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You know when you hear a superbike accelerating ?
What makes the noise?
And why is it so lovely?
I don't even drive fwiw.
Err, the engine?
Shape of the exhaust can.
Many have removable baffles that keep it within road legal noise output. Sometimes these are removed, thus making it rather a lot louder.
Air intakes make a lot of noise too at a fair lick
Do they have valves in the exhaust system that open at a certain revs, like many sports cars?
Small engines at high RPM. That's what made the old F1 cars sound like they did.
Neeeeeeeow
Duffer: That's the one. That "F1" sound. By the way, I have no knowledge of anything motorised.
Not my specialist subject.
My brother has an old 'W'-reg Honda CB750KZ, which he fitted with a 4>1 zorst, saving lots of weight over the stock 4>4. It has 'For racing use only' stamped on it, and it's been on the bike most of its life. MOT tests don't seem to have been a problem.
It sounds fantastic when he gives it a fistful... 😀
a litre superbike has a large bore and short stroke, and rev to around 14000rpm. they also have 4 seperate throttle bodies and generally a 4 into 1 or 4 into 2 exhaust. this along with a very close ratio gearbox (small rev drops between gears) makes for the nice sound
Relatively small engines and high rev ceilings make for a beautiful wail when given a fistful....i had a Kawasaki 600cc which had a 16,000 rpm red line and sounded like the coming of the four horsemen....eventually fitted with a full Yoshimura racing exhaust and the sound was indescribable!...i've got a very nice Titanium end can sat in my front room waiting to go on the current bike too.
Some of the noise is the air intake, my Suzuki GSXR had a massive airbox under the tank and would growl and resonate with a distinctive noise none of my other bikes have had.
I have YouTubed motorbikes.
Sigh. I'll need a bigger shed.
Anyway, I only learned what torque was reading Robert Prestons "Its all about the bike".
Simpleton.
At lower speeds what you hear is the exhaust - at higher speeds/distance a large part if the noise is the air going in to the engine not coming out.
On a modern one, pretty much that thumping noise you can hear is the riders heart beating away as they try to keep the front end down on the ground as the speed waps past 160mph....... 😉
Doppler effect?
I had one of these:
Quiet onboard once you are above 100.
And on this vid the speedo is in kmh... 😯
It's got to be a Honda V4 on full chat for me 8)
Never been an inline 4 that sounds any good, they're just really big wasps. Too many pistons, see?
tenfoot - MemberDo they have valves in the exhaust system that open at a certain revs, like many sports cars?
Some do but it's not common. (unless things have changed). Quill did a bunch of aftermarket exhausts which were quiet at lower revs then sonic warfare at higher revs.
Never been an inline 4 that sounds any good
R1 with a crossplane crank or the zx-rr when they set it up as a 'screamer'.
Twin Akrapovics on my R1 it really does sound bloody good I defy anyone not to like it. Pulls fiercely from 3k through to 12k and beyond just to enjoy the full mechanical symphony BRRRRRRRAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mmm, OK, I have to give you the crossplane R1, with the right exhaust it was filthy. Screamer ZXRR was just a bigger wasp.
For sheer spine-tingling howling noise you need a 1950s BRM V16:
Getting all giddy thing about watching BSB at Oulton Park now 😀