Engine noise under load - is it normal?

[Don B]

As far as power, this is in the eyes of the beholder. My ST certainly cranks out all that I want (notice i did not say 'all the power i could want'). It certainly accelerates effortlessly whenever I need to pass another car. Downshifting is optional. And you only have 15 lbs on me. I'd check to see you are firing on all 4 cylinders.

My ST has more power than I really need. Any motorcycle that will make the front wheel go airborne just by twisting the right grip, and hits 90mph on the freeway when passing someone before you even realize how fast you're going has more than enough power for me.

 

[Chance]

I note from your introduction that you're a new rider, and this is your first bike. If you've been riding the ST like it's a car since you bought it, tread carefully when you first explore the torque curve, because this thing does go when prodded. Bring a rag to wipe the grin off your face. :burnout

--Mark

We'll said

 

[flyfisher]

I think the early upshifting is your major problem.....5,000 rpm when you shift 2-up should be about right....if there's no maintenance history on your bike you might want to change the plugs, check the air filter (mostly for rodent debris) add some seafoam to a couple of tanks and definitely try to make the tech event.....balancer adjustment might get rid of some that noise.....if clutch and brake fluid haven't been changed they're way overdue.....and finally a riding safety course would be a good way to go......ride well, ride safe..................ff

 

[TourNut]

Just throwing this out there : If you are hearing a ping or knock , you might want to take it to a Honda dealer to determine if the engine computer is reading the anti-knock sensors correctly and adjusting the ignition timing accordingly to prevent the knocking. That is what my '08 BMW R1200RT was doing from new , and the local dealer was too incompetant to fix it in the 2 1/2 years I had it and the result was the engine piston-slapping also at only 6K miles which means it was destroying itself early. You don't want that condition to go on if that is what is going on.

 

[RCS]

Shifting too early in the rpm range is likely causing the issue in combination with regular gas. The ST1300 cruises at 65 mph and 4,100 rpm all day long (and I have done that for 11 consecutive hours times 68 rides). Therefore, 4,100 rpm is normal cruising rpm. Plan to shift the bike around 5,000 rpm and look for a gear to ride the bike at 4,000 rpm. Everything should then sound fine.

Riding the ST1300 at this rpm range will challenge your throttle controls skills given the direct drive and engine compression of this bike. At 4,000 rpm the bike will very slightly jerk in response to throttle input unless the throttle input is very smooth. It is simply something new to learn.

 

[Igofar]

Add some Seafoam and MMO, adjust your counter balancers when the bike is stone cold, Check your TB sync and lines....and stop riding that thing like a V-Twin Harley
Its a Sport touring bike, ride it like one.
.02

 

[Helitronix]

I'll give it a go at higher RPM and see what it's like.

Joel

 

[ST1100Y]

...3,500 to 5,000 is where the serviceable torque is for most riding, and 5,000 to 6,250 is where to go if you really want it to sing.

+1... doing so will most likely also improve fuel mileage...

Rule of thumb I've been trained once:
split the dial of the tachometer into 3 equal parts, take the centre 3rd and divide it in half, and then keep the revs within that "upper half of the middle third", which is where a 4-stroke engine works best/most efficient...

"lugging" an engine can also lead to deposits that impact performance...

 

[MrB]

If you have a stock exhaust system your bike is very quiet compared to many other bikes out there, we can hear much more engine noise than the straight-pipers can.
IMHO loud exhausts mask the sounds that you should be able to hear. It's funny when Click&Clack tell a caller to just turn up the radio if a car is making a funny noise, but new or different engine noises can represent problems that need to be dealt with.
On the other hand; since we have the engine directly under us we can hear sounds that would be muffled by the firewall and interior carpet of a car.
If I'm cruising along and give it some gas I can definitely hear a different sound when the engine is struggling at lower RPMs, if I want to move quickly I'll drop it down a gear.
You were able to adjust your shifting for the additional weight, so it seems like you just need to adjust your ear a little for the right sound of the ST.
I love the quiet nature of the ST, saw one ride by recently and it didn't make a sound I could hear over the other cars in the area. Was glad to know that is what people hear when I ride by; little or nothing. STealth.

 

[Dinosaurbuilder]

When riding solo, my ST1300 makes some engine noises, pings or knocks, I can't decide the better word, when going up hills in 2nd or 3rd gear. It's wasn't alarming by itself. The manual said that's normal.

Last week, I tried 2-up riding for the first time, and found that the engine made a lot more noise in the same circumstances. The noises were really loud by comparison and I found that carrying a passenger required me to get into a lower gear than normal compared with riding solo.

I've read about all the power this bike makes, but I can't quite say I am experiencing it. It's not as much power as I imagined it to be capable of. But I really have nothing else to compare it to. I though the bike would cruise effortlessly with a passenger.

I'm wondering if the engine noises I hear are normal and expected when riding with more weight (130lbs more, and I'm 165).

The bike has just 12,500 miles, and I find the same noises when using premium high octane gas from both Mobile and Shell.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Joel

I have been having the same issue as you describe, higher revs no rattle, accelerating in a higher gear = rattle under load.
I have been so used to riding the st1100's and still do (x3 of them) and was expecting the 1300 to pull at low speeds in a high gear silently just like the 1100's but it seems from the comments that they need a different style of riding with higher revs.

 

[KiwiMark]

<4k rpm = economy zone.
5k - 8k rpm = fun zone.

Now and then it is a good idea to have some fun!
In 1st my ST can lift the front wheel when it gets into the 'fun zone', or if it is wet it can spin the rear wheel.
There is plenty of torque & power to be had, just open the throttle and let the engine rev higher before changing gears.

