O Guru’s of the Road Star,

I have a couple of questions, as I am still learning about the little quirks (uh personalities) these bikes have, vs what might be a real problem. I have an ’06 Midnight Silverado (bought new Feb this year) with 3500 miles. Still completely stock and using 20/50 synthetic oil.

1 - There seems to be a lot of slack in the drive train. It is especially annoying riding through a parking lot or in town traffic in first gear (10 to 15 mph). The bike lurches like it is being pushed forward then waits for the drive train to catch up then is thrown forward again. I end up just slipping the clutch as I need power to keep moving smoothly, instead of jumping along like a rabbit. The dealer says it is normal because of the massive gearbox, etc., but my brother-in-law has an “04 Road King and it is completely smooth at that speed. Normal???

2- I also have a really annoying whine, most noticeable at about 50 mph (RPM not a factor). Sounds like it is coming from the front wheel, but hard to tell for sure. Does it with or without the wife on board. I have seen the posts about the belt being too tight, but the dealer says the belt is correct and my own check verifies using procedures posted here on the RSC. It seems to be a little louder in a left turn. Could it be the tire tread design? Has done this somewhat since new, but is getting worse. Again, dealer says it is normal (surprise, surprise).

I am going on a 2K ride through the TN, NC mountains starting June 13th. Hope to ride the Dragon a couple of times while I am there, so will be putting a lot of pressure on the bike. Just worried about something breaking, locking up or falling off.

Thanks,
Star Treker

First of all, your dealer appears to be trying to avoid having to do warranty work (just my opinion). Your bike shouldn't lurch in 1st gear hardly at all, unless your blipping the throttle a little (1st gear has a lot of torque behind it, as you're probably already aware). Mine is fine in the parking lot. They need to fix it. You might want to ask what kind of oil they put in your scoot. The wrong kind of oil can cause the clutch to slip also. Your oil shouldn't contain any friction modifiers.

The whining could be the tire, but I'm not 100% positive. Make sure your tire pressure is correct. Are they Bridgestones or another brand? Someone else may chime in about that one.

Star Treker,
If you are trying to use first gear as you idle the bike you're gonna feel some un-even power to the rear wheel.(at least I do). I've surmised that it's just that there are only two cylinders and unless they're moving above a certain RPM the power transfer is going to be what you describe as lurching. You know that distinctive V-Twin sound at idle? It sounds nice, but isn't putting out much power to move the bike.

If I need to move at walking speed on my bike I keep the clutch in the friction zone and that tends to smooth out the ride until more throttle is applied.

Maybe this isn't the way it should be and I've just developed my own work around. If so, please some of you more technical/experienced guys set me straight.

M7

Not sure about the lurching but the tire noise is most likely from the tire being cupped. My stock tire did the same thing. Not until about 7000 miles though. Finally got bad enough where I could feel the vibration in the handle bars and then I replace it. Cupping is mostly caused by under inflation. It's normal for the left side of the tire to wear faster so the cupping would be more pronounce in left turns. That's my experience anyways..

BT

I try not to blip the throttle at all PapaT, only trying to hold a constant speed at around 10 mph. Not really at idle M7, probably somewhere around 1200 to 1400 RPM (no tach). May just be the nature of the beast. I'll try to find another R* close by I can ride to see how they compare. Just seems odd that a big Harley with 50K miles has a tighter drive train than a new R*. I can control it by slipping the clutch like you were saying, but really hate the extra wear it's likely causing.

As for the whine, you may be right BT. The noise from a cupped tire would be speed dependant. Had it happen on my daughters car come to think of it. I do check the pressure perodically and only found it low 1 time. However, could have been enough to start the process I guess. I will check closely for cupping tomorrow. Dealer incentive to buy from them was free tires for life, just have to pay $90 for the labor, so not too bad if that is the problem.

Thanks,
Star Treker

At first, I though this was a new RoadStar Clinic country western song...
But then I read on further...
The whine can come from a number of places back there... A slight almost un-noticable whine is normal from the meshing of the teeth on the belt and sprocket... and more noticable... get it looked into!
As far as "parking lot" speeds... just be handy with the clutch... As Jerry "Motorman" Palidino would say... "Find the clutch friction zone, and stay on it!"
I came from a shaft drive V-Star 1100 and the Roadie is a whole different ride...

I get the lurch feel if the idle drops too low, and the noise from the front tire I call the crickets in a field noise from the brakes after firm to hard stops on the front brakes that usually goes away after the brakes pads wear down or the master cylinder pulls the fluid back up..

I agree with bt, and the others time to check out a few things.. tire cupping a little early, low tire pressure.. check the drive belt for proper tension and that it is rolling straight. if it walks from side to side on the rear pulley push the bike forward and than backward and see which side of the pulley the belt is moving too.. or if you have a motorcycle lift, put it in the air and spin the wheel in both directions, you can also check the front tire while its up..

Good Luck keep us posted.

Thanks for all the suggestions... Doesn't seen to be a cupped tire, at least not enough to see or feel but will keep an eye on it. Going to take it by the dealer in the next day or so and have them check it again. If nothing comes of that I can get access to a bike stand this weekend and will try some of the tips offered by bowhunter.

Sounds like the low speed lurch may be normal for the way I am riding it. Easy enough to control using the clutch, just thought there might be an issue given the previous models had a transmission recall.

Will let you know if I find the source of the whine.

Thanks again,
Star Treker

UPDATE:
Had the dealer check out my bike again today and they promised the whine was just the tire. The theory is that because I mainly ride the interstate and the coast highway which is mostly straight, I am not leaning the bike much and the tire is wearing flat. This leaves a more define tread on the edge of the tire, which is why I hear it mostly in a turn. Makes sense I guess, plus I had a buddy ride it and he says he has a similar sound with his Harley. The belt is a little tight, but not enough to adjust it so they say. I also checked the tracking as suggested by bowhunter, and it looks OK.

Apparently all is well with the bike. I am proably a bit paranoid about the noises I hear, but am getting more use to them as I figure out what is normal. StarCruiser's video was a big help.

Thanks for all the suggestions,
Star Treker

Tire whine on my Metzlers came on even when they were brand new. Depends on the road surface; smooth=whine, ruff or old=quite. Tar snakes on road make for chirpping noise as I run over them. As I put about 10k a year on the scoot I have to do tires most every year. Wife thinks $400 for two tires is way out of line.