Try again.....transmission whine
hawkeye2633
Posted 2008-09-30 6:21 PM (#19361)
Subject: Try again.....transmission whine


Puddle Jumper

Posts: 20
I'm new to the site so forgive me if this has been discussed. I just took my first trip on my new Vision through the hills of Arkansas and love it except for the whine in gears 1-4. It seems excessive particularly under load and much more than my 07 Kingpin. Mine is the only Vision I have ever rode. Is this normal?
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Wizard523
Posted 2008-09-30 6:28 PM (#19362 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA
Over 3300 miles so far and I have never heard a whine from my transmission. It does "clunk" pretty heavily when I shift gears, but otherwise my transmission works flawlessly.
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Bikertrash666
Posted 2008-09-30 7:06 PM (#19366 - in reply to #19362)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Cruiser

Posts: 101
I was just down in the hills of MO, and Ark.,last week and runnin the hills hard and no whine in mine. Vision Premium Tour, 11,000 miles
Bob
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cw1115
Posted 2008-09-30 7:07 PM (#19367 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: RE: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 1290
Ruskin, Fl
Mine seemed kind of loud at first. Seems to have broken in nicely. I still have a major clunk dropping it into first though. 7957 miles so far. Put full synthetic in today, but haven't gone for a ride yet.
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hgalindez
Posted 2008-09-30 9:02 PM (#19376 - in reply to #19367)
Subject: RE: Try again.....transmission whine


Puddle Jumper

Posts: 8
Exton, PA
I only have 1200 mi on mine, and I have the same issue with whine in gears 1-4.
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varyder
Posted 2008-09-30 9:03 PM (#19378 - in reply to #19367)
Subject: RE: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA
It's there to me but never a distractor. I've gone with a full syn and it seems to make it quieter, however, I'm going back to the Vic 50/50 since it still has to be changed every 2.5 - 3k intervals. Don't make much sense or cents to pay more for really no affect except a little less noise.
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Rebel
Posted 2008-10-01 9:29 AM (#19441 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Iron Butt

Posts: 600
Linwood, MI
I never noticed any drivetrain noises that were any different than what I had with my '06 Kingpin. If you're noticing something more than what you had with your 'Pin I'd suggest bringing it up with the dealer. Even if he can't find anything, make sure he documents the concern so that if you have a serious problem later on you have a paper trail of it from the get-go.
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Banjo
Posted 2008-10-01 11:35 AM (#19451 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: RE: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 319
4th gear is alittle noisy.....but not that bad
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dtoddrship
Posted 2008-10-01 1:52 PM (#19485 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Cruiser

Posts: 79
Austin, Texas
4th and 6th gear are a bit noisy, but 5th is silent on mine at 5000 miles.
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donetracey
Posted 2008-10-01 2:04 PM (#19487 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada
Not nearly as bad as my 1959 Jaguar XK-150. So I guess I can live with it - I just get into 5th as fast as possible.
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space_cwboy
Posted 2008-10-05 3:10 PM (#19899 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Cruiser

Posts: 235
Evergreen, CO
Victory should be ashamed of putting out a product that has a tranny that sounds like a John Deere tractor (or a '59 Jag XK-150). Gear technology is not new, it's been around a long time. If it's the common fluid between the engine and trans, then update the design, separating the trans from the engine so a heavier gear lube can be used to calm down the noise. The trans may be reliable, but if it sounds like it's about to come apart, then they need to make an improvement ASAP!!
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pollolittle
Posted 2008-10-05 3:19 PM (#19902 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 2026
Brighton, TN
I love my John Deere Tractor, no shame here. And it costs as much as the vision if not more. So, if the Vision is as stout as my Deere, i should be good to go for many, many miles.
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dwhite28
Posted 2008-10-05 3:44 PM (#19908 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States
I guess while we are seperating the trans from the engine, we can make a softtail swing arm and stick the oil reservior under the drivers seat along with the battery. Oh yeah, can't do that.... might be building something that is not different and part of the status quo. But wait, almost every other motorcycle other than the HD has the tranny and engine together using the same oil!!!!!!
Oh no, does anyone else know this? better be careful, someone else might notice the tranny noise that is generated from other bikes i have ridden like the Venture or Nomads that i have ridden over the years, but the tranny noise can be difficult to hear sometimes on the Roadstar or venture over the constant whining of the the stator and flywheel. Or is that just the whining of people that have nothing better to do? Like my Grand daddy used to say, "He would complain if you hung him with brand new rope" Ta ta for now, i got to enjoy the rest of the day riding that wonderful Vision of mine.
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pollolittle
Posted 2008-10-05 4:17 PM (#19911 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 2026
Brighton, TN
Lucky, I'm out of here myself. Take a little ride home.
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varyder
Posted 2008-10-05 5:30 PM (#19918 - in reply to #19911)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA

