A Quieter Motorcycle

[swordds]

Before I bought my MG V7II I was looking for a late 60s or early 70s BMW airhead.  Things didn't work out, no time to travel searching, etc. I purchased the MG because I thought it is as close as I could get to an airhead "off the shelf" plus it has ABS and a host of other modern improvements and a warranty and no worries about hidden problems, and I am very happy with my purchase except for this: one of the things I most appreciated about the earlier BMWs was how quiet they were.  Seems that everybody on every forum wants to talk about how to make their bike louder, but I considered the quietness of the BMWS to be the sound of true quality. So here is my off-the-wall question: would the mufflers from a 60s BMW fit on my V7II and would they make it noticeably more quiet?  Perhaps someone owns an older BMW and a V7 and they could swap mufflers and test it out and let me know?  I don't know how else to find out but if anyone else does please let me know (are dB ratings provided for aftermarket mufflers and are any available claiming less than 80dB?).  Unfortunately I can't afford to throw money away on a futile test. I would have purchased a Zero motorcycle but they don't yet have the range I desire.

[pyoungbl]

I'm with you...don't need to prove how manly I am by how loud my motorcycle is.  I already have a hearing loss due to my misspent youth and don't want it to get any worse.  My R75/6 was really quiet just sitting in the driveway but the V7 is not much louder.   At highway speed I found the wind noise to be a larger issue.  I suspect that you will be hard pressed to get a muffler that is quieter than OEM.

[fotoguzzi]

can't you just wear ear plugs?

[canuguzzi]

can't you just wear ear plugs?

 :1:

Or get a very quiet helmet or both.

Question, is it how loud the bike sounds to you or is it how loud the bike is in general? What aspect of the sound you're trying to reduce would be helpful.

[swordds]

I  do wear earplugs and I spent a small fortune on a Schuberth C3 Pro helmet (which I  love), it is how loud the bike sounds to others mostly. I guess I don't really know how loud that is as I have never heard myself or another V7II drive by, and no one glares at me or seems upset when I drive by. I drive along a lot of country roads and on roads I used to ride as a bicyclist and often am driving for miles at less than 40 mph and I love how quiet and peaceful it is when I'm riding my bicycle and would just like to create as little disturbance as possible. I would have purchased a Zero motorcycle except for the range and my recollection from years ago (and I could be wrong) is that when a BMW would drive by it was like when a Lexus drives by, the tires make more noise than the engine.  I don't think my MG is that quite, but could it be with "better" mufflers and do they make them intentionally as loud as they can get away with (apparently 80dB at about 3K rpm?), whereas luxury cars they intentionally make as quiet as they reasonably can.

[Nic in Western NYS]

My bike is going in tomorrow for the insane reason of putting stock pipes back on. 

[canuguzzi]

The reason for wanting a quiet bike is as valid as wanting one louder. The quieter the better. Luckily, at speed the Norge's exhaust is nice and quiet, at idle too.

My old Honda 350 Four was really quiet or so I thought until Honda released the 400 Four a year later. It was like a whisper. There was the analogy to a sewing machine sound but whatever works for the individual.

[trippah]

I fondly remember those R-50/60's and how quiet they were.  As an audiologist (retired), (Please excuse leading with prepositional phrase) I know that loud motorcycles can cause pain (often in older folks) due to the recruitment phenomenon; as well as increased blood pressure.   I also believe that sorta loud bikes help you get noticed by others, as we all use our hearing as well as our sight  to monitor the world.  But yeah, given my druthers, I'd like a quiet bike just noisy enough that I don't worry about every tappet click and clack.  (The BMW dealer in the 60's in Boston was in Cambridge so homage to all concerned is paid).

Please keep us posted on the results of your search and possible experiments.

[John Ulrich]

My bike is going in tomorrow for the insane reason of putting stock pipes back on.

Been there, done that once.    :1:

[krglorioso]

I am the second owner of my 04 Stone Touring, which came to me with Mistral "silencers" and a Stucchi crossover.  I wear earplugs and even then it was too loud.  I sold off the Mistrals and the Stucchi and replaced the FBF airbox mod with standard airbox lid.  Bike is much quieter and, frankly, it performs just as well as with these $600 of modifications on it.  Oh, it also has a PC III with a map by Todd Egan and I left that on and it still runs fine.  Go figure! Mileage is 45-47 mpg.

Ralph

[H-E-ROSS]

I have owned numerous BMW air heads over the years and was always happy with the quiet exhaust (a gentleman's motorcycle ). The Guzzis I have owned have been a little noisier.
It was fun running around with the db killer out of the Termi pipe on my GRiSO for about a week. I understand both sides of the esthetics, but I think the real issue is note rather than volume. I would prefer to hear a Guzzi going by with a pair of Bub's on than a screaming high pitched rice rocket or the Blattt of a straight piped Harley.

[Vasco DG]

In the second decade of the twenty first century anybody who believes that an performance advantage for road use can be achieved by making the engine/exhaust noisier is the sort of dull witted moron who should only be allowed out in the company of a responsible adult. This is particularly true of 8V Guzzis but the same holds true across the board.

