New MotorTrike Differential "Whine"

[Uralguy]

Hi Everyone,

I just got my Honda GL1800 Motor Trike and finding differential "Whine". It has the independent IRS rear end. I don't have anything to compare it with. Under load and acceleration it whines. I think it is a 5" melon. Is it because I'm sitting above the diff.? Do all Trikes have some whine? I also noticed that because it has the 4.7 deg rake from Motortrike that the headlamp is aiming low when I adjust it to max? Is there a fix to this or did "MotorTrike" not do the math?

Any Ideas

Thanks

Bill

[rhino 2]

Welcome to Trike-Talk William .......I'm sure someone will chime in soon with the info you need.....Again, Welcome....

[Uralguy]

Welcome to Trike-Talk William .......I'm sure someone will chime in soon with the info you need.....Again, Welcome....

Thanks

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard sorry TRI Glide guy here

[Winger1955]

Bill,

I am new to the board and trikes but I test drove three GL1800 MotorTrike Razors just recently and I noticed no whine. More experienced trikers will likely make comments. I can't speak to the headlight concern.

Mike

[GoldWingrGreg]

Does your whine increase with speed, or do you get it sitting still while revving the engine ??? If the pavement conditions change, does the whine change ??? Have you verified it has fluid in the rear end ???

As for your headlamps, did they do anything to raise the height of the front end. Here is what happens. As the front tire moves further forward because of a rake kit, the front of the bike lowers. Often builders do things to raise the front of the bike up such as:

- fork cap extenders

- aftermarket springs

Was anything like that done ???

[Uralguy]

Does your whine increase with speed, or do you get it sitting still while revving the engine ??? If the pavement conditions change, does the whine change ??? Have you verified it has fluid in the rear end ???

As for your headlamps, did they do anything to raise the height of the front end. Here is what happens. As the front tire moves further forward because of a rake kit, the front of the bike lowers. Often builders do things to raise the front of the bike up such as:

- fork cap extenders

Hi GoldWingrGreg,

The whine increases with speed, sitting still no whine, the New Honda is very quiet just revving the engine, whine doesn't change with pavement conditions, The MT kit and bike are new, hopefully the people up at MotorTrike put fluid in the rear end. Because of the rake kit the front is lowered down, rake kit is an option so I thought MT would have thought this out for the 2017 electric headlight adjuster. I will call MT on Tuesday. Greg do you have a trike if so do you get a whine.

Thanks for your thoughts on this

Bill



- aftermarket springs

Was anything like that done ???

Hi GoldWingrGreg,

The whine increases with speed, sitting still no whine, the New Honda is very quiet just revving the engine, whine doesn't change with pavement conditions, The MT kit and bike are new, hopefully the people up at MotorTrike put fluid in the rear end. Because of the rake kit the front is lowered down, rake kit is an option so I thought MT would have thought this out for the 2017 electric headlight adjuster. I will call MT on Tuesday. Greg do you have a trike if so do you get a whine.

Thanks for your thoughts on this

Bill

[Uralguy]

Bill,

I am new to the board and trikes but I test drove three GL1800 MotorTrike Razors just recently and I noticed no whine. More experienced trikers will likely make comments. I can't speak to the headlight concern.

Mike

Thanks

[Uralguy]

Thanks

Thanks

[GoldWingrGreg]

Hi GoldWingrGreg,

The whine increases with speed, sitting still no whine, the New Honda is very quiet just revving the engine, whine doesn't change with pavement conditions, The MT kit and bike are new, hopefully the people up at MotorTrike put fluid in the rear end. Because of the rake kit the front is lowered down, rake kit is an option so I thought MT would have thought this out for the 2017 electric headlight adjuster. I will call MT on Tuesday. Greg do you have a trike if so do you get a whine.

Thanks for your thoughts on this

Bill

I'm still a 2-wheeled rider, however, because I have a shop that specializes only in GL1800 repairs/maintenance, I have many customers who have trikes, so I've rode most all brands and types associated to GL1800s. On a MotorTrike, I don't recall hearing a whine outside of the normal alternator drive gear whine that they all have. Some have tire roar, and sometimes tires can whine. Sometimes the "changing pavement test" is a valid test for tire whine, while at other times it is not. Sometimes there can be brake noise, but it's usually not a whine.

To verify that it's not a brake problem, see if the noise changes while braking. Another test ... jack the rear wheels off the ground and secure them in the air with jack stands. Run it in gear ... does it whine ??? If so, put a rubber hose to your ear and the other on the rear end probing to find its loudest point.

Here is something to remember about trikes. The fiberglass kit itself can sometimes be a huge echo chamber and noises can be amplified.

[Uralguy]

I'm still a 2-wheeled rider, however, because I have a shop that specializes only in GL1800 repairs/maintenance, I have many customers who have trikes, so I've rode most all brands and types associated to GL1800s. On a MotorTrike, I don't recall hearing a whine outside of the normal alternator drive gear whine that they all have. Some have tire roar, and sometimes tires can whine. Sometimes the "changing pavement test" is a valid test for tire whine, while at other times it is not. Sometimes there can be brake noise, but it's usually not a whine.

To verify that it's not a brake problem, see if the noise changes while braking. Another test ... jack the rear wheels off the ground and secure them in the air with jack stands. Run it in gear ... does it whine ??? If so, put a rubber hose to your ear and the other on the rear end probing to find its loudest point.

Here is something to remember about trikes. The fiberglass kit itself can sometimes be a huge echo chamber and noises can be amplified.

Thanks, good ideas Greg, The trike has disc brakes on the back....I have a mechanics stethoscope works great especially on race engines, good way of finding noisy lifters, idler bearings etc with load exhaust systems. Good idea on raising the back and listening, probably don't need to run it, turning the wheels in neutral might hear the gears meshing, if they use cross cut gears maybe thats it?.

Bill

[trike tech]

A few noteworthy things to mention (in an interest to save you some headache & perhaps some time).

#1 - If you check your diff fluid - It should NOT run out of the fill plug on your MT irs conversion!! Proper fluid capacity is 1.25 quarts; if overfilled you could blow the seals in your rear end.

#2 - When you're riding & the whine is most noticeable, change gears but maintain your speed. Does it get better, worse, or stay the same? If the sound changes, it is not in the rear end, wheels/tires, etc. The most common point for "gear whine" is when you are maintaining speed, not under load or on the throttle. When you're "floating" the throttle the ring & pinion are "floating" which can cause a whine (pinion slack isn't set up to spec).

#3 - In regards to rake kit. MT includes fork extensions with every rake kit sold so the front end is returned to "stock" ride height so the headlights should be the same as they were pre rake kit. As a thought - may want to be sure you're not trying to adjust while going down the road, etc; if I remember correctly, the bike has to be running & in neutral for the electronic adjust to do their thing.