View Full Version : 2011 nomad noisy
I have 450 miles on my new nomad. Two things, belt whines mostly 20 to 35 mph. should it be adjusted less tight. and the shifting is noisy kinda clunky. Shifts good though. no miss shifts. will it quiet down as it breaks in more. Thanks. Jerry
cactusjack
05-06-2011, 11:25 PM
The 1700's have a real klunk to them when shifting, much like a Harley.
cajun2wheels
05-07-2011, 01:01 AM
I find if I shift with some authority I get less clunk.Everything should wear in and get a little smoother when you have a few more miles on your bike.The belt may whine a little but it should not squeal.The whine may be coming from your tires also.If you are worried about it run by your dealer for a quick check.
AlabamaNomadRider
05-07-2011, 07:01 AM
Things should quieten some after it gets broken in.
vulcans2
05-07-2011, 07:58 AM
I've got 5000 miles on my '10 Nomad, and it still whines, but no squealing from the belt. I think the whine comes from square-cut gears and not the belt. And it's still clunky going from first to second gear. I think that's just the nature of the beast. It did quiet down a little bit after and oil change to Castrol ActEvo 10w40 semi-synthetic oil, but did not go away. I wear earplugs, so it doesn't bother me anyway.
flatop
05-11-2011, 07:20 PM
turn up the stereo a notch. that will fix it for sure
No stereo on the nomad but i might get one. Anyone no of a good sounding one thats not to many bucks. Just need fm and mp3 hookup.
schoeney
05-11-2011, 11:08 PM
Get an MP3 with FM and run the earphones up from your jacket?
flatop
05-12-2011, 07:27 AM
Kaw makes a factory stereo option for the Nomad. don't now how much, but worth looking into.
vulcans2
05-12-2011, 08:34 AM
The new Apple I-Pod Nano has a built-in FM tuner. You can get it up to 16 Gig, I believe. Also, you can get an inline audio ampliefier that plugs into the earphone jack of the player, and the earbuds plug into the amplifier. I have found them in the Aerostitch catalog. Not very expensive. They are battery powered, and the batteries last quite awhile, I understand.
http://www.aerostich.com/navigate-communicate?p=8
Check this link out. The page shows several different inline audio boosters for reasonable prices.
cactusjack
05-12-2011, 09:05 AM
Kaw makes a factory stereo option for the Nomad. don't now how much, but worth looking into.
It's worth looking into until you find out how much they want for it. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif
mrclean
05-14-2011, 07:35 AM
My 09 Voyager still whines with 18000 miles
on it. Have played with different tensions. nothing.
glwilson
05-14-2011, 04:10 PM
Belt-whinning was mentioned early on as a complaint of the '09 Nomads. I had heard they made some adjustments but did not eliminate it entirely.
I was interested to hear GregO mention the square-cut gears. Didn't know the Nomads had the square-cut gears.
Without a doubt, that would cause a whinning sound that may seem like it is the belt.
The reason I know this is because my 2009 Ultra has square-cut gears for its fifth-gear and they whine quite a bit. The complaints to HD were heard and HD changed to a hex-cut starting with the 2010 models. So, only the '09's have the square-cut.
It never bothered me enough to have mine changed; and I was able to reduce it by using a heavier "syn" tranny-fluid.
So, I would double-check to see if it is the square-cut gearing causing the problem. http://s2.images.proboards.com/cool.gif
Just have them adjust your belt to less tension. Belt whine which is typically a varying rotational sound.. rrr..rrr..rrr..rrr..rrr..rrr...rrr..rrr. Just about all 1700's had this issue. Lots didnt too. Trans shifting, will always be a loudness on this bike. Yeah it gets a bit better over 6-8000 miles but not much. Trans whine is consistant, belt whine isnt as such. Havent had the bridgestones whine at all. Very quiet tires. Ill tell ya though, the fun and nice ride of this bike by far outways any of its small minor faults.
Well got back today from Saint Louis. Rode 2 days going there in the rain. What a way to treat a bike that had 700 miles on it. Over 1700 now. The belt whine is alittle better. Must be all that water the belt sucked up. Its a nice bike on long trips. Really sure footed. I wonder about 2 things. When rideing in town when you let on and off the throttle to fast it jerks abit hard. Probably normal. And in 6th gear if you ride at 60 mph it makes more whine or whirring sound. Am i lugging it. Quite 63mph and up. If you go below 60mph its quiet but alot of v-twin thump. Thoughts.
replay13
05-21-2011, 01:47 AM
2010 Nomad here. No belt whine, and very little gear whine, all in all mine sounds as good or better then any bike I've owned. But on a idle I have a strange sounding knock from the left side while sitting on the bike. I can put my hand on the cover that says 6 speed and it will quite it down to almost nothing so the cover is making it sound louder the it really is, sort of like a drum. The knock is only after the bike is warmed up and its not all the time, a few knocks then ok then a few more, ect. I can feel it if I have my hand on the cover also. Maybe its the counter balancers or the drive chain to them.
