hello riders. I know that there are similar threads about this but I can't zero in on if this is an actual fixable issue or just the way it is. After riding a 2007 FJR for 16 years i upgraded to a 2018. Loved the 07, not one problem. The 2018 though has this annoying high pitched whine. It gets worse as you add throttle, in 6th gear it isnt as bad but it is enough to be annoying. I hear it is the gears, I also hear it might be the fuel pump. I want to love this bike as much as I loved the 07 which has a great sound. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The dreaded whine - questions
- Thread starter Cygnusx1
- Start date
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When you say whine, does it increase in volume and/or pitch. Is pitch related to RPM or throttle load? Does it make the sound when you put it on the centerstand, put it in gear, and apply throttlle (obviously don't pin it)? If so, take a length of hose (say fuel line), but it to your ear, and isolate where the sound is coming from physically.
And you say "similar threads". Which threads?
These types of things tend to be toughest to diagnose and you're likely going to get a variety of ideas to try differential things to isolate or narrow down. My only guess at this point other than 6 speeds being whinier than older 5 speeds is loose motor mounts.
And you say "similar threads". Which threads?
These types of things tend to be toughest to diagnose and you're likely going to get a variety of ideas to try differential things to isolate or narrow down. My only guess at this point other than 6 speeds being whinier than older 5 speeds is loose motor mounts.
BillDownUnder
Active member
I get the same on my 2019.
It seems to have to do with the fact that the gears are not helical, but straight cut. I don't know if they were helical prior to 2016.
Oil change time I will be putting in slightly thicker oil, perhaps that may help.
It seems to have to do with the fact that the gears are not helical, but straight cut. I don't know if they were helical prior to 2016.
Oil change time I will be putting in slightly thicker oil, perhaps that may help.
Ignacio
Thanks for your quick response. It does increase in loudness with increased RPM. And it does make the sound when it's out of gear and I Rev the throttle. I will be changing the oil and the final gear oil this week. I hope that may help.
Then that's not transmission nor final drive. That's engine.
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RossKean
Well-known member
Doubtful. When you first turn the key on, the fuel pump primes. You would never hear that over the sounds of engine and wind.
Does it change in frequency as a function of RPM, irrespective of gear - likely engine.
Does it go quiet in neutral? Probable transmission.
Quiet with clutch pulled? Transmission or clutch
Speed related, but not gear and not RPM? Final drive or wheel bearings?
Someone recently had a whine/noise complaint and discovered it was related to the windshield. Different shield or different position cured it.
(Might have been some weird harmonic or possibly it was acting as a sound guide to amplify and funnel normal noises directly to the rider.)
Wear earplugs! You should anyway - take it from someone who started wearing them too late in life...
One advantage of hearing damage is the loss of high frequency sound perception. My wife complains about high pitch background noises and I don't even hear them. I might not hear what you are describing either.
Great guesses on the source of the FJR whine. Here's my take:
#1 The gearset on the 2015 and earlier tranny's were straight cut gears and created a bit more "mechanical" noise but that's at a lower frequency and not the source of the whine. Besides, the whine is present on all years of FJR1300s and the 2016+ machines all have helically cut gears in the tranny.
#2 As noted above, the whine seems less related to gear, load, road speed and more related to engine speed.
#3 The primary drive to the clutch housing is a straight cut gear. That could make a bit of noise and it would dutifully follow crankshaft speed but, I think that would produce the same lower frequency noise as the other straight-cut gears present. So, what else spins at the same speed as the crankshaft or some harmonically-related speed? Well, there's the camshafts spinning happily at 1/2 crankshaft speed. They're chain-driven and don't drive any other gears that could produce such a noise. Besides, they're spinning at 1/2 crankshaft speed so, I'm going to eliminate those as a source. So, what's left?
The balancers! There's two of them and they're gear driven and spin at the 2x the speed of the crankshaft! That would certainly produce a higher frequency sound than the cams, tranny, intermediate drive, etc. I'm fairly comfortable with my theory. The straight-cut gear-driven engine balancers are the most likely source of the characteristic FJR1300 whine. They're also a significant part of the reason the FJR's engine is such a masterpiece of smoothness. (images attached)
So, instead of complaining about the "whine", I choose to enjoy that turbine-like sound that just reinforces the power and engineering prowess wrapped in all that beautiful Tupperware® that Yamaha has produced. We who own and have come to appreciate these machines are the smartest of the motorcycling world. Who's on board?
#1 The gearset on the 2015 and earlier tranny's were straight cut gears and created a bit more "mechanical" noise but that's at a lower frequency and not the source of the whine. Besides, the whine is present on all years of FJR1300s and the 2016+ machines all have helically cut gears in the tranny.
#2 As noted above, the whine seems less related to gear, load, road speed and more related to engine speed.
#3 The primary drive to the clutch housing is a straight cut gear. That could make a bit of noise and it would dutifully follow crankshaft speed but, I think that would produce the same lower frequency noise as the other straight-cut gears present. So, what else spins at the same speed as the crankshaft or some harmonically-related speed? Well, there's the camshafts spinning happily at 1/2 crankshaft speed. They're chain-driven and don't drive any other gears that could produce such a noise. Besides, they're spinning at 1/2 crankshaft speed so, I'm going to eliminate those as a source. So, what's left?
The balancers! There's two of them and they're gear driven and spin at the 2x the speed of the crankshaft! That would certainly produce a higher frequency sound than the cams, tranny, intermediate drive, etc. I'm fairly comfortable with my theory. The straight-cut gear-driven engine balancers are the most likely source of the characteristic FJR1300 whine. They're also a significant part of the reason the FJR's engine is such a masterpiece of smoothness. (images attached)
So, instead of complaining about the "whine", I choose to enjoy that turbine-like sound that just reinforces the power and engineering prowess wrapped in all that beautiful Tupperware® that Yamaha has produced. We who own and have come to appreciate these machines are the smartest of the motorcycling world. Who's on board?
Attachments
sullivan
Well-known member
All items very well said.
BillDownUnder
Active member
Not complaining, just noting.
ERS
Well-known member
Have a friend on his second Honda ST1300 those bikes have a whine you could hear 100yards away. FJR is silent compared to that.
Ishkatan
Member
It's the mini Jet engines they used to replace the pistons.
My 2008 AE has the whine but after a while I stopped worrying about it and now have 31K+ on it. Yes, it is annoying, seems to be decreasing with wear/age (or my failing hearing) and earplugs help. They real key is to not worry about it too much.
RossKean
Well-known member
I rode today without earplugs for the first time in a long time. The bike really makes a lot of different noises that are of some concern. I managed to fix it by putting my earplugs back in.
I remember that my first gen used to have a louder whine while cruising along in 4th gear. My ‘14 doesn’t seem to display that trait, or else my hearing has gotten that much worse.
I agree with Ross, the few times I’ve ridden mine without earplugs, like moving it across a parking lot, I was made immediately aware of all the weird noises coming from the bike. Plugs back in and all is well!
I agree with Ross, the few times I’ve ridden mine without earplugs, like moving it across a parking lot, I was made immediately aware of all the weird noises coming from the bike. Plugs back in and all is well!
Ha, Ha! I remember the first time I had my hearing aids in and went out and started the bike. WTF is wrong with my bike? Took my hearing aids out, NOTHING.
