Discussion
I bought a BMW r1100 a month or two ago, and always wore ear plugs riding it. Last week I left them out to take a short tripround town. Once above about 25 mph I noticed a sort of roaring raspy rumble sound that only changed with road speed, not with gear, throttle, clutch or anything else.
So, I checked wheel bearings, basically. No slack or noise when turned or wiggles by hand. Checked all oil levels etc. Put it on the centre stand chocked up and ran it through the gears, no noise.
Couple of days ago I was out riding and was focusing on the noise, I can still hear it a bit with wax ear plugs in, and as I passed over a very smooth area of tarmac where they are resurfacing the road the noise went totally away. Back on normal tarmac it was back.
Tyres are brand new Battleaxe front and rear. I need to check the pressures, I think they are supposed to be up around 42 on the rear, 36 on the front.
Do tyres really make that much noise? I've never noticed it on my Bandit.
The nearest I could describe it is a rusty roller bearing spinning in the bottom of a tin can.
So, I checked wheel bearings, basically. No slack or noise when turned or wiggles by hand. Checked all oil levels etc. Put it on the centre stand chocked up and ran it through the gears, no noise.
Couple of days ago I was out riding and was focusing on the noise, I can still hear it a bit with wax ear plugs in, and as I passed over a very smooth area of tarmac where they are resurfacing the road the noise went totally away. Back on normal tarmac it was back.
Tyres are brand new Battleaxe front and rear. I need to check the pressures, I think they are supposed to be up around 42 on the rear, 36 on the front.
Do tyres really make that much noise? I've never noticed it on my Bandit.
The nearest I could describe it is a rusty roller bearing spinning in the bottom of a tin can.
spareparts said:
Michelin Anakee 3s are standard factory fitment on the R1200GS and are terrible for road noise as the tread pattern hums at speed and is audible above the clatter of the R1200 boxer engine. Common for GS owners to swap them out for another tyre, and the noise immediately goes away.
That makes me feel better, I was wondering if I'd still not got the answer, I was chatting to the owner of the shop who fitted the tyres and he says he has heard of loud tyre noise on certain tyres.Been looking for my inflater nozzle for my air compressor, to pump them up a bit, can't find it anywhere, off to Halfords tomorrow I guess.
After double checking pressures and direction and balancing, I was out riding a few nights ago, and on the A449 heading out of Wolverhampton they are resurfacing the road. I rode across several long sections of some shiny road patching.....and the noise disappeared entirely.
So, it is something to do with tyres and road surface. Maybe something specific to this bike because of the weird telelever BMW front suspension?
So, it is something to do with tyres and road surface. Maybe something specific to this bike because of the weird telelever BMW front suspension?
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