I took it to the dealer and they listened to the bike and didn't seem concerned but it wasn't doing it that much at that time. I looked at the oil and no metal flakes or anything so maybe its nothing. Anyways I have just over a year left on warranty so not too worried.
I posted the noise I have on another forum and one guy said that his bike sounded the same, and he had a '09 before that and it sounded the same also, but no others responded.
I've heard that you can extend the warranty another year for about $100, I'll look into that, it might be a good thing if something is wrong.
James
replay13. My 2011 knocks when its warm sometimes. I heard it several times on my trip. When they are cold sounds like lifters are noisy. Dealer told me that was normal when we first started it up but gos away fast.
I use 6 gear at 50 mph on level and its not lugging. I think some people get engine throb mixed up with lugging. When these things lug, youl know it lol. I dont do any full throttle roll ons though at that speed. I should have mentioned that rear wheel alignment should be checked really friggin close as that will cause belt whine issues as well.
Not lugging just more throb. Good to know.
replay13
06-12-2011, 01:20 AM
replay13. My 2011 knocks when its warm sometimes. I heard it several times on my trip. When they are cold sounds like lifters are noisy. Dealer told me that was normal when we first started it up but gos away fast.
JP, Mine sounds like that too, I can hear the tappets when its cold under light acceleration but it goes away when warmed up... about the time I can hear the irreagular knock on the lower left side. I dont think the lifters clicking when cold is a problem, but I'm not sure about the knocking. Its not that loud but I still wonder about it.
I stopped at a Kawi dealership in a town about 100 miles away, actually it is where I bought the bike. The mechanic there listened to it and he thought it was the balancers chain, he said it might even go away when the auto adjuster took up another notch. He said he thought it was ok, but to let him know if it got worse. Over 2k miles like that and still sounds the same.
I was going to ask you, does the knock you have sound irregular and off and on, or a steady knock? Also I can feel it if I hold my hand on the cover where it says Six Speed.
Other then that I really like the bike!
Thanks,
James
I notice what I belive is a bit of piston slap when cold, goes away after about 4-5 minutes of driving on mine. I dont hear any valve tic. There is a fair amount of noise from the fuel system on these bikes which has a tic to it, but its not a regular tic tic tic in time with engine rotation. Its a bit of a noisy engine, but goes pretty good!
replay13. Knock is not all the time. Usually when driven far and good and hot. Heard it mostly on my trip to St. Louis. Ticking could be fuel injector noise. Never thought about that as drno mentioned.
cactusjack
06-12-2011, 12:09 PM
Well got back today from Saint Louis. Rode 2 days going there in the rain. What a way to treat a bike that had 700 miles on it. Over 1700 now. The belt whine is alittle better. Must be all that water the belt sucked up. Its a nice bike on long trips. Really sure footed. I wonder about 2 things. When rideing in town when you let on and off the throttle to fast it jerks abit hard. Probably normal. And in 6th gear if you ride at 60 mph it makes more whine or whirring sound. Am i lugging it. Quite 63mph and up. If you go below 60mph its quiet but alot of v-twin thump. Thoughts.
I'd think 60 MPH is almost too low in 6th gear. I'd say you should be in 5th at that speed and hit 6th at 65 or better.
replay13
06-12-2011, 01:45 PM
I notice what I belive is a bit of piston slap when cold, goes away after about 4-5 minutes of driving on mine. I dont hear any valve tic. There is a fair amount of noise from the fuel system on these bikes which has a tic to it, but its not a regular tic tic tic in time with engine rotation. Its a bit of a noisy engine, but goes pretty good!
Piston slap could be what I hear on mine when it is cold not the tappets. It is a big bore and short skirt pistons. That all sounds normal for a big v-twin bike to me. That pretty much goes away in a few mins.
My other sound is not regular or in time with the motor, but I'm pretty sure its somewhere in the lower left side of the motor. So that leads me to think it is some chain slap when the motor is not under a load. I guess this is not normal because most others haven't heard this knock, or felt it putting their hand on the motor case. Its not that loud but its there most of the time after the motor is warmed up good.
If it is the balancer chain it would only apply to the 1700 and maybe the 2000, I think the 1500 and the 1600 is a gear driven balancer.
