What's your fav bike engine sound?

[tommy1973s]

I'm one of those saddos who, if I see somebody at a petrol station on a good bike, I'll always lurk for a bit, just to hear the bike being started ...

If in my car, and I see some bikes in the rear view mirror, as I keep left to allow them to overtake, I always lower the window just to hear them. Sadly, a lot of new sportsbikes sound pretty feeble these days.

It'd difficult to get the sound of a bike on video. They're usually recorded on phones and we're generally listening on a phone or laptop. That means that, both at recording and at playback, lots of bass is lost. That said, if you have decent headphones, these are 3 of my favs:

The RC166: https://youtu.be/o57JwibqCb8?t=126

The Norvin: https://youtu.be/jVeLhO9Kerk

Ducati: https://youtu.be/sp9xPyI8mCY

What're yours?

[Brads67]

Tuned Lambrettas running expansion pipes.

Or a Falc 180 Vespa Primiavera

Or an Enfield 650 twin. or, or, or, there are hundreds of bikes that sound good. No overly keen on inline 4s mind.

[Steve Bass]

A LOUD one!!!

[SBDJ]

[Drawweight]

Just now it’s my Sprint with a stubby end can (as posted on the ‘other’ thread.)

Not overly noisy but a lovely rasp to it.

Not my bike, mines the best colour..champagne.

[drmike37]

I like that Yamaha 1000cc 4cyl they did with the funny firing order.

[Simes205]

My v4 Honda.

[Pothole]

tommy1973s said:

...as I keep left to allow them to overtake...

There's really no need. We can judge gaps and have the acceleration to do what we like without you pulling over into the roadside crap and showering us with it. No, I'm not ungrateful, it's just not something you need to bother with.

[bunchofkeys]

I tend to favour the big V-Twins, for that thump thump thump sound.
The R1 Bigbang is the exception, for an IL4 https://youtu.be/7tCJQ5ho8mM?t=22

However, the CBX1000 https://youtu.be/PnmXrjqx8b4?t=153

Edited by bunchofkeys on Monday 6th July 07:49

[lazybike]

I do like a 2 stroke....preferably a race one.

[Krikkit]

bunchofkeys said:

However, the CBX1000 https://youtu.be/PnmXrjqx8b4?t=153

Brilliant things, what a noise.

https://youtu.be/vVWaJxxslP0

[Tasmin200]

V Twins for me. Specially air cooled Ducati V twins. There's something different about them compared to other v twins.

Oddly I absolutely hate the noise a Harley makes. I've no idea how they make a v twin sound so ste.

[Rat_Fink_67]

I must admit, as far as mainstream stuff goes, another vote for the crossplane R1 here, especially through a nice loud Akra system.

Triumph triples sound quite fruity as well with the right exhaust.

[Kevin_Birth]

vmax. my dad had one of these but never changed the exhaust. never knew it sounded so beastly. shame he sold it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fPYFh5kpus (ignore the stty intro music)

I've heard a V4 Aprilia strung out in person as well and that sounded almighty.

Edited by Kevin_Birth on Monday 6th July 09:07

[200Plus Club]

Ducati V twin on termignoni open pipes. Difficult to think of something better other than a classic / old 2 stroke race bike.

[roboxm3]

I'm probably in the twin camp; obviously biased but I think my old RSV with twin Ti Akra Evo system sounded amazing and my brother's 1098 with 70mm Termi's sounded pretty sweet too. Watching/listening the other bikes at Snetterton recently, I'd say the RSV4 or cross-plane Yams were the best sounding 4 cylinder bikes...

[pip t]

Twins....preferably v twins.

Also a V4 is a lovely sound.

Essentially I like things at the deeper burbling end of the audio spectrum than howling high revs.

Harleys are a favourite....

[generationx]

The MotoGP Ducati Desmodici GP5 was an epic-sounding thing. I went to Donington that year: we were sitting after the Old Hairpin and even then it was deafening being warmed up in the paddock!

[Rat_Fink_67]

generationx said:

The MotoGP Ducati Desmodici GP5 was an epic-sounding thing. I went to Donington that year: we were sitting after the Old Hairpin and even then it was deafening being warmed up in the paddock!

If we're talking race bikes, the best I ever heard in person was the Aprilia RS3 MotoGP machine...you could hear it shrieking around the whole lap of Donington from wherever you were stood

[TheOversteerLever]

Rat_Fink_67 said:

If we're talking race bikes, the best I ever heard in person was the Aprilia RS3 MotoGP machine...you could hear it shrieking around the whole lap of Donington from wherever you were stood

The RS Cube? Mental sounding things. My favourite sounding bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu3tc-d4FYY