engine sound, normal? wr450f

[OlaGB]

Hi

n00b to this bike, so i have to ask a simple q.

It`s a 03mod european wr450f, with low hours on it..

At midrange, from half throttle to full throttle, i think the engine is running "hard" if u know what i mean.. Not a knocking sound, only more "diesel" hard sound..

Is this the way it is supposed to be? I heard it better now with a cross helmet, not so loud with a regular MC helmet..

It`s not "loud", but i hear it every time i drive and it gets me wondering if it is normal or not..

EDIT:

Video of the sound.. You hear the noise i`m talking about when i revv the engine a little.. Tell me if it sounds unnormal to you.

http://www.m535t.com/film/wr450f.wmv

[ISBB]

these bikes have LOUD engines...

[RichieGoatGruff]

Prob'ly the chain smacking the swingarm....it's especially loud if you have a real skid plate mounted.

[TwoBobRob]

They're not known as super quiet engines, they do seem to have a bit of mechanical noise..

Probably just my imagination as its barely in the bike long enough, but mine seems to be slightly quieter and smoother with fresh oil in it

[OlaGB]

Ok. My last toy was a 500HP 86`bmw (turbo converted it my self), so i`m used to listening after sounds, wondering what it will cost this time.... So i get easy scared i guess hehe

Thanks for the answers. I will rely on the quality building of these motor, and keep running

[Captain Bob]

Hmmmmm....., I have a 99 WR 400 that does not have any excessive engine noise. I was just discussing the quietness of the engine just the other day with another rider. The exhaust is loud (open pipe), but the engine itself is reasonably quiet.

I think I know the type of noise you might be describing however. I have heard similar noise on other bikes I have owned. Assuming the top end is OK, and with no strange knocks, ticks, or clatter, I think that is a good assumption, it could be either intake noise, or something in the drive train (some one else suggested drive chain).

You are new to the bike, is there a decent air cleaner on the bike? Seems like a silly question but if it is missing, you will hear noise!

Good luck!

Bob

[ncmountainman]

i believe if you emptied your tool box into a 5 gallon bucket,brought it to sherwin williams and had them put it on the paint shaker machine,it still wouldn't make as much noise as these 450's do

[OlaGB]

I have a airfilter, and i have checked that there are no loose items around and on the engine.. The sound i hear, is almost like a resonance sound of a plastic cover or something.. Atleast i hope it is, and not the piston bolt bearing or something like that

It`s not "rattling" or "knocking".. Just a little more "hard pressured motor" sound, like a diesel motor`s sound..

Cant hear any bad sounds when running easy down the street, or at idle.. Only when i "push" the engine at midrange.. Reminds me a little of exhaust leak, only not so sharp and loud. It has rytm like "on every ignition stroke..."

[Bamster]

To rule out Chain slap. Put a bead of silicone between the swing arm and your chain guide.

[TwoBobRob]

i believe if you emptied your tool box into a 5 gallon bucket,brought it to sherwin williams and had them put it on the paint shaker machine,it still wouldn't make as much noise as these 450's do

?

[OlaGB]

Still wondering a little about this noise.. I would almost say it reminds me of an exhaust leak when i am driving.. Almost like i push the engine too hard..

In my head it gets louder too, but maybe it`s just that, in my head..

The sound/noise i hear, sounds like it`s from the cylinder/head area (perhaps even in the front of the cyl/head), and i hear it a little when i revv it standing still to, but nothing at idle.. The more i pressure the motor, the stronger it gets.. When riding, i hear the sound in front of the motor (sort of in front of the tank hehe) , and not so good on the side of the bike.. I hear it in every gear, even in 50-60mph..

When only cruisin on idle, or a little bit over idle, the motor sounds quite allright..

Seems like i have to search for somebody else that has this kind of bike, and visit them Hopefully it`s just normal, but i will regret not checking it up if something expensive goes wrong

I wish there was an easy way to tell you how this sound is?

[Flooder305]

Hey man, this is probably a long shot but there was a discussion over on Dirtrider.net about a weird noise coming from the guys 02 426F, and he included a sound clip. He finally tore the engine down, and subsequently found a bad main bearing which he replaced. Might be worth a listen...

http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=122479

[OlaGB]

Holy sh**t what an ugly noise

Thats not the same sound as in mine.. My sound is more knocking like, than that one.. And not so loud hehe.. (and never on idle..)

Maybe i`ll try to make a similar video too, so you can hear it

[simch]

Do you run a full aftermarket sumpguard that is bigger and thicker than the stock one?

if so, try taking it off. It never ceases to amaze me how much quieter mine is when I have "just changes the oil". Its actually because I go out for a quick round the bloock ride without the sump guard to check for leaks etc. The bike is whisper quiet without the sump guard, (by comparison)!!

However, when I ride mine and we are doing tight trail at slower speeds, as the motor gets hot, it sometimes gets horribly noisy, a sort middle to top endish clatter!! Its quite worrying but then once you sppeed up and the rads get more air and cool it off a bit, the noise goes.

SOOO! I would suggest you try it without the sump guard, a thick one reflects all the moise upwards. BUT if you still think its rattly, just check its not running excessively hot? I know some of the guys in Scandinavia chage stats to make them run a bit warmer, helping against carb ice and the like. If you got yours second hand it may have been tweaked for more wintry use?

BTW as for how you tell if its running hot, I am not sure! Maybe someone could take a digital temp reading and let you know it, then you can check if you got a guage?

although it sounds to me (!!) like its normal noise!

[OlaGB]

Don`t think the bike has any aftermarket guards, but i`m not sure

if i get time, i`ll post a video tonight or tomorrow

[Flooder305]

Good looking bike though....

[OlaGB]

Well, here you are.. The motor running at idle, normal sounds, but when revving a little the noise come to life..

Tell me if you hear somethin unnormal, or if it`s just me being too scared..

http://www.m535t.com/film/wr450f.wmv

8MB or something like that..

[OlaGB]

BTW: I have checked up the valve clearance (one of the exhaust`s was a little tight, but i am changing cams anyway now so i left it that way for a week or two), and the timing chain was quite "tight".. Not shure how tight it should be, but i felt it was rather hard to push around hehe..

Decomp felt smooth and fine..

Changed oil in the motor too..

[bbrxr100]

IM no expert but that sounds like a rod or crank bearing ? Check your oil for metal fragments just to be safe.

[rutbah]

Sounds normal to me. I think with the quieter exhaust on the wr450 you tend to hear more engine noise instead of exhaust noise.