whining noise .. HELP PLSE

[hoohak]

Hi all , Ive just become the proud owner of a fj1100 on a 84 plate , my question is ......
When i ride the bike and revs go pass 4 or 5 k , i get a terrible whining noise , then if you come off the throttle to say 2k the noise goes, noise is coming from front of bike, cant pin point it. my best desciption of noise is like a fan kicking in with a mettalic sound!!!! very loud!!!!.  It does not make this noise when you are in neutral and rev. Ive read afew posts, could it be some thing do do with speedo or more serious ... Help needed plse.
cheers neil

[FJmonkey]

Niel, welcome to group that says KOOKALOO!! When my speedo was failing it would suddenly make a horrible (strangled cat ) noise. I can only describe it by thinking of a shaft trying to spin in a hole too big for it. While it is spinning it is also bouncing around in the hole. The problem would come and go till eventually it was almost constant above 45 mph. The indicator needle would also dance all over the place so I had little trouble guessing what was causing that noise. I found a replacement speedo on flebay that came from an 84. The cluster housing was broken so I am guessing it was from a wrecked bike. It was a real shame since the odometer had only a little over 6k on it. The speedo from an 84 is not a drop in fit an 86. I had to modify it, so if you handy with tools and have a mechanical sense of mind you could make an 86/87 fit your 84. I found a few places that claim they can rebuild them in California and Texas (I think). If you want to go that route I will dig up my notes. Good luck, tell us when you fixed it and what you did.

[hoohak]

Niel, welcome to group that says KOOKALOO!! When my speedo was failing it would suddenly make a horrible (strangled cat ) noise. I can only describe it by thinking of a shaft trying to spin in a hole too big for it. While it is spinning it is also bouncing around in the hole. The problem would come and go till eventually it was almost constant above 45 mph. The indicator needle would also dance all over the place so I had little trouble guessing what was causing that noise. I found a replacement speedo on flebay that came from an 84. The cluster housing was broken so I am guessing it was from a wrecked bike. It was a real shame since the odometer had only a little over 6k on it. The speedo from an 84 is not a drop in fit an 86. I had to modify it, so if you handy with tools and have a mechanical sense of mind you could make an 86/87 fit your 84. I found a few places that claim they can rebuild them in California and Texas (I think). If you want to go that route I will dig up my notes. Good luck, tell us when you fixed it and what you did.

Thanks fj monkey, ive just took it for another spin , noise kicks in at 30 mph, after putting my head down by the dashboard iam convinced it the speedo cluster making the noise, so how do i fix , is it the case of a new cluster or can i repair... must say it a loud noise for the cluster, live and learn ...

[FJmonkey]

Niel, you do not need a complete new cluster but when I was shopping that was how some were offered on Flebay. I removed the new speedo from the cluster and swapped it for my failing one. If you don't manage to find a replacement then I will search my notes for the few outfits that claim they can rebuild it.

[hoohak]

. fjmonkey , i will try and get one from fjoc uk , will it do any harm to ride at is , except i will need to wear the ipod to drown out the noise. should be ok to ride ... should it   

[andyb]

. fjmonkey , i will try and get one from fjoc uk , will it do any harm to ride at is , except i will need to wear the ipod to drown out the noise. should be ok to ride ... should it   

Disconnect it if it's a concern.  Take it off at the wheel, pull the center spring thing out, hook it back up so you don't have grit and such getting in.  Of course, then it won't work, but it'll be quiet.

[hoohak]

andyb thanks...  simple  what a thicko   

[FJmonkey]

If your speedo is bouncing like mine was then I second Andy's suggestion. Otherwise you still can't tell how fast you are going and you will annoy all the HD riders with that strangled cat noise. Give the cable some lube when you reassemble.