Wethead noise

You want noise? Get yourself a '93 R1100RSL with an M93 transmission and you'll have noise especially at idle in neutral. But then one should never idle one's RSL else up in flames goes the plastic.

I've got a '16 RT, it does seem to clatter a bit, and occasionally the exhaust note sounds a bit like my 1971 VW Bus, but not bothersome really. Sure runs good!

I just went from a Harley to a 2017 GSA. To me the GSA is very quite at least when I'm not wearing my hearing aids. Does anyone make shot gun pipes for the GSA? OK just kidding. All I can say is I love the bike and do not feel noise is a problem for me.

jammess said:

You want noise? Get yourself a '93 R1100RSL with an M93 transmission and you'll have noise especially at idle in neutral. But then one should never idle one's RSL else up in flames goes the plastic.

Click to expand...

I have seen a few melted RS fairings in my time. "Patina!"

beemerphile said:

A casual look at cutaways of an LC motor alongside an earlier air/oil cooled motor will make obvious the source of the mechanical cacophony from the wethead. It has nothing to do with how your helmet fits and a little bit of water circuitry around the exhaust valves isn't going to muffle it.

Click to expand...

2016 R1200RT noisy motor at idle

No Joe it's not just you. This is my first BMW having owned many other brands and the clattering noise at idle especially concerned me. Sounded like valve train noise to me so I took the bike back to the dealer at around 4,500 miles and had them check the valve clearances. No problems and I was told the clattering noise at idle was normal on the wet heads.
sounds agricultural to me for such a sophisticated piece of engineering but I have accepted it as normal on this motor. Otherwise a great bike that handles great and runs a lot stronger than I expected from a twin BMW.

I’ve owned a few boxer twins. I like the noise, let’s me know that things are moving around in an aluminum box that sits between my legs. I tell my buddies it’s sounds like a well tuned German sewing machine. Those motors just go and go. I’ve never had a problem with one. I wear ear plugs and am picky about which tires to mount. The anakees are noisy! Never going back to those. Sound like they’re roaring when you go down the highway. Unless your dealer tells you there’s something wrong with the engine, I would recommend riding it hard. I think you’ll get used to it.

check your valve clearances!!! my 2015 r1200rt developed a clatter this summer at around the 16000 mile mark . I had dealer check clearances ( at least they said they checked and I paid for them to check) got bike back said clearances all ok. Being an auto tech for the past 39 years I decided while bike is stored in basement this winter to check clearances myself ended up changing 7 of 8 shims all exhaust valve clearances where out of spec at .44-.45mm max clearance spec is .41mm finished and started bike yesterday. clatter is gone. Removing cams and cam holders was very simple. Bought a Haynes manual for this bike but they make it much harder then it is. procedure is very simple and easy. line up cams at TDC. mark cam drive and driven gears with paint marker remove cams reinstall by lining up paint marks no reason to remove chain tensioner or install crank locking tool. hardest part of this whole deal is making sure your micrometer is accurate. My 2 cents , but it works

1wingnut said:

check your valve clearances!!! my 2015 r1200rt developed a clatter this summer at around the 16000 mile mark . I had dealer check clearances ( at least they said they checked and I paid for them to check) got bike back said clearances all ok. Being an auto tech for the past 39 years I decided while bike is stored in basement this winter to check clearances myself ended up changing 7 of 8 shims all exhaust valve clearances where out of spec at .44-.45mm max clearance spec is .41mm finished and started bike yesterday. clatter is gone. Removing cams and cam holders was very simple. Bought a Haynes manual for this bike but they make it much harder then it is. procedure is very simple and easy. line up cams at TDC. mark cam drive and driven gears with paint marker remove cams reinstall by lining up paint marks no reason to remove chain tensioner or install crank locking tool. hardest part of this whole deal is making sure your micrometer is accurate. My 2 cents , but it works

Click to expand...

You mean that BMW departed from the wonderfully simple camhead process of removing only the rocker and now cam removal is required? That sounds like a major verschlimmbesserung.

BMW had a perfectly workable shim under bucket arrangement by 1983 on the two-valve K100 and K75 engines. A couple of simple tools allowed shims to be removed and installed with the cam in place. Leaping backwards into the 21st century it seems.

PGlaves said:

BMW had a perfectly workable shim under bucket arrangement by 1983 on the two-valve K100 and K75 engines. .

Click to expand...

Did you mean shim over bucket?
Whatever it's called I liked the K75 setup.

Lee said:

Did you mean shim over bucket?
Whatever it's called I liked the K75 setup.

Click to expand...

Yes - shim over bucket. It worked fine. Changing shims was easy.

Here's my input, for what it's worth.
I have three two-cylinder motorcycles, all different configurations.
Judging on mechanical noise only, the GS is the quietest of the three, but it does rattle a bit on startup after it's been stood for a week, but when warm and running you only get a small amount of ticking, pinging and rattle. The loudest noise being the butterfly valves doing their thing.
The Triumph is pretty quiet for an air /oil cooled motor, but it's so overbuilt it's not a surprise, the loudest noise is the final drive chain. The cam chain can be heard once in a while, and induction noise is loud at times, but overall it's still quiet for an old motor, even at 34,000 miles.
The Ducati is just a bit louder but nowhere as loud as the older air-cooled desmos. Again though the loudest noise is the butterfly valves and the final drive chain. Even the valves aren't as loud anymore, but you could hear them if you listened, until the Termi's were fitted, then it was game over for any other noise.
Remember though that all modern bikes run so lean due to emissions that they run hotter than bikes of old and are designed with thinner, lighter and more cost friendly materials with slipperier shapes that allow improved airflow, and add a quiet helmet to the mix and it often all adds up to more noise finding it's way to your ears.

I had early on concerns about the noise of my 2016 wethead engine. I heard it from the left side when the engine was fully warmed up. Didn't hear it at all with a cold engine. Valve clearances checked fine, so it wasn't that. Two good BMW mechanics told me it was normal wethead engine noise and not to worry about it. I didn't and I don't. I did install BMW engine cover guards on the bike late last summer and these seem to dampen the noise coming off the left side cylinder. I think the noise comes from the extra valve actuation mechanism on the left cylinder that reduces the starting torque. That and the 5W-40 oil which is about as thin as water when the engine gets thoroughly warmed up.

I think it is a wonderful engine, the best BMW twin I have had. Clutch is bulletproof, tranny a bit quirky.

Larry

The problem is that you're not going fast enough.

At the correct velocity (and above, of course) the wind noise drowns out all else.


You're welcome.

captainmarko said:

The problem is that you're not going fast enough.

At the correct velocity (and above, of course) the wind noise drowns out all else.


You're welcome.

Click to expand...

Hard to hear the engine clattering over the screams of my passenger.

irish said:

Hard to hear the engine clattering over the screams of my passenger.

Click to expand...

Exactly.

What's all the whining about?

BMW finally figured out that "loud engines save lives".

Now someone needs to print a teeshirt....