Noisy/whining transmission

My first 2005 ST that I bought in 2009, I just had to touch everything on it, including the counter balancers.
The second 2005 ST that I bought, I only touched the items that pertained to regular maintenance.
I would suggest you check the counterbalance shaft settings, as the previous owner may have adjusted them incorrectly.
Take a sample of oil and send it in to see if there is any metals in it from worn gears from the transmission.
 
Marico said:
Hello,
I bought a 2009 ST1300 with 23k miles on the clock. Unfortunately, due to some unfavorable circumstances, I didn’t do a test ride at speeds over 40 mph before buying it. After the purchase, I discovered that at speeds over 40 mph, there’s a sound that resembles an overloaded drivetrain (similar to the whining you sometimes hear from the rear axle of a truck). A few days earlier, I tested another ST1300 with similar mileage, and it didn’t make that sound.
How is it possible that with such low mileage, this kind of noise is present? Is this a common issue? What usually causes it?
Below is a recording — you can hear the whining once it goes over 2500 RPM

YouTube

Click to expand...
The video is inconsistent. I hear a howl that I think the poster is describing, but when he shifts, he stops accelerating and the noise stops. That would lead one to think the noise is dependent on an engine load being present, indicating a driveline issue, but again, it is hard to tell from that short vid. I think a better video, with a longer run, while accelerating most of the time would help. OP, if you ride along and roll the throttle on and off, does the noise come and go in time with the throttle?
 
Driving the rear wheel through the transmission with the bike on the center stand may introduce new 'bad' noises as the various gear to gear lash present throughout the transmission, shaft, and final drive in a normal machine are not damped by load.
 
I corrected the balancer shafts (they were a bit tight), but as expected, it didn't change anything.
I drove a couple of miles and my observations are as follows:
  • The sound pitch is not directly correlated to engine RPMs — only to the speed.
  • It doesn’t matter which gear I'm in; the pitch always stays the same and only changes when the speed changes. The sound becomes noticeable at around 30 mph, and by 50 mph it’s already quite loud. The sound resembles an old, overloaded truck driving in first gear at high engine revs — that typical howl of a heavily loaded gearbox. Further acceleration increases the overall noise (mostly wind), making it harder to distinguish the sound from the general background noise.
  • When I pull the clutch, the volume of the sound drops, but it remains barely audible.
  • As the bike slows down (with the clutch pulled), the pitch lowers as well.

Happy Easter!
 
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