4th gear whine 1981 gs1100e

[CincinnatiKid]

hello good people of GSR

recently purchased an 81 gs1100e, and it is a fun bike for sure. Had an 81 750e that I loved, but it was stolen. So I upgraded! I brought the 1100 back to life and it’s been riding well, save the typical charging system woes. New stator goes in tomorrow.

so my question is about a certain “whine” that I am experiencing while riding. This sound is limited to 4th gear only, and only happens while throttling. It seems to be linked to a certain RPM, but the tach drive on the engine is broken. But the sound starts at 30mph and by 40mph the exhaust note masks it to a point where I cannot really tell if it changes as speed increases. I try to avoid the noise by spending as little time in 4th as possible.

Obviously I want to avoid anything that would do transmission damage, but it’s hard to know the danger. The sound doesn’t sound particularly threatening, but would hate to ignore it at my own detriment, also.

difficult to run tests because it only happens while riding.
any ideas or experiences?

sorry for the sideways pic. On my phone, hard to edit!

[fixmybrokecomputer]

While we wait on the smart guys to show up, here's your pic rotated. Wish I was able to provide more help.

[BadBillyB]

If it were mine, I would drain the oil and drop the oil pan. Pay special attention to the debris in the pan. Look for metallic bits and check the pick up screen for blockage. Inspect the gears (4th) for broken teeth......Billy

[Joe1979]

Did you ever figure this one out. My 1981 Gs 1100 is the same 4th more whine with the cheese. 3000-4000 almost a howl. Forth gear only. Mabey I could go pro it. Thanks Joe

[Danger]

Howdy, did you ever sort out the issue? I have a whine in 5th... I dropping the pan a big deal?

[rphillips]

My "99" Bandit 1200 does just what this first guy says, only in 4th, and only between like 1800 and 2400 rpm. Very prominent when it starts then quits just like turning a switch off when it hits the 2400 rpm. I've had this bike probably 6 or 7 yrs., it was doing it when I bought it and hasn't changed a bit. An old guy that's worked on bikes forever said he didn't think it would ever hurt anything, said if it were his he'd just ride it. That's what i've done and all is well.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Howdy, did you ever sort out the issue? I have a whine in 5th... I dropping the pan a big deal?

In and of itself, removing the oil pan is not a big deal. What makes it such a chore is:

1st, removing the exhaust, which is heavy and cumbersome, and if header bolts haven’t been removed for a long time, they tend to break off in the head, removal of which can cause no small amount of misery. Ask me how I know. Replace all for crush gaskets, after first being absolutely sure you’ve fully removed the old ones, with new when reinstalling the exhaust. They are single use.

2nd, if the oil pan has never been removed, that gasket has turned to baked-on hard plastic and is a bear to clean up. Not difficult, just time consuming and awkward in situ unless you’re lucky enough to have all of the gasket stick to the cover. Not likely.

[Danger]

Excellent! Thanks guys, we shall ride on

[NCGS]

One thing to check is whether you have a sprocket cover with sound deadening foam in it. I think the original poster’s bike is supposed to have a cover like that. You will definitely hear a whine if you don’t have that foam.