XB12 whining noise

[user_deleted]

Lunaticfringe
When the clutch was disengaged ( bike freewheeling ) the whine went away .
Is that bearing easy to inspect ( am guessing there would be some sign of wear ) .
I will also check the tension on the primary chain .

do these steps then see what you have:
1-eventually what carlos said. your primary holds exactly 1 quart of fluid with a full drain. full drain is minimum 1/2 hour. and don't get stupid tightening the 5/8th drain plug. wipe the magnet and threads clean as a babys' behind, install new O-ring, reinstall and just snug it up.
2-if you found alot of gunk and metal shavings on plug magnet with your present condition all points to failing output shaft bearing and seal. it's behind the front belt drive pulley. a job only for professionals.
3-adjust primary chain as per manual. a tad on the loose side is good as the chain tightens considerably when hot as shaughn mentioned. no need to replace derby and window gaskets if not leaking. clean and re-use.
4-adjust the clutch pack as per manual. lube the clutch cable while doing this. 3-in-1 dribbled down the inner cable works well. use patience and allow it to gravity feed.
5-install top quality primary fluid such as amsoil motorcycle 20wt-50 or any other JASO-MA fluid that IS ALSO compatible with buell/sportster stators.
now see what you have.

[David Borthwick]

Hi, I have a whining too that stays whether the clutch is pulled in or not. I have checked the tensioner pulley bearings and they seem fine, so do the wheel bearings. The front pulley has no play that I can detect but there is a fraction of end float, no leaks or anything. I am thinking that something in the gearbox may be on the way out. The output shaft from the gearbox still turns at road speed whether the clutch is in or out so it would still whine, I just can't pinpoint it. Bike runs great although I think there is more vibration than normal.

[Cooter]

Does the whine change with road speed or engine speed?

[David Borthwick]

Changes with road speed

[Cooter]

My belt makes an audible whine and the tensioner/ wheel bearing are all 1000 miles old.
If I rotate the rear wheel on a stand while putting even a slight sideways pressure on the belt, the whine changes. Dunno

I'm still thinking output shaft bearing. There is a cheat for its seal replacement, I don't know if it works for the whole bearing. A search I haven't done yet. Think it was on BadWeb?

[David Borthwick]

I have changed the pulley tensioner wheel for an old one I've got, changed the primary oil and adjusted the clutch. Went to check the engine oil only to find the dipstick has broken off, so have drained the oil and will get a retractable claw tool tomorrow and try and fish it out.
The whine just happened suddenly when I was on the motorway, really loud and then got a bit quieter. I checked the tensioner wheel, belt and rear wheel, felt the front sprocket for play and put it back together. The whine was still there but quieter and it is still there now.
Once I have got the dipstick out and refilled with oil I'll take it for a run and see if changing the primary oil and using the old tensioner wheel has made a difference. I hope so because if it is the gearbox or output bearing then that is a major headache!