whine or howl?

[Snubnose]

Ive noticed over the past 3 weeks or so that my bike makes a "whine" or "howl" sound when i get above, say 30kph, up until 70 or 80 where either it goes away or I just cant hear it anymore due to the wind noise.

The noise is definitely association with forward motion and/or drivetrain as it goes away wen I pull in the clutch. The sound minimizes when I "level off" on the throttle (momentum catches up to RPM?). it also increases and decreases like a "see-saw" effect or "throbbing" as I roll off the throttle completely and the engine catches "down" to "momentum" or coasting level. I think everybody knows the kinda sound I mean, nearest word to describe is "howly-whine".

What think ye?... Tranny?...Chain/Sprockets?....clutch? Ive got 26000 k's on the bike and the chain and sprockets were replaced at 18000k's, same time as the tires.

Chain seems ok, not too loose or too tight, got about an 5/8 inch of play in it when I sit on the bike.

My one thought was the kind of oil I used for a whie, the PTFE/moly stuff from honda (red can) Teflon base, seemed ok, but seemed dry .

[pmackie]

Hey Snub

If I understand you correctly, the sound is directly related to engine speed, not road speed, since it get quieter when you pull in the clutch and let the engine revs drop?

If so, it will not be tranny or chain, but something in the engine or clutch area.

Some things to check:
Exhaust bolts or something loose in the exhaust
Cam chain and/or tensioner problem
Something loose in the air box or carb area

OTOH, if the sound is related to road speed and not engine speed, then look at the chain and sprockets first.

[Snubnose]

Hey Snub

If I understand you correctly, the sound is directly related to engine speed, not road speed, since it get quieter when you pull in the clutch and let the engine revs drop?

It gets more than quiet when I pull the clutch in, it goes away completely!...whether I reduce the revs or not. If I didnt know any better Id say it was the chain/sprockets... but for them to fault so soon? I have the OEM front sprocket too!.. do you think it could of been the PFTE (teflon) lube?

[Snubnose]

OK... so everyone, pay attention... the whine or "howl" as I put it?, yup.. ITS GONE!...yay!

Turns out the culprit was an improperly adjusted chain, that when I attempted to tighten one day, made the wheel uneven on one side, so the wheel was crooked slightly.

[Red01]

Glad to hear you got it solved and it was so simple!   

It's not often that I would have disagreed with pmackie, but I would have this time.  Just because it went away with the clutch pulled, wouldn't rule out transmission & chain issues - as you obviously proved.  Often gear whine and chain noises will go away when the load is taken away even when they're still turning.