| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
You may recall I inquired about a WHINE from my '06 Uly a few weeks ago...well, I have fitted new tires, new drive belt, and it is still present. Almost certainly coming from transmission. At some speeds it is bikespeed-dependent; this makes sense since M/C transmissions are "constant-mesh" (i.e. all gears always rotating at their engagement speed). It is even evident at lower speeds, such as coasting (declutched) when approaching a stop. Clutch has no effect. Wheel bearings are fine. I have used Formula+ in the transmission since I bought the '06 with 9,000 miles on it (current mileage 30,000). My previous '06 NEVER developed such a whine in its pre-deer-strike 55,000 miles (also with Formula+) I'm a little concerned, since I've experienced an automotive manual transmission "locking up" (THAT was an experience; my son was driving) after losing its lubricant and overheating; the only symptom in that case was a subtle "whine" (which I ignored  ). Had to replace transmission. With a month-long summer trip ahead (Homecoming, then east from there) I'm a little concerned. Any thoughts? --Doc | ||
| Teeps |
Any metal in the trans fluid? Could be the bearing #5 and/or #6 viewed on pg. 30 of the parts manual. My Ulysses has a 3rd gear whine during light cruise. This noise stops on decel, and do not hear it during accel. 20k miles on the bike. (Message edited by teeps on May 08, 2010) | ||
| Jhallgren |
Teeps, what speed is your whine in 3rd gear? My Uly does the same thing around 35-40mph but goes away after that. It does not bother me but always wondered if that was normal. My primary is clunky at idle when the bike is cold but is fine when warm. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
My primary is clunky when cold idling too. Dealership keeps saying it's normal. This is the first quiet bike I have owned. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Could be the bearing #5 and/or #6 viewed on pg. 30 of the parts manual. Don't have parts manual. What bearings in FSM? Splitting the cases is the only thing I HAVEN'T done on the blasted Ulysses. If it comes to that...time to switch, IMHO. Or I suppose time to transplant engine from S/N 044. At least it has Time-Serted spark plug threads... Not a very happy owner right now... --Doc | ||
| Union_man |
A buddy of mine rides a Sportster. His bike whined pretty loud not too long after a scheduled service (dealer). Turned out to be primary chain adjustment issue...I think it was over tight. Just thinking out loud. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Just put the bike up in the air and ran it through the gears. The whine is very apparent (with or w/o earplugs, which I always wear). Anyway, it seems to be emanating from the rear wheel. The wheel bearings FELT fine, but maybe they're deteriorating. I just happen to have a pair of new rear wheel bearings on order. Would sure be nice if that were the problem. Stay tuned... --Doc | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hey, Mrs. Greg just pointed out that I have this parts bike (S/N 044) sitting around, and that I could take the rear wheel from THAT bike and swap it into S/N 564 to see if that's it. Sounds like a good idea to me. Letcha know what happens. --Doc | ||
| F_skinner |
I am pretty sure you know how to adjust the clutch and primary chain so I will assume those are good. Pop the cover off the bearings and regrease them and try it again. If the whine is still there check to see it it changes pitch with the clutch in and out. If it is not there then replace your bearings. If it is check your clutch basket. Frank | ||
| Mnrider |
If you can have someone run the throttle while you have it on the lift you can listen with a piece of hose or a stethoscope to pinpoint the noise. You may even be able to tell if its the left or right wheel bearing. | ||
| Crusty |
Have you checked the belt tensioner? One or both of its bearings might be dying. | ||
| Blackdog |
Primary too tight. How many miles are on the bike? | ||
| Teeps |
Jhallgren Posted on Saturday, May 08, 2010 - 02:25 pm: Teeps, what speed is your whine in 3rd gear? My Uly does the same thing around 35-40mph but goes away after that. Yes, that's the speed range, only hear in 3rd gear. With straight cut gears some noise is normal. The noise I hear does not concern me as it's been there from the beginning. I've got 20k on the bike now; noise has not changed. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Well, fellas, I think I'm STUCK! Since I have the (totaled) '06 S/N 044 "parts" bike, I have swapped out the following from it: 1. Rear wheel. The bearings in that wheel are definitely good (Nachi (Japanese) bearings; put them in myself). Still have whine. 2. Idler pulley. Stethoscope gave strong sound on pulley bracket. I had high hopes, but no difference. So I'm bamboozled. Even Mrs. Greg can definitely hear it. AFAIK there's nothing else that I can easily swap. I have * New drive belt * Known good rear wheel bearings * Known good idler pulley The only other possible causes would seem to be internal to the transmission, which means removing the engine and splitting the cases. Not hard on my '92 KX250, but not the way I had planned to spend the next few weeks. BTW the clutch has no effect. I replaced the clutch needle bearing in S/N 044 when it started making noise. And it didn't make a "whine" as it deteriorated. Also the whine is NOT apparent in 1st gear, only 2nd-5th. I can't say whether the whine is getting worse, since I've been too busy to ride much the last month. So now I guess I face a choice considering my month-long summer trip a month from now: 1. Do nothing, and hope nothing fails during my trip. 2. Swap engines with S/N 044 (it has 55K miles on it). 3. Say goodbye to the Uly and get something reliable. Tell ya what, I'm kinda tired of workin' on these stupid things. For those of you that don't know, I have done a LOT of wrenching on these blasted Ulys, including a complete top-end teardown due to plug blowout (well documented on BadWeb). I suppose I should post this on the XBoard; more folks there (lower S/N, though), although honestly I don't know what else to do besides my aforementioned 3 choices. Anyway, I'm pretty disappointed in this thing: apparently an internal failure after 30,000 miles. So much for longevity. How about if I show up at Homecoming on a GS... --Doc | ||
