Are these engines normally noisy?

[LoneStarBeer]

I'm a first time Buell owner. Love the bike, did my first ooil change. Bought from the original owner. 7200 miles.

Now, heres my question....... Are these normally noisy engines? It clatters a bit. If it were a a Chevy 350, if say it had noisy lifters. I put HD oil in it and filter.

Is this normal? Its running fine as far as I can tell.

 

[stamen]

yes they are

 

[djs2k2]

It's called music![up]

 

[theMelvster6]

The .551 "E" Grind cams are known to be particularly noisy. XL guys who run the SE 551's (same grind but set up for a sports) complain about how loud the cams are. It's normal as long as it's a universal noise, and not like a tick or clatter that gets worse with RPM. It would be pretty noticeable outside of the noise the valve train makes.

 

[ReadyXB]

Are these normally noisy engines? It clatters a bit.

What? I can't hear you over my v-twin sewing machine. It has a big cam in it!

 

[LoneStarBeer]

Yes its very steady, thats why I havent been overly concerned since it sounds in rythem and time.

 

[theMelvster6]

Then I say you go ride the Hell out of it!

 

[Theycallmecrash]

You should try and 1125 with stock exhaust.... make you xb seem quiet

 

[Cosworth]

^The xb engine is a minor humming noise compared to a 1125. Thing makes all kinds of ungodly clacking noises.

 

[user_deleted]

think of it in these terms:
Jap rice-rocket inline-4...take your pick:
liquid cooled....twin chain driven cams....silent running chain with oil dampened guides....shim and bucket tappets....minimal amount of internal parts as required to promote quietness, cost effective production and high revs.

XB: 1957 engine and trans architecture...air cooled...4 hydraulic lifters...4 camshafts...gear driven oil pump...cooling fins....4 pushrods....4 rocker shafts....4 big heavy valves and springs...."knife and fork" con rod arrangement.....roller bearing crank.....chain driven primary drive system.
in essence there's a ton of stuff going on and alot of gizmos whirring about, opening and closing, flying up and down, and doing their dance. there is a distinctive racket to all this. but the beauty of buell is that this commotion takes place with a great amount of reliability and what i refer to as a somewhat soothing regularity. just adds to the charm factor.

 

[go cytocis]

Are these normally noisy engines?

You ought to hear an old BMW airhead!

 

[mrlogix]

The xb engine is a minor humming noise compared to a 1125. Thing makes all kinds of ungodly clacking noises.

I rode my 1125R to the local gas station this morning (1 1/2 miles) without my helmet for the first time. Holy Cow Batman, she is a noisy fucker. But twist the joystick on the right and POW.

 

[captain chaos]

I read the thread title and couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
Yes, they're noisy.

 

[fireinxb]

I always laugh at the dozens of threads each year about this. I'm at fault for opening one myself..

I thought my bike was loud.. 2 years and several thousand miles later it makes the same noise. I've learned to love it

 

[djs2k2]

I'm waiting for the question of how do you quieten them down?

 

[go cytocis]

I'm waiting for the question of how do you quieten them down?

The answer to that is the same as to so many other questions about Buells: "Buy a Ninja!"

 

[mrlogix]

^^ lmao

 

[Lrick1]

The day it runs quietly is the day you'll have a problem

 

[Shawns]

Buy one of Dean's exhausts and you won't even notice any engine noise http://www.deanadamsdesigns.com

 

[MustangGuy]

Yep, they are noisy and if you compare them to a modern car engine or most other modern motorcycle engines, you would swear there is something seriously wrong. I have stood next to my bike listening to it run, kind of like to make sure it's just the normal racket it always makes and wondered WTF is going on inside. Occasionally I listen to the engine with a mechanics stethoscope, again, just to make sure it's making the normal weird noises. Definitely, this is part of the charm of these bikes.