Morpheuz Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Ey up. Noticed in my area there are a few bikes that are very loud, and wernt to begin with. Also noticed some tourers and chopper/cruser styles after a biker rally that were beyond loud. I think they were straight throughs on high cc bikes. I was just wondering what, if any limit there is to the noise? Not because I dont like it, its because I would like to know incase I, or any of my mates gets pulled for it. Is it a case of coppers like to pick on the locals? Maybe after numerous reports or something.... But those 1900cc monsters that have nothing in the way of our ears and the exhaust valves set off car alarms.. Police dont care lol
Dickwad Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 There is noise, and there is noise, big v twins with straight through pipes don't really sound any loader than old British twins, but the higher reving small piston engines, such as scooters, mopeds, and (no offence) 125s, annoy people with there piercing "chainsaw like" exhaust tone, these types of bikes are usually being ridden flat out, engines screaming, so the police will stop you. I was told this by a motorcycle cop who always frequents our local bike meets at various pubs,
Noise Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Im With Mr Dickwad, its down to the police mans descresion most of the time and the other day i was at the start of a duel caridge way waiting for the lights to go green and sat next to me in the left hand lane was a cop and our eyes met and all i got was the thumps up lol when i first had my straight troughs on i was pulled into to road census by a cop and he looked round the bike and the only thing he pulled me up on was i had no reflector on the number plate but he was a biker and said that he hates the ones MOTers put on the bike so couldn't blame me much and sent me on my way. Just be nice to them and im sure they will be nice back,
Ttaskmaster Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Some bikes, Harleys in particular, are loud right out the factory. Nothing you can do as it's factory standard... what a shame, eh! Basically, so long as you're not riding like a cock, you should be OK.
Morpheuz Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 ok, well I opened mine up, and I can cruise through towns with a nice harley type effect, I wont scream it, I am planning to go up 2 teeth on my front sprocket, so that should help, its just long A roads my bike tends to sound less like a harley and more like a strimmer.... once the revs come down with the sprocket, it should be ok.... bloody bike was set to bounce off the redline for some stupid reason. Factories set the sprocket ratios too high for 125s.
Ttaskmaster Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Some people turn the idle way down low, for an added edge of "Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga" effect...
Dickwad Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 I'm not to familiar with the 125 dragstar, but, do make sure there is enough clearance around the drive sprocket to fit a bigger one. you dont want to buy a sprocket and then find the chain touches the casing.
Toutsuite Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Some bikes, Harleys in particular, are loud right out the factory. Nothing you can do as it's factory standard... what a shame, eh! Basically, so long as you're not riding like a cock, you should be OK. Actually, Harleys coming straight out of the factory are as quiet as mice, as the company is subject to the same emmissions/noise restrictions as everyone else! It's just that more than 85% of customers choose to immediately replace the stocks with aftermarkets for that Harley sound that, ironically, Harley themselves don't provide!
Moderator Cynic Posted March 27, 2012 Moderator Posted March 27, 2012 You gotta love HD, they build a bike that doesen't go, doesen't stop and doesen't corner. Then sell the parts to improve the bike way beyond showroom level and charge a bloody fortune to do it.
Moderator drewpy Posted March 27, 2012 Moderator Posted March 27, 2012 the MOT merely states that the exhaust is not too loud and is the tester is deaf, then that's the way it is. I reduce revs on the tracker and have fitted a mirror just because of this. not been stopped yet!
Ttaskmaster Posted March 28, 2012 Posted March 28, 2012 Actually, Harleys coming straight out of the factory are as quiet as mice, SHHH!!! It's a good excuse. Don't let the cops know!! I understood the signature Harley sound was, after much money and many years of reasearch on what people found most aesthetically pleasing, finally found through purposely having each cylinder misfire at certain key points during the cycle. The open pipes just amplify that sound.
Morpheuz Posted March 30, 2012 Author Posted March 30, 2012 I dont think it misfires, or did you mean thats how they researched it? I thought the pistons cycle was just set up differently, each piston on say a dragstar, would go off simultainiously (cant spell) ... and a harley would fire each cylinder dead after one another with a pause after they both fire, cant say its good for the bottom bearings but it works. Dunno if u get that. I once observed a dude on a harley idling it, I thought it was going to fart out, but then realised it was the harleys patented design.
Ttaskmaster Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I dont think it misfires, or did you mean thats how they researched it? Sort of. It's what I regard as a misfire, since both plugs are firing, regardless of what the cylinders are doing. YMMV: "The classic Harley-Davidson engines are V-twin engines, each with a 45° angle between the cylinders. The crankshaft has a single pin, and both pistons are connected to this pin through their connecting rods. This 45° angle is covered under several United States patents and is an engineering tradeoff that allows a large, high-torque engine in a relatively small space. It causes the cylinders to fire at uneven intervals and produces the choppy "potato-potato" sound so strongly linked to the Harley-Davidson brand. To simplify the engine and reduce costs, the V-twin ignition was designed to operate with a single set of points and no distributor. This is known as a dual fire ignition system, causing both spark plugs to fire regardless of which cylinder was on its compression stroke, with the other spark plug firing on its cylinder's exhaust stroke, effectively "wasting a spark". The exhaust note is basically a throaty growling sound with some popping. The 45° design of the engine thus creates a plug firing sequencing as such: The first cylinder fires, the second (rear) cylinder fires 315° later, then there is a 405° gap until the first cylinder fires again, giving the engine its unique sound".
Recommended Posts