 

[ST1100Y]

...and was expecting the 1300 to pull at low speeds in a high gear silently just like the 1100's...

Not gonna happen, completely different engine concept and character...
Just look at those "snorkels" on top of the 1100's carb venturis... among others do things like this aid that "pull from ~1200rpm on"... the 1100cc power-plant was specifically designed as "torque monster"...
I as well was astonished that the 1300 just won't do a steep hairpin in 2nd gear as smoothly as the 1100 does so well... different rev-band...

 

[Helitronix]

I've now had an occasion to take a passenger twice since I started this thread. I went ahead and modified when I shift, as suggested. I shifted north of 4000 RPM, and did my best to match the gear to road speed to give me close to 4500 RPM cruising around.

For certain, the ST was a different animal at this RPM. The machine had all the power it needed to pull when I demanded it. And, the engine didn't make any pinging or knocking sounds the whole time.

In that way, the "problem" is resolved. That said, the ST is not silky smooth when running at this higher RPM range. I could feel a high frequency vibration in my foot pegs that isn't there at the lower RPMs I was driving in before.

The vibration in the foot pegs isn't a big deal. You may say "that's just what a motorcycle engine does!" I wouldn't have minded if the engine simply purred at this speed, but it is what it is. Incidentally, it is the sound and vibration cues that are given at this RPM that caused me to shift earlier in the first place. That and, the ST manual says to shift much earlier than what has been recommended here. Since so many of us treasure the owners manual and take it at its word, it's surprising to find this particular divergent view. But again, it is what it is, right?

Should I be expecting silky smooth over the entire operating range, or is it normal for the vibration to be much more pronounced in the 4-6k range?

Joel

 

[Blrfl]

The bike does get a hair growly/vibey at higher RPMs, but you may just need to adjust the counterbalancers. That's a fairly easy job.

The shift points in the manual are great for fuel economy, but otherwise a little silly.

--Mark

 

[Helitronix]

Hi Mark,

Thanks. I'll look up the counterbalancer adjustment procedure. If that's something I can do myself I will certainly do that.

I took heed of the advice to change the brake and clutch fluid, so I ordered the tools to do that and will get to perform that service in the next few days once the tools and fluid arrives.

So I can add this counterbalance adjustment to my list!

Joel

 

[flyfisher]

Vibration in the foot pegs MIGHT be caused by motor mount bolts.....any add-ons like crash bars that maybe weren't torqued properly? Maybe worth a check...........good luck..................ff

 

[ddemair]

I've now had an occasion to take a passenger twice since I started this thread. I went ahead and modified when I shift, as suggested. I shifted north of 4000 RPM, and did my best to match the gear to road speed to give me close to 4500 RPM cruising around.

For certain, the ST was a different animal at this RPM. The machine had all the power it needed to pull when I demanded it. And, the engine didn't make any pinging or knocking sounds the whole time.

In that way, the "problem" is resolved. That said, the ST is not silky smooth when running at this higher RPM range. I could feel a high frequency vibration in my foot pegs that isn't there at the lower RPMs I was driving in before.

The vibration in the foot pegs isn't a big deal. You may say "that's just what a motorcycle engine does!" I wouldn't have minded if the engine simply purred at this speed, but it is what it is. Incidentally, it is the sound and vibration cues that are given at this RPM that caused me to shift earlier in the first place. That and, the ST manual says to shift much earlier than what has been recommended here. Since so many of us treasure the owners manual and take it at its word, it's surprising to find this particular divergent view. But again, it is what it is, right?

Should I be expecting silky smooth over the entire operating range, or is it normal for the vibration to be much more pronounced in the 4-6k range?

Joel

I don't cruise at 4500 RPM. I'm sure the engine is fine with it, but the throttle gets too sensitive at those speeds. I typically cruise around 3000. If I need to accelerate quickly, I'll downshift. If I want to accelerate slowly, I'll twist the throttle a little. What I won't do is crack the throttle open at those low RPM's.

As for vibration... yes, I can feel some at 4500 RPM, but in 5th gear, I think that's well over 80 MPH and there's probably more vibration from the wind than the engine. There's never so much vibration that anything ever goes numb on me.

 

[Helitronix]

Rattles, Vibration in footpegs ? Humour me on this one. Check that your exhaust joining clamps aren't broken (3 near the centre stand).

I took a look at the exhaust joining clamps this morning, and they are all intact. I didn't remove them, but they were not cracked, and were solidly mounted.

I spent the evening reading about the "counterbalance" adjustment. The divergent views on that adjustment were entertaining. But after reading everything I could handle, I concluded that no matter what the procedure is truly adjusting, people are finding that it can help reduce some vibrations. I will give that a try, possibly this weekend, to make the adjustment and report back.

The idea of the counterbalance adjustment is interesting.. I am curious about mounting an accelerometer on the bike to measure the frequency and amplitude of the vibration before I make the adjustment so I can better tune the beast. I might skip that in favor of just doing the adjustment without any toys, but if I can motivate myself to break out some gear, it might be a fun thing to try.

Thanks to all for the tips. Getting the revs up was certainly key. If I can reduce this vibe, I'll be thrilled.

Joel

 

[Helitronix]

Vibration in the foot pegs MIGHT be caused by motor mount bolts.....any add-ons like crash bars that maybe weren't torqued properly? Maybe worth a check...........good luck..................ff

How much tupperware (and other stuff) do I need to remove to access those bolts? Is it easy to access or many hours of labor? I'll do the counterbalance adjustment first, and if that doesn't help, I'll certainly look into the motor mount bolts if necessary.

Joel

 

[RCS]

That and, the ST manual says to shift much earlier than what has been recommended here.

I have not seen this. Where is that in the Service Manual - page number?