Engine Chatter under load - Is this normal?

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Nov 14, 2014
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2003 ST1300
Hi Gang. Sorry if this is not posted in the exact section it should be in, I wasn't sure where it is supposed to go..

My 2003 (new to me) ST1300 so far has been running fantastic. Smooth ride, have put over 1000kms on it since I started riding in March.

I bought the bike so I can ride with my wife on longer trips. Myself, I am about 210lbs and my wife in the 190-200lb range. The bike handles our combined weights very well regarding acceleration and handling.

My only question is that I notice that under load, when pulling off from a light or pulling away on an uphill, I notice some "Engine Chatter" until the motor gets up to a higher RPM. I have been a V-twin rider all my life so I am used to pulling off at a low RPM since they are torquey down below, but I've noticed that with extra weight the bike makes a chatter sound coming from under the gas tank area when pulling off and as soon as we are up to speed and changing gears, everything is perfectly smooth and sounds awesome.

I wasn't sure if this was an abnormal sound, maybe the valves are out of alignment, or maybe I am just lugging the engine too much and should rev higher then pulling off.

The bike is a 2003 with 64,000kms on it, and looks to be meticulously maintained by the previous owner.

I don't notice any chatter or very very little when I am just 1up. I usually use 91 Octane in the bike as anything more is very hard to find in my area.
 
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2004 st1300
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I would suspect lugging the engine with the added weight. I would resist any quick starts with the added weight as this may be a cause also. St1300 does have quite a bit of low rpm pull and does not need much to get it going.
I know what you are talking about with the v-twin, when I had mine it was a stump puller and could pull very easily at low rpm with a passenger.
Check you plugs also for excessive carbon or wear.
 
OP
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Ricochet
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I also have a Rocket III Roadster that makes 160lbs of torque, and requires almost 0 throttle to accelerate even with a passenger on the back. You just release the clutch slowly, add gas... So Im trying to figure out whether or not the ST1300 has enough low end grunt or really does require 3000-4000rpm to accelerate from a stop with a passenger. If it really is just the case of requiring higher RPMS to pull off smoothly I'll do that to prevent the lugging if that really is the case. This is my first real 4 cylinder bike so it takes a little getting used to.
 

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
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Compared to the R3 the ST has half the peak torque at +/- 80 ft/lbs and only 65 at 2,000 rpm where the R3 is making almost 140. A change in riding technique might be in order. The ST is no slouch but come on.... Give it a bit more rpms before expecting it to pull the same.

OTOH I know what bike I'd rather ride when the road makes a corner. :)
 
OP
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Ricochet
Joined
Nov 14, 2014
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Toronto
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2003 ST1300
Compared to the R3 the ST has half the peak torque at +/- 80 ft/lbs and only 65 at 2,000 rpm where the R3 is making almost 140. A change in riding technique might be in order. The ST is no slouch but come on.... Give it a bit more rpms before expecting it to pull the same.

OTOH I know what bike I'd rather ride when the road makes a corner. :)
No argumenet there. The rockets wide handle bars and 240 tire make turning a corner an adventure in how to move your mass.. I have to usually hang a little over the edge to keep it angled! The ST1300 takes turns beautifully.

I will start revving the engine more for taking off. Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
 
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After reading the posts above and the link (Thanks jfheath!) I am convinced my engine is acting normal. I just wanted to make sure. I'll be keeping the RPM's up in the higher areas from now on, I need to learn that this bike can rev much higher then normal on the V-twins.
 

Blrfl

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... I need to learn that this bike can rev much higher then normal on the V-twins.
Not only does it rev higher, that's where it makes torque, too. There's a nice plateau from 3,000 to 4,500 RPM, but if you really want to reach the fun zone, 5,000 to 6,000 is where the bike really pours it on.

FWIW, I had to break the V-twin low-RPM habit, too.

--Mark
 
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