I need more power, now! Scotty, you're fired! But sir, we need a noisey transmission to generate more power... which one do you want sir!

Never mind me, i'm the crazy one from Virginia...

Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship
Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip
Ride captain ride upon your mystery ship
On your way to a world that others might have missed

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Teach
Posted 2008-10-05 5:40 PM (#19919 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 1436
hawkeye, I know the sound your hearing from the tranny and it is normal. Victory used TWO different cuts on the gears so you'll hear it more on even numbered gears (2, 4, & 6). Synthetic helps some but riding in 5th a LOT helps the most, lol. 11k and its still there so my guess is you'll have it for some time. Plug in your Ipod, turn up the volume and enjoy the ride it's not going to break.
As for the complaining comments or the "you shouldn't" just ask away..... Nothing worse than not knowing because you didn't ask.
It takes a good full season of riding the Vision before you'll learn all her quirks, enjoy.... T
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rdbudd
Posted 2008-10-05 11:05 PM (#19961 - in reply to #19919)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO
Yeah, my bike's got the gear whine. So did my Goldwing. On an unfaired bike, you don't have the sound being reflected back to you, so you don't notice the tranny sounds like you do on a fully faired bike, especially one that has a nice and quiet exhaust. Now, my Sport Cruiser has a really clunky/noisy tranny, but with that unbaffled D&D pipe on it, you can't hear it.

Ronnie
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pollolittle
Posted 2008-10-06 8:17 AM (#19977 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 2026
Brighton, TN
I rode a harley with straight no baffled exhaust. Man, that was so loud your ear drums rattled while riding it. It didn't even have a windshield and I couldn't hear the wind, due to the pain in my brain. I couldn't tell you if it had gear train noise or not or any other noise for that matter.

Fortunately, I don't have any sound that gives me concern. The bike clunks into 1st, 2nd, 3rd and lightly clunks into the rest. 1st is the one that really gives a solid "THUNK"! I can hear some sewing machine, high whirring sound, nothing like gravel.

I travel with the radio on most of the time, maybe I'll see what it sounds like without the radio on.
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amessen
Posted 2008-10-06 8:57 AM (#19980 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Cruiser

Posts: 271
Belding Michigan
forgive me but I have heard said whine and I amy be wrong but is sounds a lot less like the tranny and much more like the cam chain whine that is a feature on the 1800 Gold Wing. I am not sure that Vision uses a cam chain but if so that would be the whine I hear. 'Archie
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dwhite28
Posted 2008-10-06 10:15 AM (#19990 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States
BINGO!!!!!!
amessen won. You are correct, the Victory engine is a chain driven cam. And yes that noise is the loudest one on the engine.
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hawkeye2633
Posted 2008-10-12 12:11 PM (#20526 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Puddle Jumper

Posts: 20
Thanks for all the support and info. As I get a few miles under it either I'm getting used to it or it is getting better. As I noted on another thread if I ran straight pipes and no windshield like my Kingpin I probably wouldn't notice it at all. Just wanted to make sure it was normal.
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norcan
Posted 2008-10-12 12:33 PM (#20530 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Cruiser

