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Dunlop Road Smart whine...?

R

radguzzi

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
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I switched to the Dunlop Road Smart tires on the Norge recently, we have only ridden about a thousand miles on them so far I like them.

However, I hear a distinct whine from them.. Enough so that I was wondering if the CARC had and issue... ! :(

The rear wheel feels fine as it is torqued to spec and the final drive and tranny fluids are up.

So before I go tear the wheel off to check bearings, has anyone else that runs these RS experienced this whining from them..?


Thanks,
Rob
 
Rob,

You need to leave the rear wheel on to check the bearings. Place on the center stand and see if you can move the wheel in the vertical or horizontal plane. Any play is not good.

Also if you can hear the whine, it may very well be from the front. If no play in the rear, check your front wheel bearings. My 1100 Breva has a whine at certain speeds running Michelin Pilot Roads. All bearings check OK so I just ignore it.
 
I switched from OEM Metzlers to Roadsmarts on my Norge about 2K miles ago and didn't notice any difference in road noise. I wear ear plugs all the time (other than short, low-speed in town runs) and don't run any slabs; all curvy back roads at varying speeds. Would have to be very loud for me to notice.

Rob
 
John,
I did check the rear bearing by doing just as you said and no play at all. I will check the front.

I too use earplugs all the time and I was on twisty backroads yesterday morning and I heard it there too...

I even tried to discern whether swerving from side to side would make it go away to no avail. I really could not tell, possibly wind noise was a factor.

I'll pop that front off and re-check there.

Thanks,
Rob
 
Are you sure wind noise isn't a factor? There are times I can hear that quite well on my Norge, even with ear plugs.

But, I also noticed I get more noise on certain kinds of back roads that aren't exactly in a good state of repair. A sort of a hum. I just can't recall if I had that with my previous Roadsmart, or if it started with the brand new one I have in the rear (front still almost pristine). It all depends so much on wind conditions, too...
 
I remember Bill Hagan commenting on a whine when changing to Pilot Road 2's. I thought that was a bit daft but when I rode without my ear plugs there was a buzz discernible from the front tyre.

I fixed this by riding faster so the engine/exhsust/wind nose drowned it out.
 
radguzzi wrote:
I switched to the Dunlop Road Smart tires on the Norge recently, we have only ridden about a thousand miles on them so far I like them.

However, I hear a distinct whine from them.. Enough so that I was wondering if the CARC had and issue... ! :(

So before I go tear the wheel off to check bearings, has anyone else that runs these RS experienced this whining from them..?


Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...

Hell ya... I love the whine :)
Seriously, switching to the Road Smart from the stock Metzlers was a real eye opener for new/different road noise. For me its really noticeable now only when turning (especially at higher speeds... kind of like an audible speed alarm :blink: ). Theres been no unusual wear however, and others I've ridden with have never mentioned it, so I guess it seems more noticeable only when on the bike?
 
YBFAST wrote:
Hell ya... I love the whine :)

Seriously, switching to the Road Smart from the stock Metzlers was a real eye opener for new/different road noise. For me its really noticeable now only when turning (especially at higher speeds... kind of like an audible speed alarm :blink: ). Theres been no unusual wear however, and others I've ridden with have never mentioned it, so I guess it seems more noticeable only when on the bike?[/quote]

I went out for an extended blast after work and tried very hard to analyze the noise.

This is is what I found. At speed in a strainght line at about 45-50 I hear the whine so at that point I would weave about, side to side to hear a change in the tone and it actually goes away for a nano second so I'm thinking that it is indeed the tire. I don't mind, so long as I know what the hell it is...!

To verify that I think back that the Z6 does not have Any center grooves, that is teh tread cuts do not extend into te center of the tire.

Oh, I also run these as firm as the Z6's, 42 pounds out back and 36 up front.

I must say also that I can dive hearded and deeper into a curve than with the Z6's... And I like deep corners, late appex... :) Very confidence inspiring and stable.


All right,
Thanks YB...
 
It's common for different tyre types to make different noises. Ear plugs are not just a good idea, but also a very good idea.

I've had the odd bike whose mechanicals whistled or whined. Ear plugs cured that too.

There are so many things in life to worry about that it helps not to worry about much at all. Ear plugs deflect a lot of potential worries.
 
GrahamNZ wrote:
There are so many things in life to worry about that it helps not to worry about much at all. Ear plugs deflect a lot of potential worries.
Click to expand...

Amen to that, Graham!

(Oh, you were talking to me, honey, could you repeat please? :silly:)
 
GrahamNZ wrote:
It's common for different tyre types to make different noises. Ear plugs are not just a good idea, but also a very good idea.

I've had the odd bike whose mechanicals whistled or whined. Ear plugs cured that too.

There are so many things in life to worry about that it helps not to worry about much at all. Ear plugs deflect a lot of potential worries.
Click to expand...

radguzzi wrote:

I too use earplugs all the time and I was on twisty backroads yesterday morning and I heard it there too...

Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...


I too have had and still have motorcycles that emitted the odd sounds, I was simply checking on whether or not anyone else had experienced this Whine with the RS's...

And if the Ear Plug line was intended for me, you obviously do not read all the information put in front of you before making comments.

Best,
Rob




Cat City Rider,
Crackers AND Cheese... :)

rd
 
Rob

Do I sense a note of touchiness there?

If I could hear tyre noise while wearing earplugs I'd assume something was amiss or that I needed better earplugs. I use moulded silicone ones - Plugz 4 Lugz - which are far quieter than the foam throw-away ones I used to use. Just back from a ride and definitely didn't hear the tyres, even on chipseal. Then again even the airhorns sound disappointing
 
I have noticed the whine rumble from the tyres, worse with the Michelin pilot roads and it varies a lot with the surface I suspect that the design of the front Mudguard amplifies the noise, I can hear it with my Plugzz in but they have acoustic filters not solid plugs.
 
I'm over 35K and always used Z6 because they last for ever but now they are over
 
I use a pair of Conti's and although they're a bit louder than the Bridgestones they are also half the price so no complaints.
If you want road noise, the sand tyres on my landrover sounds like an airoplane taking off once you get past 50mph lovely!
 
I have about 3k miles on my Dunlop Road Smarts - this is on a '08 1200 Sport. I don't detect any whine or other noises - but my wife tells me I don't hear very well (sic). I like these tires. I honestly believe that they could be used (by most) at 'track-days' with confidence - and they are cheap.
 
Just got off the Dunlop Road Smart. They lasted 4,000 miles. Both front and rear were "shot"! But they were good while they lasted. Got a good buy on Michelin Power, we'll see how they perform.
 
Nick wrote:
Just got off the Dunlop Road Smart. They lasted 4,000 miles. Both front and rear were "shot"! But they were good while they lasted. Got a good buy on Michelin Power, we'll see how they perform.
Click to expand...

Ugh...I have 3400 on my rear RS and have a 1000+ mile trip coming up at the end of next week. Hope I get more. Then again, I usually got 7500+ out of my Z6 rear.

I do hear the whine--thanks for posting this, Rob. I am running Z6 on the front & RS on the back. Picked the bike up Friday & heard the whine. I'm going to chalk it up to the tire, too!
 
I switched to dunlop 209e from Z6 brecause they are a third cheaper. Just got round to fitting the front and its a lot wider at 14cm edge to edge compared to a z6 11cm. this means there is a lot more surface are to lean steeper into. Never been very good at corners but now with wide sticky stuff the bike probably needs a better rider. Are sporty profiles always wider than touring for the same tyre size 120zr17?
 
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