James
Fuel pump is under the lh side of the tank too.
racinfan101
07-25-2011, 07:01 PM
Dang I almost think I should not read these posts - I get all paranoid at every noise I hear. I have 600 miles on the leftover 2010 Nomad I got a couple of weeks ago - the belt whine seems to have goine away, the transmission whine I have got used too, and I just assumed the trans was clunky. I took it in for the 600 mile service today (different dealer that I bought it at a real small 3 person dealership close to home) He called and said "you are ready to go but I dont think something is right with as loud as the transmission shifts." He is going to call Kawasaki and talk to them about it and if they think it is normal he is going to request a "service tag" I think is what he called it which is supposed to indicate he has a concern on this service at this mileage if there is a problem in the future. Certainly not what I wanted to hear on my new bike. He said he had not ridden any 1700 Nomads but he knew the 1700 Vaquero did not shift with such a clunk and neither have any of the V-2Ks he has ridden. Said he would call and tell me what he hears from Kawasaki
The shifting cluck is noisier on the 09 and 10 i heard. The trans was reworked for 11, but still clunky and the vaquero is an 11.
racinfan101
07-27-2011, 12:41 PM
He did call and give me a log number for the future if I have a problem as he did talk to Kawasaki about it. I really think it is the nature of the beast.
captj3
07-27-2011, 03:02 PM
I have a 2011 nomad and the 1st-2nd clunk is loud as hell. Brought it to the dealer and they said it was normal, That seems to be the consensuses of nomad and vaquero owners. It's louder the my friends 05 soft tail deluxe. I have found if you keep the rpms higher when shifting it's not that bad. Despite any of the quirks the bike has it still puts a big smile on my face when I go for a ride. :)
racinfan101
07-27-2011, 04:11 PM
You gotta have some quirks or the bike has no personality!
Motorcycle cruiser mag has a shootout on the vaquero, victory 8 ball, and a harley. They did not like the clunky trans but was quieter and shift smoother then the victory witch all have the same engine and trans for 2011. The reason it seem to come in last was the jerkyness it has when crusing at slower speeds letting the throttle on and off. Drives me crazy sometimes when the road is bumpy and it makes you move the throttle abit. Very jerky.
A buds 2010 trans snaps alot more than my 2009.
redjay
09-11-2011, 08:00 PM
Hi, Your quote
"A buds 2010 trans snaps alot more than my 2009".
What does this mean ?
Just put a deposit on a 2010 Voyager
Thanks
replay13
09-12-2011, 12:36 AM
Hi, Your quote
"A buds 2010 trans snaps alot more than my 2009".
What does this mean ?
Just put a deposit on a 2010 Voyager
Thanks
I thought the power of my 2010 Nomad rolls on pretty smooth, but maybe its my riding style.
captj3
09-12-2011, 08:53 AM
Motorcycle cruiser mag has a shootout on the vaquero, victory 8 ball, and a harley. They did not like the clunky trans but was quieter and shift smoother then the victory witch all have the same engine and trans for 2011. The reason it seem to come in last was the jerkyness it has when crusing at slower speeds letting the throttle on and off. Drives me crazy sometimes when the road is bumpy and it makes you move the throttle abit. Very jerky.
I am pretty sure that I have a fix for the jerky throttle. There is a member on another vulcan forum who machined a piece for the throttle. It helps with the low end lag/delay we get when hitting the throttle from a start and cruising below 300 rpms. I went to his shop last week down here to make sure it will fit my Iso grips. It will work on VV, vaqueros, Nomads 1700 and 1600, and 1700 classics. I mainly got it to get rid of the lag. Fixing the jerky throttle was a very welcome bonus. It really improved the response of the throttle on the low end.
jestephens
09-12-2011, 08:53 AM
I've noticed the belt whine under 30 mph, and the louder shifting (louder than my '05 nomad was), but overall the power and feel of the drive train have been great. This is my first belt drive.
Was at my Kaw dealer the other day and met two guys that had got new 2011 Voyagers the same day from this dealer. One of the bikes was quiet when shifting and no belt noise the other bike was loud when shifting and had a loud whine. These guys had swiched bikes to compair the noise and whine. Thay were at the dealer to try and find out why the difference between the two bikes. Do not know what thay found out but will ask the dealer nest time I go there.
captj3. Can you get me info on this part for the throttle. Would love to fix this problem. Pm or email me.
replay13
09-12-2011, 07:46 PM
Was at my Kaw dealer the other day and met two guys that had got new 2011 Voyagers the same day from this dealer. One of the bikes was quiet when shifting and no belt noise the other bike was loud when shifting and had a loud whine. These guys had swiched bikes to compair the noise and whine. Thay were at the dealer to try and find out why the difference between the two bikes. Do not know what thay found out but will ask the dealer nest time I go there.
I would be interested in what they found out. My bike clunks a little bit from 1st to 2nd but not enough to even bother me, my last bike before this one was about the same, and the only time I have been bothered by belt noise is when I get asphalt or a rock in my belt or sprocket. Maybe some difference from bike to bike. I wonder what the belt tension on their two bikes was... actually I'm am curious if they are setting the belt as tight as they used to.
James
*edit* 2010 Nomad 1700
Replay13 Just saw your post here today. Sent you a PM but not sure if that works here.
replay13
09-22-2011, 02:41 PM
Replay13 Just saw your post here today. Sent you a PM but not sure if that works here.
Thanks Ray, got the pm... I tried to reply to it but it never showed in my out box. So if you got it, you probably got it 3 times.
James
vBulletin® v3.8.2, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.