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5th gear Whine

johnkarlfl

Active Member
New to the 6 speed ultra.
I hear a low sound whinning only in 5th gear.
Go's away when I leave off the gas.
any thought's, good ,bad, does not matter?? common??
 
Need to change trans oil to spectro 6 speed oil. Will quiet trans considerably.
Also try this:
Automatic Chain Tensioner Adjustment
Published by glider (Wise Member)
Published date: May 20th, 2008

Here's a trick to reduce the constant engine noise that sounds like valve train noises on the newer 96 Cu In. bikes that have the auto adjusting primary chain tensioners and no inspection port.
I tried this on my RKC and can notice a definite improvement. The problem seems to be coming from the primary chain and not really the valve train at all.

Here's what you do. Accelerate from a stop in first gear rather hard to about 30 MPH and then brake rather hard using only the rear brake without locking up the wheel and don't pull in the clutch until the bike slows enough.
Do this 2-3 times in succession and you'll notice that the noise that you thought was the valve train is almost completely gone now. Low speed riding is a bit smoother also due to less play in the chain.

By doing this, the automatic primary chain will ratchet up a bit tighter if it was loose before this. The acceleration and braking causes slack in the lower strand of the chain and will ratchet it up tighter if it needed an adjustment.

If it wasn't loose there will be no noted difference.
That is most likely the noise that was heard and not the valve train at all.

Sounds strange but try it!
 
I recall reading another thread on this subject that stated that the 5th gear is a spur cut gear (tooth design) and will naturually whine by design.
 
New to the 6 speed ultra.
I hear a low sound whinning only in 5th gear.
Go's away when I leave off the gas.
any thought's, good ,bad, does not matter?? common??

Very common. They guru's will let you know, but the 5th gear is straight cut as opposed the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th being helical cut. Spectro 6 speed or Redline Shockproof will help. I put in a Baker DD7 (7 Speed) and hear the the 5th gear whine in 2nd and 3rd which are straight cut. :s Go figure.
 
Yup...that's correct. Mine sings to me too. Not obnoxiously loud, but enough to let me know that I have one more gear to go once I get the correct amount of breeze in my face. I LOVE the six-speed tranny!
 
Great reply's guys, will help me sleep tonight.
I will try the spectro 6 on the next tran. change thanks
 
As others have said it is because of the straight cut 5th gear. I liked it as it let me know I was in 5th and shouldn't shift up to 6th below 65 mph. I put heavier oil in the trans (75w140) and it quieted down a lot. Now with 42K on the bike it doesn't make any noise at all. I kind of miss it though, now I have to pay more attention to what gear I'm in.
 
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