Greetings all. Me again.

Well, I finally got the GS500 bike from the shop and it's running like a dream so far.

However, a few days after I got it back... Something odd developed.

Whenever I hit about 40mph there's this odd noise like a hum of sorts and it will continue to make that noise until I slow down. ( The frequency of the hum drops/rises with the speed of the bike )

And the speedometer bulb went out as well, but that was an easy fix.

So I'm thinking, maybe the speedo cable is on its way out? I hope it's not the gauge itself  :dunno:

Quote from: TheMasterRata few days after I got it back... Something odd developed.

Whenever I hit about 40mph there's this odd noise like a hum of sorts and it will continue to make that noise until I slow down. ( The frequency of the hum drops/rises with the speed of the bike )

Where does the hum seem to be coming from?  Is it constant, or cyclic?

This reminds me of a cyclic "mmmMMmmmMMmmm" hum that I have detected on occasion in the vicinity of the fuel tank.   I first noticed it on a long ride out in the middle of nowhere.  (No other traffic noises, I guess.  :dunno: )  It had me worried, but nothing ever came of it.  I eventually chalked it up to "harmonic" vibrations.

Does your noise seem to be coming from that same general area?  If so, how full is your tank?  Are all the rubber bits in place?

If that's not it, where DOES the hum seem to be coming from?  You said that it rises and falls with the speed of the bike.  Do you get the same noise at the same ground speed, no matter gear you're in?  (In other words, with differing RPMs?) If so, maybe it's from your tires or the chain or something else that's tied to your ground speed rather than your engine speed.  :dunno:

I get a similar noise on my '01. Sounds like its comming from around the guage cluster, but it only happens between 6k-7.5k RPM's. When i get past 7.5k it stops, and nothing before 6k. Any input?

Quote from: Kerry

Quote from: TheMasterRata few days after I got it back... Something odd developed.

Whenever I hit about 40mph there's this odd noise like a hum of sorts and it will continue to make that noise until I slow down. ( The frequency of the hum drops/rises with the speed of the bike )

Where does the hum seem to be coming from?  Is it constant, or cyclic?

This reminds me of a cyclic "mmmMMmmmMMmmm" hum that I have detected on occasion in the vicinity of the fuel tank.   I first noticed it on a long ride out in the middle of nowhere.  (No other traffic noises, I guess.  :dunno: )  It had me worried, but nothing ever came of it.  I eventually chalked it up to "harmonic" vibrations.

Does your noise seem to be coming from that same general area?  If so, how full is your tank?  Are all the rubber bits in place?

If that's not it, where DOES the hum seem to be coming from?  You said that it rises and falls with the speed of the bike.  Do you get the same noise at the same ground speed, no matter gear you're in?  (In other words, with differing RPMs?) If so, maybe it's from your tires or the chain or something else that's tied to your ground speed rather than your engine speed.  :dunno:

Hard to say on the cyclic thing, but it does not matter what gear I am in and it's not coming from the motor ( unlikely, as even if I'm just coasting with the clutch off, the noise continues )

My best guess so far is it's coming from the gauge clusters, but it's difficult to tell.

The gas level in the tank doesn't seem to make a difference either, as it's done it since I was near empty and on a full tank.

I'll try to make some better observations next time I'm out, but cagers on the road make things a mite difficult  

Quote from: TheMasterRat[...]it does not matter what gear I am in and it's not coming from the motor ( unlikely, as even if I'm just coasting with the clutch off, the noise continues )

Hmmm ... even with the clutch disengaged?  So it's not related to engine vibrations at all....

In that case I more strongly suspect something attached to the wheels:

* I wouldn't call it a "hum", but the chain can make an odd noice when it's too tight.

* Maybe one of the brake discs is rubbing?  It's easy to check the front one by putting the bike on the centerstand, having someone push down on the seat, and spinning the front wheel.  SOME noise is normal because the pads lightly brush against the disc all the time.  See if you hear MORE than that.

* Wheel bearings?[/list:u] :dunno:

It's gone  :dunno:  

The noise has not occurred in the past two days at all...

The only thing that's changed is the weather. It's gotten warmer, but that's all.... Very strange...

might try check your tacho where the cable enters it. the screw cap came loose on my bike and it did the same thing, only mine was between 4-5k. snug it up with pliers or use loctite or something

I found my problem, the guages are loose. Might wanna check that on yours, I didnt expect that to be the problem. I caught my buddy sean playin with my tripometer (now i dont know how many more miles i have ) in the process of stopping him i noticed my guages are loose. Might be something to check out.

They're definitely loose. Well, the speedometer anyway... The whole housing on that side is cracked and the mounting section for the outside of the speedometer broke away when I changed out the bulb ( the noise was happening before ).

But they've been that way since I've had the bike... why would the noise start happening now? Hmm.