Busy or noisy engine?

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Location
Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey
Until recently, my '76 Wing was the only Goldwing I'd ever ridden.
Recently a friend picked up a '80 1100. The engine in his bike seems
much quieter than mine.
With mine, it seems like I'm hearing every moving part in engine, valves
tapping, parts whirring. His seems very quiet, not nearly as busy.
Not too long ago, I adjusted all the valves to .004 as per the
Honda shop manual. Before that, it was quieter, but it also
ran like crap. Adjusting the valves improved it's running by
quite a bit.
I realize that this is a difficult question to answer, but
are other early Goldwings known to have noisy, busy engines
like mine?
 
It would be best if you can upload a video. My 1000 was quieter than my 1100, but then it seemed like everyone's 1100 was quieter than mine.

~O~

edit - lol... except for Gerry's old motor. :smilie_happy:
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=155572#p155572:r06wbs5m said:
Omega Man » Sat Aug 08, 2015 1:26 pm[/url]":r06wbs5m]
It would be best if you can upload a video. My 1000 was quieter than my 1100, but then it seemed like everyone's 1100 was quieter than mine.

~O~

edit - lol... except for Gerry's old motor. :smilie_happy:
:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:
 
Honda made several improvements with the 1100, in particular - the primary chain and its tensioners. My '75 1000 ran beautifully, but sounded as though it was full of marbles! When I rebuilt it, the primary chain had nearly an inch of slack in it! With a new chain...quiet!
 
Odd comparison really. 80 I think has the lowest gearing of all the wings except 81 which is the same. So I'm pretty certain at the same speed the 80 will be running at the higher rpm. Out of synch carbs and uneven fuel mixtures can make them noisier along with minor exhaust or vacuum leaks. I suppose mismatched or unevenly gapped spark plugs could make a noticeable difference also.
Dan's observation we tend to hear every little noise our own bike makes is a valid point also.
 
Sync carbs as slab says, then put in earplugs and they sound much better. The test to be sure it is primary chain is to put in gear, release the clutch enough to put a little load on it and see if it quiets down. If it does it's the primary chain or ----am guessing--- the chain to the oil pump could make a bit of noise too. By putting a load on it, you're taking the slack out of that chain. Many bikes do it and 75-77 were worse. Some time in the 77 run Honda made thicker castings in the block to help it. The fix is a new chain and involves splitting the cases which makes it cost prohibitive.
 
yes in my opinion the 1000 is the most noisy ...for resonns mention.... 1100 next ...and then the 1200 is most quiet as it has more oil flow volume and coolant volume increase ove the 1000 and 1100 ...it also has the best chains and tensioners also ....what the early 1000s have 77 and before is great cams and if stock carbs is what you want ...the best or biggest carbs ..than later yr oldwings
 
I am a consistent earplug advocate and believe they protect our ears from high frequency squeals wind noise.
Occasionally, I will ride my Wing to our neighborhood gas station without earplugs, very noisy to me.
This experience is not exclusive to my Wing, I have noticed this phenomenon on many bikes.

I suppose if we drove sitting on top of our other vehicle engines we would be alarmed by their noises.
 
This is a noisy 1100....... :hihihi:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SyhI7BDnhE[/video]

My buddy has a '76 1000 and it is quiet as a mouse...sewing machine quiet compared to my 1100.
 
All the above plus the next time you change the belts or when you want you should also check the belt tensioners , may have a dry bearing or two..it will cause a heavier whirling sound, more then the regular whirling sound.
I too was expecting a more quiet motor but never owned one before so didn't know normal was not very quiet, especially in the mornings.
 
Thanks guys. I guess it could be all of the above. I'm not sure if my bike has 69 thousand
or 169 thousand. Guess it could be the primarys, the valves and maybe even
the pulleys. But it runs pretty darned good!
 
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