Great sounding bikes

TMF

TMF

Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Messages
110
Age
67
Location
Brookeville, MD
Bike
1992 Honda ST1100
One of the great joys is hearing and playing the sounds of a motorcycle engine. There's burbling on a closed throttle, revving an engine and hearing the distinct low idle bops begin to blend then rise and eventually wail at high rpm. Throttle blipping during midrange downshifts when running hard and on and on. Today was a trial run on the ST after working on it all winter. We've only had 150 miles of seat time together and that was back in October and November. I can report the engine and exhaust notes are deliciously smooth and somehow remind me of a milder version of a crossplane Yamaha. It's got to be one of the best sounds I've heard in motorcycling. Other greats of the past include my '72 Kawasaki 500 H1B with baffles cut down from roughly 12" to 3". What a surreal echoing howl that made. Believe it or not a Kawasaki EX500 in a superb state of tune sounded fantastic and had a huge variation of tone as rpm changed. My Triumph TT600 with baffled Skorpion pipe is thrilling as you approach 14K on the tach without being overly loud. I reveled in the sound of my '72 Honda SL350 and it's stock fiberglass pipes back in the day. These days I appreciate a quiet and smooth tone and the ST is just about perfect.
 
5th gen 98-01 Vfr800 for me with a nice exhaust added or even with the oem can is one of the best sounding bikes ever produced imo. Turns heads every time I ride through a town and on the open road the sound is glorious. No modern bike compares for me.
 
I always liked the old Kawasaki 4 cylinder KZ1000 and 1100's with the Kerker headers installed. Not too loud if you keep the baffles in.
 
broc11 said:
5th gen 98-01 Vfr800 for me with a nice exhaust added or even with the oem can is one of the best sounding bikes ever produced imo. Turns heads every time I ride through a town and on the open road the sound is glorious. No modern bike compares for me.
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I had a 1998 VFR with a Two Brothers exhaust. The VFR engine runs a 180* crankshaft vs. the 360* crankshaft on the Magna’s and ST,s. The 180* crankshaft allows the engine to sound like a mini V8 engine. With the Two Brothers exhaust at 9000 RPM and the gear whine from the gear driven cams, I’ve yet to hear any bike that sounds as good. Hands down bar none. Everywhere I went with that bike, it would turn heads. I just never could get comfortable on it.
 
Uncle Phil said:
I have always thought the original 800(?) VFR had a great sound.
I sort of like some of the Ducatis also.
And the old Brit bikes - doubles and triples - were music to me.
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Yes, the 750/800 VFRs made wonderful sound. The 180 degree crank howl at speed and the gear driven cams at idle. My 99 had a Staintune to top it off.

I always thought the ST1300’s intake moan is it’s best sonic quality. The 360 degree crank of the ST11/1300 turned the V4 howl of the VFRs to a drone that sounds best with stock pipes.
 
Even though a have a bike far more powerful, and my far more comfortable ST1300s, I missed the sound of the VFR. Last year I bought the perfect sounding VFR with drilled stock mufflers. Not to loud, not to quiet for the distances that I ride it.
Stock ST pipes are perfect for that bike.
Stock Blackbird pipes are perfect for not advertising what I am doing.
 
My favorite motorcycle sound is the Honda CBX. A buddy had one he drag raced for years. He had a Wolf 6 into 2 exhaust and remove the mufflers. Awesome!
 
I have a 1986 Honda VFR 700, I really like the sound of the gear driven cams. I recently saw a yellow 2001 Honda VFR 800 for sale that looks like it needs to be re-homed, to my garage.
 
Tp me, it is really a coin toss between the RC51 and the VFR's with the gear driven cams. I had a 98 VFR that I wish I still had and I ride behind sky.high's RC just to listen to him run up and down the gears!!
 
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