[rev.john]

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I have a 94 GL1500, with 28000 miles. When I lean left while riding, the rear end makes a different noise then straight or leaning right. My tire looks normal, no cupping or abnormal wear. I am concerned that it is a wheel bearing, but there is no play in my wheel side to side and seems to spin freely on the stand when turned.

Second, I want to know why I can not get a Michelin tire for my GL anymore. I have used several even though I heard they were recalled.

JWH

 

[Budegan]

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Howdy JWH and welcome to the best, mostlaid backand most informative Goldwing forum on the internet. If you are satisfied that the tyre is okay, then I would suspect the bearings. They don't have to be worn out to make noise, is they are dry they will make noise a long time before they wear enough for you to feel any movement.

 

[travelinmays]

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Hi John

Have you looked at your brake pads and rotor recently. Just a thought a worn rotor or sticky Caliper can cause a lot of noise that will be more pronounounce when leaning the bike.

 

[exavid]

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I'll go along with Budegan, probably wheel bearings or a problem with the final drive. I had a similar effect on my bike but it was the same banking left or right and it was the tire. About the only way you're going to be able to be sure of the bearings is to pull the wheel and check them out.

 

[Tonys96]

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Boy...your hearing must be way better than mine. I hear a nose and unless I can move my ear to it, I could never locate it.

All noise problems on my GL1500 when leaned over have ben from tires.

After what Michelin just did in F1, why would you want a Michelin.

Before you do a lot of work, if your tires are close to the end of their life, change the tires. Metzler ME880's and Dunlop Elite III's seem to be popular choices on this site.

 

[exavid]

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I had a whine from the rear but it was just the woman who hangs around here needing a potty stop. After all these years she should know you don't potty until the gas gauge says "E".

 

[Tonys96]

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exavid wrote:

I had a whine from the rear but it was just the woman who hangs around here needing a potty stop. After all these years she should know you don't potty until the gas gauge says "E".

...and you've gone another 100 miles.

 

[wingdawg101]

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Get her some "Depends" !:goofygrin:

 

[exavid]

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I tell her not to worry, the seat's vinyl.

 

[globetrotter]

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rev.john wrote:

I have a 94 GL1500, with 28000 miles. When I lean left while riding, the rear end makes a different noise then straight or leaning right. My tire looks normal, no cupping or abnormal wear. I am concerned that it is a wheel bearing, but there is no play in my wheel side to side and seems to spin freely on the stand when turned.

Second, I want to know why I can not get a Michelin tire for my GL anymore. I have used several even though I heard they were recalled.

JWH

Welcome :waving:dont lean to the left - had to get that in.

As already indicated, often the whine is related to the tyre siph's (tread on edge of tyre) making a noise when leaning. Check whether the LH side and RH side of tyre tread isthe same. If they are not, then its the tyre. Check front tyre as that is where the noise comes from on my bike when leaning. :baffled:

 

[GWNorman]

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JWH, i think the Michelins had a problem with the thread stripping off the tyre. About the noise, if you are sure the tyre is a good one, tehn it does sound like a bearing drying up.

 

[Heffo]

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GWNorman wrote:

JWH, i think the Michelins had a problem with the thread stripping off the tyre. About the noise, if you are sure the tyre is a good one, tehn it does sound like a bearing drying up.

I think the Metzeler 880 had this problem as well. I think it was fixed though as Metz stopped making them for a while, before releasing a modified 880.

 

[wingdawg101]

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Most VTX guys are switching from the metz 880 to the "Avon Venoms R's" and loving them! I know it's not a "Touring bike" but they do put the tires to the test !:baffled:

If I had a newer GW I'd go with the Elite III's!

 

[wilddoug]

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rev.john wrote:

I have a 94 GL1500, with 28000 miles. When I lean left while riding, the rear end makes a different noise then straight or leaning right. My tire looks normal, no cupping or abnormal wear. I am concerned that it is a wheel bearing, but there is no play in my wheel side to side and seems to spin freely on the stand when turned.

Second, I want to know why I can not get a Michelin tire for my GL anymore. I have used several even though I heard they were recalled.

JWH

The newbie chimes in,

In diagnosing a wheel bearing , if the noise changes in intensity when the load on the wheel is changed, its probably the bearing. In a car, you can do this by gently swerving the vehicle from side to side. This redistributes the weight from right to left and back. I would have to think this would work on a bike also. Bearings typically also have a "wow-wow" type sound whereas tires normally produce a steady drone. Tire noise will also normally change pitch when you go from one type of pavement to another. (blacktop to concrete) Hope this has been helpful.

Doug

 

[exavid]

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wingdawg101 wrote:

If I had a newer GW I'd go with the Elite III's!

Hope you know who doesn't spot this one or we're in fora Bridgestone diatribe. So far the E IIIs on my 1500 are great. Of course I'm comparing them to the worn E IIs that were on the bike. The best thing is that they cured the wobblies completely at all speed ranges. At 35mph you can't make the thing wobble, previously it would do it spontaneously when you let go of the handlebars. The tires ignore grooves and tar snakes in the road. Haven't done much riding in the rain since I got them. Probably couldn't say much about tire adhesion in rain, I'm pretty cautious on wet curves. Anyway for the price and how they perform, I'm more than satisfied. Now to see how many miles I can get.

 

[paustin]

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Just a follow up. I just had the bearings, seals, dampers and tire replaced on my 99 GL1500SE with 41000 miles, and my vibration went away. The wow wow sound is still there on brand new ME880s.
The bearings that came out seem to be in good condition.
I replaced them because I was getting the vibration on anything left of center but nothing center or right of center. Weird!!
I also replaced the dampers and what a differencew that made to my up and down shifting, much smoother now.