| Crusty |
Doc; at Homecoming, I'll be riding a Moto Guzzi Norge, and other folks will be there on other marques. Just show up. | ||
| Jont |
Greg, a new belt matched with the old pulleys may cause some noise. Can you remove the belt and run just the motor though the gears and see if the noise changes or goes away? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Is it possible to run it without the idler? Perhaps it only does it under tension? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Have you tried loosening the primary chain tension a bit? | ||
| Dr_greg |
Greg, a new belt matched with the old pulleys may cause some noise. Can you remove the belt and run just the motor though the gears and see if the noise changes or goes away? No, the whine began BEFORE I installed a new belt. I meant to run it without the belt; I'll betcha no whine. I'll do that later today, just out of curiosity. Is it possible to run it without the idler? Perhaps it only does it under tension? See above. Probably what it is is the output bearing that carries the belt tension. I've heard it said that those fail commonly due to the high tension (although I've yet to hear of that actually happening). Note that my whine BEGAN with an OLD BELT. The new belt may have exacerbated it, who knows? Anyway, ENGINE SWAP starting tomorrow. The "parts" bike has been sitting on the back patio for a couple years. Hope the engine is still OK. BTW, anyone ever removed the engine in a Uly? I'll give Al at American Sport Bike a call today and get his take. And---of course---I'll document the entire process here for all to see. After swapping engines, I suppose I'll eventually disassemble the "whiny" engine to find the problem. That's AFTER I finish the total rebuild of the 4AGE Toyota 4-banger in my son's '86 MR2. For this I went to college? I'm tired of wrenching!!  Slowly but surely, the Uly is easing its path out of my life. Wish the Ducati MTS 1200 was available now...or that the Moto Morini Granpasso 1200 was imported into NA. --Doc | ||
| F_skinner |
Mike, I am sure Greg had the primary off and checked everything. Is that correct Greg? Sometimes the adjuster shoe gets worn it gets worse with the primary drive chain adjusted too tight. I have seen these things break apart and lodge in the back of the clutch gasket but that would usually produce hard shifting. When the primary adjuster shoe gets worn it get grooves in it and produces a whine. If the shoe is adjusted one way or the other and the whine changes pitch it would be a good indicator. You can do that without taking the primary cover off. Other than that I am stumped... BMW GS or Duc MTS 1299 or Granpasso 1200???? Make up your mind Greg...  BTW: As Crusty said, it makes no matter what you ride to Homecoming as long as you go to Homecoming. I look forward to seeing you again. All those Ulys are going to make you jealous... | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, Only simple thing left is to remove the rear brake caliper and spin it up to see if that's it. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Doc, Only simple thing left is to remove the rear brake caliper and spin it up to see if that's it. Hadn't thought of that, but...couldn't be. Well, I'll spin it up tonight w/o the belt just for grins, then I'll decide what to do. BTW, I have checked the primary adjustment; it was fine. Funny thing, though...on the ride in to work this morning it sure seemed like the whining was almost nonexistent. Hmmmm...... Well, I'm gonna spend tonight doing one last check over S/N 564. Then Tuesday I have some free time (it's finals week for me) and---if I decide to do this---I'm gonna roll S/N 044 into the shop and start engine removal. --Doc | ||
| Ourdee |
Would be cool to roll a 100,000 miles on Ole-44. | ||
| Florida_lime |
Wish the Ducati MTS 1200 was available now. This week, Doc. I work part-time in sales at a Ducati dealer, and the demo bike is expected in Wednesday or Thursday. I've got plans for Saturday !!  | ||
| Dr_greg |
am sure Greg had the primary off and checked everything. Frank, it can't be the primary since the pitch of the whine is bikespeed-dependent, not enginespeed-dependent. Would be cool to roll a 100,000 miles on Ole-44. That was the original plan. Woulda been at about 80,000 now if it weren't for the stupid forest rat. If I switch engines we'll start at 55,000. Anyway, the whine seemed to be almost gone yesterday, so---since I have a break in final exams today---I'm going on a 500+ mile ride to see how things go. Yes, it's the "deer-strike" ride.  I also thought that since I'm an ex-musician with perfect pitch, maybe I hear things that others might not (although Mrs. Greg heard the whine in the shop). So the saga continues... I'm really not serious about ditching the Uly(s) unless they REALLY let me down. If/when that happens, we'll see. Still the most satisfying bike I've ever owned. Send some good (quiet) thoughts my way today... --Doc | ||
| Hughlysses |
Doc- maybe do a tranny oil change after your 500 mile ride and see what shows up on the magnetic drain plug? If that's clean, I think I'd run it as-is. If it's showing massive quantities of chippage, maybe it's a good time to go to your back-up engine. My gut feel (with absolutely no scientific basis) is that your present engine/tranny is fine. | ||
| Paul56 |
If it were my dilemma and all the circumstances were the same I'd; Check for debris on the primary drain plug regularly, ride it til it broke knowing I had the solution at home (recognizing that the uncertainty could stain otherwise great rides especially far from home). There's no guarantee that the source of the noise can be pinpointed during a teardown when it seems to be somewhat inconsistent. Just my $.02 | ||
| Pso |
Dr. Greg-You hit my ambivalance on the head. Most satisfying bike I have ever had, however very tired of wrenching and fixing it. Also uncertanty of long trip planning. |