Posts: 208
Edmonton Alberta, Canada
I started out with a boulvard c90......no shield, added shield.....now I heard all kinds of noises that were not there before. On the vision, with the open handle bars, we get a lot of noises coming through that we did not have on former bikes.
I think the biggest problem vision riders are going to have is the "connecting rod" issue.
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varyder
Posted 2008-10-12 5:21 PM (#20544 - in reply to #20530)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA
I love the sound the Vision makes now the exhaust ticking noise is gone. I should have realized that I had an exhaust leak because I had one on the GL1200 and didn't figure it out for a while. On close inspection one day I noticed a bolt missing on the header. Once that was replaced the ticking stopped. The same kind I was  hearing on the Vision. I'm starting to like the transmission whine as the GoldWing was tooooo quiet.
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Teach
Posted 2008-10-12 7:41 PM (#20551 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 1436
The tranny noise doesn't bother me near as much as the rear end howl. I'm thinking its brake noise since it occurs after a few miles when the brakes heat up. I'll try a different pad and see if that makes a difference. Varying speed and/or gear makes the tranny noise go away so playing to find a good ride speed and gear choice may help, it does me.
dwhite, actually it is a gear box whine and NOT the chain... the Victory rep said so when I asked. I mentioned why in my previous post and thats coming from Victory's guy. I frankly don't hear much cam chain noise but then again I am use to riding a bike with this setup. The whine referenced by Hawkeye is a gear whine like was present on my 99 RG after I replaced the chain driven cams with gear driven. There is NO mistaking gear whine. Not trying to start a debate but it is what it is. One will get use to the noise and hardly notice it with time.
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dwhite28
Posted 2008-10-12 9:07 PM (#20558 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States
True, there is no mistaking gear whine. Let me first state that this is only a statement and not a debate. My Vision and the Visions that I have uncrated and prepared for customers and maintained service for as well as other Victory motorcycles that I have serviced for the last year have noticeable Chain and Cam noise. The sound always overrides any transmission noise. There is gear whine and noise, which is usually minor in the primary due the torque compensator gear. So when I was stating that the noise is cam chain, it is based solely on my experience that cam chain noise is always louder than any minor gear whine. I may be jaded on the transmission noise since I know what a normal transmission sounds like.
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varyder
Posted 2008-10-12 9:19 PM (#20559 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA
Careful dwhite, you have to watch the blackholes that sometime show up on the forum. I take your expert advice of experience over hearsay from a salesman any day.
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dwhite28
Posted 2008-10-12 9:49 PM (#20563 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Tourer

Posts: 404
San Antonio, TX United States
Varyder, I know posting on this forum is sort of like walking on a frozen lake. All those creaking sounds and you are never certain when the crack in the ice appears under your feet. Teach did say it was a Victory Rep, there are a few of them that are ok, but I still take most of them with a grain of salt. The best thing Teach and many of us have going for us is the fact many of us have been around mechanical items since we were small. From speaking with my parents, I have been tearing stuff apart and putting it back together since before I could walk. Sort of helps when you also have a father that was a Air Force instructor in power generation, Fluid Power and Diesel power. However, most of us can use our own intuition and are of an age that we still have some “Common Sense” that we know how to research and figure out what is an acceptable answer. Fortunately, for me, most of my heavy equipment experience was spent dealing with prototype equipment on an OEM level. Therefore, I was dealing one on one with the designers and engineers with insight that most people do not get the opportunity to be around. It was my job to make the stuff break and find why and how to prevent it from happening again the next time.
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varyder
Posted 2008-10-12 10:16 PM (#20565 - in reply to #19361)
Subject: Re: Try again.....transmission whine


Visionary

Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA
Sounds like you had a dream job of mine. To find out why things break. I grew up around heavy equipment and 18wheelers the early part of my life and Army stuff the rest of my life with a ASE cert. I'm still amazed at what I don't know!
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