KZ1000 whine from trans

I finally got my jets and rode the 1000 today. Just a couple trips back and forth in front of the house to test it out. It has a whining sound coming from the transmission and i was wondering if that is common, almost like the chain was a little too tight but it was not, its not a real loud noise but enough i could definetely notice it. the bike only has 11,000 miles on it and i bought it from an older guy that just putted around on it so i highly doubt it was abused. i do have the stock pipes on it still so its very quiet which may have made the noise seem louder that it is but i just wondered if i should be concerned. thanks.

straight cut gears in trans,as long as its got oil i wouldnt worry too much.
the sound of running through those gears with a open header in the distance is a beautifull sound! :woohoo:

awesome, thanks, its got oil i just changed in a couple days ago, and the header is on its way. it felt like it was gonna be pretty snotty, dont have to try too hard to break the tire loose, lol.

If you are tuning your ear for noises on a shakedown run you will for sure hear the transmission whine. :ohmy: Thats just letting you know shes ready for some riding. Have fun and be safe.

Wait until hearing all the noise while riding with a fairing or windshield. :woohoo: :laugh: :laugh:

Good Fortune!

When I had a 1977 Kz1000 (new) my buddies and I went for a group ride, my friend with a Yamaha 500 single said my bike sounded like a turbine when we were on the twisty roads.

I'd not worry about the whine, as long as you've got the proper oil type and enough showing in the sight glass.

Perfectly normal.

Some people say that these bikes sound like "sewing machines" I think the sound is cool.

Im glad to hear its normal, i have a long way to go before i set out on a long road trip but im trying to cover all bases one at a time, the bike hasnt been on the road in 10 years so i have some work to do checking over things so im sure i will have many more questions lol. i didnt think it sounded like a serious problem but its much louder than the trans on my CB750. thanks again.

Its not a whine, its a purr... from a BIG cat :laugh:

It's been explained already, the main noise is the gear drive. The KZ1000 is all gear, where the 650s ect use the stupid hypo chain and have less noise until the chain starts flapping anyway. leave the stock pipes on if you have them, I tried a Kerker on a my Kz1000 and if I hadn't already learned, tried it on a 900LTD. One day each was plenty enough to determine header plain sucks on the big KZ.