I was driving through town today, when a guy on an old Moto Guzzi drew up beside me. The bike's exhaust popped and crackled as he down-changed for a corner, and it just sounded wonderfully throaty and exotic.
I think it may have been an 850 Le Mans - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzH-oq_NrN8&feature=related
What are some other unique or particularly awesome sounding motorbikes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PojOPcS6qWI
Honda GP 6cyl
I think harleys sound the best of any of the bikes. I almost think it is the sound that sells the bike.
In personal exsperiance, it was a Ducati Monster Cromo that was at the dealership that my father worked at. The owner decided to show case the Ducati performance items and loaded it up with some sweet high-pipes, a few bits of CF and billet. In the 8 years since I have yet to hear anything as amazing as that Duck.
Uncorked R6 at full boogie, something about a piston engine at 15k rpm. Rpm's that high are typically left to f1 and rotary. I would be hard pressed not to use that every day if I had access to it.
For modern bikes it's hard to beat a Ducati. For vintage bikes, I like the sound of a 650cc Triumph. The problem with Harleys is way too many of their owners think loud=good. To me, they're just annoying.
My buell is obnoxiously loud, but my mom's sporty 1200 sounds perfect, not too loud just enough.
I think any of the italian v twins sound great unless they are stopped. You can tell a ducati when it is stopped because they have a rattling sound. The first time I saw a motoguzzi I was blown away, I'd never seen the v twin mounted that way.
I'm also a fan of the duc...
TL1000 through a full Yosh system. But I am partial, I have one.
depends on my mood... Early britsh twins ! any harley XR750 race bike = woody. any twin cyl 2 stroke street bike (r5 rd's ect) Any bezel drive duc.
Aw heck anit many i don't like except open pipes modern harleys....on the road.
44
44Dwarf wrote: Aw heck anit many i don't like except open pipes modern harleys..
I've gotta agree with this one, stock pipes on a harley sound pretty decent to me, can't handle the unmuffled/unbaffled pop pop pop that I can hear a mile away at idle, that's just annoying. And must the people that ride with those pipes sit at a light and blip the throttle? Set ur carbs right and u won't have to keep ur bike running by playing with it at lights.
Then again maybe I'm biased in that opinion being I had one of those guys that lived next to us in the base trailer park that rode a harley with those pipes, with that riding style that went to work every morning at 5am, when I was growing up.
93gsxturbo wrote: TL1000 through a full Yosh system. But I am partial, I have one.
Heh, I've got the same motor and same exhaust. Kinda sounds like an old fighter plane to my ears. And that's three of us here with TLs now. Weird.
Ducs are all well and good (make mine 2v, belt-driven cams, full Termis and a wide open clutch cover, please), but the real stuff is vintage MV Agusta, if you ask me. And I don't even like 4 cylinder bikes. I had the good fortune to wring out a 1975 750 S - not the portly America model - on deserted city streets early in the morning a couple years back. The sound that bike made, echoed off the buildings around me, will easily be on my highlight reel when my life flashes before my eyes.
I wrote about riding the MV and a Ducati Hailwood replica here, on my woefully out-of-date blog. I realize that the moment in my life described herein may be the coolest I'll ever be. It could be all downhill from here.
benzbaron wrote: ...I think any of the italian v twins sound great unless they are stopped. You can tell a ducati when it is stopped because they have a rattling sound. The first time I saw a motoguzzi I was blown away, I'd never seen the v twin mounted that way.
Loud clutches save lives.
There are lots of good candidates, but it seems most of them are twins. Super-duper Hawk GT
Honda CBX 6 cyl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcA6DIeAyI&feature=channel
Honda RC51 sounds pretty sweet.
Tom Heath wrote: There are lots of good candidates, but it seems most of them are twins. Super-duper Hawk GT
That's a bike built by J.D. Hord, a master of the v-twin. He started with Hawks in the Battle of the Twins class, but has, reluctantly moved on to SV Suzukis and Ducatis, since the Hawk is now thoroughly outclassed, despite its cult status.
When I can find a place to take my Hawk apart, the heads are going to him for his magic, and I'll be boring it out to around 700cc, which should see something like 70-ish horsepower, reliably. Not too shabby for a nearly 30 year-old motor.
Ducati Desmo FTW!
I think it is either the primary or drive chain rattling around on the ducati, but hell you got to have a signiture sound.
benzbaron wrote: I think it is either the primary or drive chain rattling around on the ducati, but hell you got to have a signiture sound.
It's the clutch plates making the noise. They run dry on a Ducati, while most other bikes have them running in oil.
Yep it's the dry clutch that rattles on the Duc. Squeeze the lever and it goes away.
It's tough to beat the sound of any of the sport twins, Ducs, RC51's, TL's, Aprilia etc. For some reason I don't care for the Harley sound though. Personal opinion, but they sound tractor like at times. The motocross thumpers have a cool sound too at full tear.
Funny about all the TL's in the forum. I had a '97 with a set of Yosh RC3 cans. Great sound.
Dry clutches on a Duc, and with modern metallurgy, they can make the engine castings thinner with the same strength, so there's even less there to block the noise.
There is just something cool about that Ducati clutch rattle. 
I rode a 996? a few years back, great exhaust note and it would haul ass as well. 
There is something about Harley noise that just sets my teeth on edge. Maybe it's the drunk assclowns who like full throttle unmuffled drag pipes at 3AM. Jerks.
I love me some Aprilia Tuono R sound....
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