If you want to be a noisy moron? Fine, but at least own up to it. Putting a noisy pipe or a rock-strainer air filter on your bike may alter the way the engine performs. It may even give you fractionally more outright horsepower at WFO but there will always be sacrifices along the way.

You'll also go deaf and end up as the sort of stunted, shouting half-wit that nobody wants to sit near in the pub because they're a noisy pain in the arse.

This isn't to say aftermarket pipes need all be a bad option. Far from it. its just that 'Loud' neither improves performance or saves lives. It simply singles you at as a dribbling idiot.

pete

[omega1987]

I also enjoy quite bikes sometimes but its worth remembering that there is a certain safety advantage to being heard by other motorists.

[jas67]

I'm with you...don't need to prove how manly I am by how loud my motorcycle is.  I already have a hearing loss due to my misspent youth and don't want it to get any worse.  My R75/6 was really quiet just sitting in the driveway but the V7 is not much louder.  At highway speed I found the wind noise to be a larger issue.  I suspect that you will be hard pressed to get a muffler that is quieter than OEM.

 :1:

And I own both ('73 R75/5, '14 V7 Special).

IMHO, the quietest motorcycles I've heard (or not heard) go by are Gold Wings.   They sound just like another car going by.

[grebmrof]

I  do wear earplugs and I spent a small fortune on a Schuberth C3 Pro helmet (which I  love), it is how loud the bike sounds to others mostly. I guess I don't really know how loud that is as I have never heard myself or another V7II drive by, and no one glares at me or seems upset when I drive by.

Before doing anything else, why not get a friend to ride your bike past you while you listen to how it sounds.  A few passes at various constant speeds and while accelerating should tell you what you want to know.  Finding a quieter muffler than stock may be a next to impossible task. 

[Nic in Western NYS]

We're moving from the country to having some neighbors.  My wife didn't say a word until I asked the question about how loud my bike is and then she politely gave me an opinion regarding both neighborliness and how interesting the sound of my pipes are to our 1 year old who does NOT like to sleep.  Stock pipes going on today.

[canuguzzi]

Has anyone ever read or heard of a collision involving a motorcycle where the other person said they hit the bike because they didn't hear it?

When I drive a car or truck I'm not listening for motorcycles, I look for them. There might be some drivers that hear a motorcycle but does that prevent them from hitting bikes? Think about how that is supposed to work. Somehow the sound of your exhaust is going to startle the driver into noticing you as you pass them or come up from behind them?

If you are in front of them, say opposite you at the intersection they probably can't hear you anyway? Been in a late.model car lately? Many are so quiet whatever sound your bike makes is so muted it doesn't make a difference in your safety. If your exhausts are so loud that you can attribute some measure of safety to the noise, it is more of an distraction than anything else.

Roll up the windows in a car, turn on the radio and exhaust sound from your bike being a safety factor is probably wishful thinking. You are far better off wearing a high visibility helmet and riding gear.

Then we have the rider who burps the throttle as if that is going to get everyone's attention. It sure does, drivers probably think you're an attention whore which is just what you look like if they see you.

A driver startled by exhausts loud enough to make them look around is as likely to swerve and run over you with their 3 ton SUV as avoid you. We allow lane splitting here and I have to laugh at the bikes that squeeze by, racing their engine like angry little gnats as if the sound is going to move over millions of tons of vehicles as their 500 pound bikes are going to part the sea. Its truly funny.

[Cam3512]

In one post you say you don't want to suffer any more hearing loss. 

In another you say your stock V7 isn't much louder than an old airhead (I agree, that's why I CHANGED mine), and that you can't even hear yourself while astride the bike while wearing your helmet and ear plugs.

Then you say it's mostly about annoying others.

Which is it?

[Gootsz]

 Pete

You are correct, but the Custom sure sounds sweet with the mistrals. Oh excuse while i wipe my chin.

Micky

[omega1987]

Has anyone ever read or heard of a collision involving a motorcycle where the other person said they hit the bike because they didn't hear it?

When I drive a car or truck I'm not listening for motorcycles, I look for them. There might be some drivers that hear a motorcycle but does that prevent them from hitting bikes? Think about how that is supposed to work. Somehow the sound of your exhaust is going to startle the driver into noticing you as you pass them or come up from behind them?

If you are in front of them, say opposite you at the intersection they probably can't hear you anyway? Been in a late.model car lately? Many are so quiet whatever sound your bike makes is so muted it doesn't make a difference in your safety. If your exhausts are so loud that you can attribute some measure of safety to the noise, it is more of an distraction than anything else.

Roll up the windows in a car, turn on the radio and exhaust sound from your bike being a safety factor is probably wishful thinking. You are far better off wearing a high visibility helmet and riding gear.

Then we have the rider who burps the throttle as if that is going to get everyone's attention. It sure does, drivers probably think you're an attention whore which is just what you look like if they see you.

