Are M/C gearboxes noisy.

[nickjaxe]

In general are motorbike gear boxes a bit noisy in some gears....

Noticed that my 2020 water-cooled T100 Bonneville is nosier on 3rd and 4th gear....in 5th its quite.

Only recently noticed but its quite likely its been like that and I have not noticed before.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Transmission noises can be different in various speeds / rpm but there's no reason particular gears should be noisier than others. 

[Stu]

Some noises like the gearbox whining can be a sign that your chain is too light and pulling on the output shaft 

[bonio]

Mine has two idling noises: one for in gear with the clutch in, and a completely different one for in neutral with the clutch out. I guess that the sound of the clutch, though.

Edited August 16, 2022 by bonio

[fastbob]

I don't see how you can tell where the noise is coming from in 3rd and 4th because you ought to be bowling along at 60 - 70 mph . Surely all you can hear is exhaust and wind noise . Probably best to get some ear plugs and stop worrying about it . 

[nickjaxe]

On 17/08/2022 at 00:18, fastbob said:

I don't see how you can tell where the noise is coming from in 3rd and 4th because you ought to be bowling along at 60 - 70 mph . Surely all you can hear is exhaust and wind noise . Probably best to get some ear plugs and stop worrying about it . 

60 or 70mph in 3rd 4th....is that is road racing mode....I am never in any hurry....my bike will pull in 4th from low 30s

[husoi]

2 minutes ago, nickjaxe said:

60 or 70mph in 3rd 4th....is that is road racing mode....I am never in any hurry....my bike will pull in 4th from low 30s

Hence the fast in @fastbob 

That guy is a speed junkie 

[S-Westerly]

Ditto. I'm amazed at the number of bikes ( BMW GS often) I pass on autobahns going weirdly slowly. I'm doing 150-170 kph which on autobahns isn't excessive and these guys seem to be stuck at about 130.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

21 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Ditto. I'm amazed at the number of bikes ( BMW GS often) I pass on autobahns going weirdly slowly. I'm doing 150-170 kph which on autobahns isn't excessive and these guys seem to be stuck at about 130.

I think some riders just don't like going fast on motorways because of noise, buffeting etc, so they just prefer to travel at a slower pace. One of our group who used to race bikes never likes going much beyond 50mph on roads.

 

When I go on a trip that involved a motorway I always promise myself I'm going to take it easy and just cruise at a steady 60 - but I can never manage it. Motorways bore me so I want to get it over with as fast as possible.