1700 WHINE

[ohiojack]

Is a too tight belt the cause for a whine at 60 mph. If I increase the speed to 65 it goes away. Just curious. ohiojack

[hank43]

Sometimes I get that on my 1700 trike, but it usually goes away if I stop at Starbucks and buy her a coffee.
But seriously, my 1700 has whined like that ever since I got it, first as a 2 wheeler, then as a trike. It starts and stops on it's own, but I have discovered that if I squirt the belt with a little soapy water, it quits, at least until it drys out. I learned that little trick from a mechanic at a Kawasaki Dealership couple of years ago.

hank43

[Bronson]

When I got my 2009 it also had a whine. I was informed by a tech.
where I got the bike it was likely the belt was to tight. Losened
the adjustments one turn and has been quiet ever since

Bronson

[HMB Don]

I agree with Bronson, because that's what I was told to do. I did and at first I had the belt a little to loose. I then readjusted it (marked the swing arm and the adjuster so that whenever I remove the rear wheel its easy to adjust the belt.

you can see the rusted groove on the swing arm (both sides are marked) but only made these marks after a lot of trial and error. Which was trying to keep the belt in the middle of the rear sprocket.

[Richard Pepin]

Hey Don, how much deflection do you have on the belt?

[tnwareagle89]

My 2011 Voyager - purchased it 3 months ago - had a significant whine, especially when slowing down

I took it to my dealership and they tightened the front pulley (impact wrench) - it had backed off a little and was causing the belt to be slightly out of alignment

The tech also checked tension to make sure it was within spec

Picked up the bike earlier this week, it's much quieter - the whine when slowing down is almost gone

Hope that helps

Todd