1996 RF400RVT whining in 5th and 6th gear

[Dark Crystal]

Hey people,

My RF400RVT is a great and reliable liddle bike...but, ever since i brought her, i get a slight whining in 5th gear (can hardly hear it) and quite a loud whining in 6th gear, i never use 6th around town and only change to 6th at around 100kph where she sits at 5500rpm... at about 6500rpm (120kph) it dosen't seem as loud - probably cause of the wind noise he he...now i believe the cause of this to be worn teeth on the gear.

My question:
Is it safe to keep running like this??... couple of guys have told me not to worry about it too much...

[James Deuce]

Bet you it's not the gearbox. Lubed your chain lately?

[SimJen]

A whine in the gearbox is usually a sign of dodgy output bearings.....as it only seems to be in higher gears it sounds like it isn't the bearings.

[ManDownUnder]

Stop into Colemans - the guys there will give you a run down on what it likely is.

Also, to rule out the chain, pull the clutch in while zipping along at speed and see if the noise remains while the engine revs drop.

[emaN]

didn't even realise the 400s were 6speed...

hope you get it sorted mate! first stop would be a visual check of that there chainy thing...

[Dark Crystal]

Yeah, the chain and sprockets are virtually brand new.. and lubed almost every weekend (luv playing with the bike)... i shouldv'e mentioned that when i button off the throttle, the whine goes away until i apply throttle again..

I'll go into Colemans hopefully over the weekend... just wanna get ideas from you guys too...

[GR81]

sounds like mine too... in 6th (and only 6th) when the slack is taken up on the chain the bike makes a distinctly different sound than any other gear.

[merv]

What kind of new chain have you got? It was interesting as soon as I fitted a new X-ring chain to my VFR750F it whined like I didn't remember it doing. Its particularly noticeable on smooth roads and in the higher gears. I think that is only because that is when other things are all quieter and you can hear it. It seems too constant to be a bearing sound so I just think yep its the chain and don't worry about it.