Transmission whining?

[petevan]

I finally got my fixer upper running strong and looking great! However, I have noticed that my transmission whines a little. I am curious if this is cause to worry or if this is normal. I recently changed my oil ( about 10 miles ago recently) I had an old yamaha dirt bike and it had a similar whining so I am curious if this spound is just a yamaha characteristic? Any adivise would be greatly appreciated

[mitch]

Whine

Thump,clunk,zap,blip,whirrrr,zing and whining are all normal from xs1100,s and thier owners!!!!!!!!!! Its when things get quite that ya gotta start gettin nervous..........MITCH

[ratbyk]

Gear Whine

Petevan, suggest that you change the oil in the intermediate gear and the rear end. Use hypoid 90 not engine oil.
If the intermediate gear is low it certainly whines. It will also burn itself up fairly quickly if run low.
These bikes are not as prone to making strange noises if all lubricants are up to level and of the correct type. Get a shop manuel and change/grease/lube everything that moves on the bike. You will be amazed at how things smooth out and quiet down.
Lots of luck,
Ken/Sooke
78E Ratbyk
82 FT500 "lilRat"

[skids]

Re: Gear Whine

I do agree with Ken, change the gear oils. I have three xs11's and one of the 78's has always whined. Sometimes it sounds like granny gear from an old truck. It has gone many miles without incident.

[strom]

I put new old transmission in mine, put it back together, now it whines when I let go of the throttle. Did not do that before. Middle drive oil is as it should be, fresh too. I have no idea what could be causing this.

LP

[motoman]

The tranny whine is normal for these "rock crusher" trannies as they use straight cut not helical cut gears, which is better in the sense of causing very little, if any side thrust pressure on shaft bearings,etc. The trade off is the whine from a setup like this and a little clunky shifting till you get the hang of speed/clutching/rpm/. Once you get hang of all that, the only minor clunking will be up-shifting to second, and I very seldom have that. You can read the tech tips about the tranny information and it will explain how tranny operates and will put your worries to rest. This also has to do with them being the toughest tranny out there, and is why I bought the 81 tourer new instead of the gold wing.........and obvious performance difference!

[strom]

Does it with the clutch pulled in, does not do it while coasting in neutral.
The 1st seems to fall out. Crap.... new tranny and I don't know what to expect. Also got a new original XS exhaust on... transfers much more vibrations to the footpegs. Eh, well..... I cant seem to think that one of the gear shafts isnt put together right.

LP

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Strom,

I can't believe you had the donor tranny out and apart and DIDN'T dress up the dogs and slots?? My 1st gear went first, and 2nd a few months later. Sorry to hear about it slipping out, looks like you'll be going back into it!? But the whining sounds about right, and as long as you know the fluid levels in the middle and final drives are good, then you should be okay otherwise!
T.C.

[strom]

The dogs and slots on the donor tranny are like new.... barely a scratch on them. I figure something else went. There's a shaft thingie that holds the shift drum in place... the engine block cracked around that shaft, but bout 1/2 an inch was intact. I cold-welded it in place, since I figured no greater forces than my foot are at work there. I forgot I had big feet. The other option is, I forgot to put in a washer or something.
The whining.... didn't do that before. Thats why I asked.
Maybe I'll get a whole parts bike minus frame and middle drive. Depends on how much the owner wants for it. He has his 79F in the living room, like new condition, uses a TDM to ride around (cant ride much, had a nasty spill on the 11, he was sliding under the bike, so the bike came out OK, he didnt )

LP

PS: I really need a second bike to ride around while I'm wrenching on the XS. Damn frustrating having the only bike in pieces during the last sunny days of the year. I had my eye on a SV1000. And I don't even like suzukis.