys with throttle-gearing-and speed.....that being said, all these bikes ran great.

Bill

[jfoster]

I had an 06 RSTD and it was bad. Riders could hear it while riding behind me. It was to the point I had to wear ear plugs. Yamaha did change the basket out with the I basket and it did greatly reduce the whine to a tolerable level. The weird thing is the wife never heard on it while riding two up, but she is partially tone deaf.

 

Some have it and some say they don't have it, with that I would not buy one without at least a test ride.

[WildBill1]

:stirthepot:To avoid whine or cluth slipping use motorcycle oil instead of automotive oil. There is a difference in both to heat and friction properties.

Bill

[garyw]

I have a 2008 RSV. I was told by the dealer when I bought it that it would go away after about 2000 miles. I also read some posts to that effect as well. On mine, the wine was reduced after about 10000 miles and eliminated after installing a set of KromeWerks slip ons. The bike is well worth a little wining.

[friesman]

:stirthepot:To avoid whine or cluth slipping use motorcycle oil instead of automotive oil. There is a difference in both to heat and friction properties.

Bill

 

Many have tried using different brands of oil, with no change of whine. THe clutch will eventually slip, however, if you use a motoroil with the energy-conserving crest on the label.

 

Brian

[SilvrT]

My '06 was a "whiner" ... hated it. Had the clutch basket swapped for an "I" basket ... helped some ... at least to a point that I could tolerate it most days ... other days it annoyed me .... became a mental challenge to disregard it.

 

Great bike otherwise.

 

So I bought this Wing ... and guess what? ..... it has a REAL ANNOYING WHINE ... but only when idling ... once rolling and rpm's are up, I don't hear it. Apparently it's the same with these Wings, some have it, some don't, and those that do, it varies in pitch from one bike to the other.

 

Years ago I had an '85 Venture ... same whine issue... it would start right around 2900 rpm and go away just above 3100 rpm no matter what gear I was in.

 

As others have said, if you're going to buy one, take it for a good road test first. If it's a whiner, you'll know it. It generally shows up in 3rd, 4th, and 5th right around the 3000 rpm mark ... at least with mine it did.

 

The "technical" explanation for it (at least from my readings and understanding) is that the primary gear and clutch basket gear were not a "matched set" ... meaning that they weren't designed/developed/produced by the same mill. Each were produced based on a design spec to meet specific tolerances but not necessarilly "matched". (or something like that).

 

I don't state this to discourage you from buying an RSV ... more so to arm you with information based on my own knowledge and experience. They are a fantastic motorcycle and when I look at pics of my '06, I feel these little twangs of emotion ... that little man inside my head saying "ya dumb arse... why'd ya go an sell it?"

Edited March 7, 2013 by SilvrT

[XV1100SE]

On my '09 I don't have the whine (knock on wood). I've been using the Mobil 1 synthetic that is recommended. I'm about to switch to the Rotella T6 due to cost issues. Some say it makes a difference what engine oil you use and I'm a little leary about changing but at almost 1/2 the cost, I'll try the T6.

Because it is a wet clutch you have to watch out for friction modifiers. Do a search and you'll see the details on it.

[MiCarl]

The whine is not from the clutch. It's from the primary gear set. Yamaha uses a straight cut gear, which is strong but tends to be noisy. Most Yamaha street motorcycles use a similar gear and they whine too. I've heard it in other Japanese motorcycles as well.

 

It's not a concern unless you find it bothersome. It's not an indication of a problem with the motorcycle. Changing the oil or clutch basket (the driven gear is attached to the clutch basket) might mitigate the problem but I wouldn't plunk down cash for one I found annoying in the hope that I could mitigate it.

 

My 89 is audible at about 3Krpm. It does not matter what gear, or even neutral. It's there coasting, accelerating or at constant speed.

 

Gear noise that only occurs under load or coasting is likely to be helical gears in the drive line and that definitely indicates a problem.

[SilvrT]

The whine is not from the clutch. It's from the primary gear set.