A driver startled by exhausts loud enough to make them look around is as likely to swerve and run over you with their 3 ton SUV as avoid you. We allow lane splitting here and I have to laugh at the bikes that squeeze by, racing their engine like angry little gnats as if the sound is going to move over millions of tons of vehicles as their 500 pound bikes are going to part the sea. Its truly funny.

I drive a well sound insulated car (2009 Citroen C5) and I can definitely hear most motorcycles filtering past me in traffic and also motorcycles in my blind spots.

I don't like excessively loud bikes but wouldn't want my 750 to be any quieter than it already is (standard pipes/airbox) purely because it helps (along with high vis) make me more visible to other road users.

[charlie b]

While I like the sound, I'd rather it not be louder than a nice conversation.  What annoys me on trips is the low frequency drone that seems to get through every sound barrier known to man  :)  I'd also like more quiet than louder.

Safety?  Maybe, in heavy traffic.  But, it that is what saves me I am not riding well, ie, staying out of blind spots.

[Shorty]

Quietest bikes I ever owned were BMW K75, and 2005 Triumph Bonneville. Coming home at midnight, the garage door is louder. 

[wrbix]

[wrbix]

Quietest bikes I ever owned were BMW K75, and 2005 Triumph Bonneville. Coming home at midnight, the garage door is louder. 

I enjoy quiet but the sewing machine sound of the K-bikes never seemed right to me.

[Vagrant]

when I test rode the V7II I loved the sound of the stock pipes but it didn't have a windshield on it. I had planned on buying one at riders hill this spring but they are gone, so who knows.
I have found over the past few years the sound of the induction on the EV and the valves will set my ears to ringing after 150-200 miles with or without ear plus and with a quiet helmet. it does have an original Suwanee on it that is pretty quiet and enhances the valve noise. my Stelvio even with a pipe didn't bother me until 300miles. no air induction noise with it behind you and some what quiet aftermarket wind shield.
I get ear ringing on the 2012 Gold wind at 100 miles with ear plugs but 400-500 miles without them. explain that please.

[rboe]

Turns out the CB1100 is much quieter than the Griso and my wife told me that. Oops. I really can't hear either while on the highway unless for some reason I'm giving them the beans. I do prefer a quieter bike if given the choice. Further more, I prefer the low base note of a bike vs. higher pitches, typically heard on two strokes and inline fours of crotch rockets at speed. My CB's inline four at speed reminds me more of a sweet Ferrari V8. Go figure.

When I went back to the stock can on the Quota, I gained 12hp (dyno runs on the same dyno), lost some db's AND gained a very pleasant low frequency throb. Wish I could do something like that for the XR650L. Stock pipe is louder than I like and too much like a briggs & stratton.

[canuguzzi]

We think like motorcyclists and attribute that thinking to car drivers it seems. By the time you hear a motorcycle get into a position where you might run into them, the point if no return to safety has probably passed.

Take note of which bikes are getting hit.

If hearing the exhaust of any vehicle were truly that important to safety, you would have to take a hearing test to get a driver license.

You can be deaf and get a driver license, but not blind.

[swordds]

I found the EPA 1976/77 analysis on motorcycle noise emissions (published in final form in 1980) and reviewed parts of it (~400 pages of small type). An amazing study testing hundreds of motorcycles and multiple examples of each model tested. At the time they found the Honda GL1000 to be the quietest. (~78dBA).  In general they found that water cooled, shaft drives, and multiple smaller cylinders vs. 2 larger cylinders resulted in quieter motorcycles.  Based on this analysis they established the current 80 dBA noise standard so while some motorcycles may be quieter than that they are only required to certify that they meet the 80 dBA standard. Though my impression was that the BMW airheads were so quiet that was not matched by their data and they noted that BMW and Moto Guzzi and Harley Davidson would have trouble meeting a lower than 80 dBA level because of their larger and exposed cylinder configuration (in their analysis the BMWS were in the 80-82 dBA range). Of course this is all old data now but looks like I'll be happy with what I've got, though I would really like to stand on the street and listen to a V7II drive by. If I  had any friends who could drive a motorcycle I would do that. But I don't so I won't. I was standing near the street one day when a Suzuki TU250X drove by (same as my other motorcycle) and I was pleasantly amazed at how quiet it was.  Hearing it drive by sounded much different than sitting/riding on it.

[atavar]

If you want the noise from your pipes to make it safer then you should point them forward so the noise goes where it will do some good, not behind you to where you have already been.

[Kev m]

I drive a well sound insulated car (2009 Citroen C5) and I can definitely hear most motorcycles filtering past me in traffic and also motorcycles in my blind spots.

I don't like excessively loud bikes but wouldn't want my 750 to be any quieter than it already is (standard pipes/airbox) purely because it helps (along with high vis) make me more visible to other road users.

Too bad your Citroen has such a crappy sound system then.

We drive a well insulated Grand Cherokee with (I think) a premium HK sound system, and a not-so-well (maybe fair at best) insulated Wrangler JKU with a premium Alpine speaker package, and USUALLY I can only hear the AS@%$@# with the loud pipes... and even then, maybe not until I would have crushed them if I wasn't looking.