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[aaronzeromoto]

OK.  I had to wait until more Zero SR's were shipped, but I have to admit that I loved this motorcycle so much I bought one as well.

Since I have had a similar experience to the rest of you, I wanted to make sure everyone knows that especially on the very powerful Zero SR, the drive belt goes through an initial stretch within the first few hundred miles.  A loose belt will produce the “honking” noise described in these postings. Adjusting the belt back to its specification should address this noise. After its initial stretch, the belt should be pretty stable for the remainder of its life, although it should still be checked occasionally, per the Owner Manual’s recommendations.

The team here at Zero really appreciates reading your posts.  Keep them coming.

Regards,
aaronzeromoto

[GNU]

I listened again today
It's a noise on top of the crying wookie noise. It's metallic and doesn't sound good at all. I'll talk to Zero about it tomorrow.

[WindRider]

Aaron,

You are getting quite the Zero Collection going!   You are going to either have to get a bigger garage or sell that Yamaha VStar to make room......

[GNU]

Aaron,
Thanks for your reply!

That explains the Wokie noise but not the screeching one. Unless that too is due to a loose belt.
I've attached a video recording that I did this afternoon. You can just barely hear it on the recording but in real life it's clearly audible when accelerating from low speeds.

[Richard230]

That is an interesting noise, but it doesn't sound like a loose bolt to me.  I think I would place the bike on a shop stand and run the motor to try to get an idea of where the sound is coming from.  A cheap mechanic's stethoscope would help to determine if the sound was coming from the motor or elsewhere.  Maybe a brake pad is dragging, some chassis part or cable is vibrating, or the belt is vibrating due to it being too tight or having a misaligned sprocket. 

[Justin Andrews]

I've run your sound file through some audio processing tools I have to hand.

Looking at the raw data from your recording, there are four strong harmonic pitches when you hear the odd whine. (there are a number of other lesser harmonics that appear, I suspect these are related to the motor sound itself)
A lower rising pitch, two which are relatively stable, and an odd fuzzy mid range pitch sound.
The one thats the odd sound is a single very fuzzy mid range pitch sound, it does not appear anywhere else in the sonogram even at a reduced volume, so I'm not convinced that its something dragging as a result, otherwise I'd expect to see a trace of it in the background.

However fault finding from examing the spectral plot of some audio is imprecise at best.

* Interestingly the weird sound is actually dropping in frequency as the motor rises in frequency (rpm increases), so it could be some form of resonance in the motor however (resonances change or dissapear as RPM frequency changes). Interesting to note that it drops in frequency at the same rate as the motor appears to rise in frequency, not sure if that relevant though.

Given how quickly (and I mean immediatly) the odd sound disspears in the trace after the acceleration is removed from the motor, I'd start by investigating around the motor itself.

[GNU]

Wow!
Thanks Justin. That's very useful observations.
I've emailed the same file to the awesome support folks at Zero.
//Arvid

[dc5dd]

@GNU do you get a revving sound just as the throttle engages?  It seems like the motor is just starting to engage and revving up but the bike doesn't move?  I hope that is normal.

[NoiseBoy]

You will probably find that noise is the controller. Sounds normal to me, my 2012 does it and I seem to recall the 2013 demo bike sounding similar.

[dc5dd]

You will probably find that noise is the controller. Sounds normal to me, my 2012 does it and I seem to recall the 2013 demo bike sounding similar.

Thanks NoiseBoy I wanted to make sure that was normal.  Although I wonder how the controller makes that noise, it doesn't have any moving parts in it.  Does that noise go away after a while?

[DesignerDan]

@GNU do you get a revving sound just as the throttle engages?  It seems like the motor is just starting to engage and revving up but the bike doesn't move?  I hope that is normal.

Is it the same noise as the bike makes when you're pushing it without using the throttle? If so, it's the motor controller sending minuscule amounts of power to the motor to help reduce the coging friction in the motor when pushing the bike. It's makes a growling sound and you can feel the vibrations when you're sitting on the bike.

[GNU]

No, it's a metal on metal kind of sound.
It's heard over the regular Wookie cry sounds

[NoiseBoy]

This is what your warranty is for GNU. Go to your dealer if you are worried.

Nobody has told me if the SR will wheelie yet!

[GNU]

Noiseboy,
It's covered under warranty but I want to use my bike. Not watch it sit in the shop for more than a month (like a fellow Zero owner is currently doing at the same dealership).

[dc5dd]

@GNU do you get a revving sound just as the throttle engages?  It seems like the motor is just starting to engage and revving up but the bike doesn't move?  I hope that is normal.

Is it the same noise as the bike makes when you're pushing it without using the throttle? If so, it's the motor controller sending minuscule amounts of power to the motor to help reduce the coging friction in the motor when pushing the bike. It's makes a growling sound and you can feel the vibrations when you're sitting on the bike.

That sounds like exactly what it is.  It makes that noise when I'm on the bike and pushing it with my legs and when I just roll the throttle and only sometimes when I push the bike backwards. I can't remember if it does that only initially or all the time just have to pay attention next time.  I just wanted to make sure it was normal.