 

Technically that is correct but we refer to it as "clutch basket whine" or "clutch whine" simply because the sound comes from the gear on the clutch basket meshing with the primary gear off the crank.

 

(just felt the need to expand upon / clarify that)

[MiCarl]

Technically that is correct but we refer to it as "clutch basket whine" or "clutch whine" simply because the sound comes from the gear on the clutch basket meshing with the primary gear off the crank.

 

(just felt the need to expand upon / clarify that)

 

My concern was that someone might mistake it for a problem with the clutch and pass on a perfectly good motorcycle thinking the clutch was bad. Or worse, buy an annoying one thinking it could be corrected by a clutch rebuild.

[BradT]

Had three Ventures all had it but were not bad as some I have heard. Recently my 08 started getting louder and it got real annoying. Dealer changed the basket, but he said all baskets can whine just have to swap it out and see. Also believe there is 3 different baskets but not sure on that.

 

Dealer changed the basket under warranty and was still loud, so they changed the rear end and it is definetly quieter.

 

I change oil at 3,000 miles or less and use 20W-50 Castrol. Works for me.

 

Good luck with your search. If your looking for a big bike you will be happy. Some 07's had an issue with head gasket bolts being loose but was covered under warranty.

 

Brad

[bmccck]

Thanks for all the posts about the clutch whine. Sounds like enough of you are pretty annoyed with it. Is it a constant whine or just when the gears go through the 3K rpm range? Growing in my doubts about getting a bike that annoys a good number of its owners. Love the V-Four though.

[XV1100SE]

As posted in the other thread... if you find a bike, test ride it. You know what to listen for and in what power range. Only the minority have the basket whine. Quiet ride... buy it !

[clawed]

Hello there bmccck, The whine everybody talks about, is only through a small portion of the RPM range. When the rpm's are below the range...NO Whine...when the rpm's are above the range....NO WINE! But, while u are in that rpm range (maybe 2K), the noise can be quite loud on ___some___ of these V-4's. Had a different clutch basket installed, and NO WHINE anymore! ( "I" basket) This was done under warrantee. These are very mechanically sound motorcycles....the primary gears meshing create the noise. These engines like high rpm's (they r not V-2's) so, if ur engine is not humming, u are lugging ur motor. Many people think they should sound like a harley...WRONG!...R's up no whine. And mine sounded like a sparrow chirpping, in perfect timing \ beat, in the affected rpm range. Don't be Afeared, buy the bike CLAWED!

[RandyR]

Thanks for all the posts about the clutch whine. Sounds like enough of you are pretty annoyed with it. Is it a constant whine or just when the gears go through the 3K rpm range? Growing in my doubts about getting a bike that annoys a good number of its owners. Love the V-Four though.

 

but not annoyed enough to switch motorcycles. Is it a fault ? sometimes. All bikes have faults. The fact we talk about it doesn't mean that in the balance of things it makes us dislike the bike. And overall, the noise level is much less than many other bikes.

[flyM92]

That whine is not something you will have to listen for. You can clearly hear it as you go through the gears. The whine is some bikes is louder than in others, dont know the reason for that. Yamaha used to fix it under warranty, but it is so prevelant they no longer do that. I can tell you with my RSTD it is very annoying, but not so much that i would get rid of it for that reason. You seem to get used to it. But ride a demo and if its something that you cant live with, get something else. its not going away on its own.

 

Boomer

 

"they no longer do that" yes they are, replacing mine today, 3-28-13, 2008 RSV> Did have to contact customer relations though....

[Ky. Rider]

Thanks for all the posts about the clutch whine. Sounds like enough of you are pretty annoyed with it. Is it a constant whine or just when the gears go through the 3K rpm range? Growing in my doubts about getting a bike that annoys a good number of its owners. Love the V-Four though.

 

 

Mine doesn't have the whine or I'm tone deaf to the sound. Also, I think some people have a higher tolerance than others. Before I'd throw in the towel I'd ride one and see what you think if I were you. I have an 06 with 32,000 miles on it and if I trade it will be for another RSV. It is a great touring bike as well as a local runner. The V4 is a sweet running engine.