How noisy is your Strada?

[funsize]

Hope this isn’t a(nother) daft question but here goes..I’ve sold my big Guzzi-I love it but age is advancing and it’s getting heavier-so I’m going to be riding my 1980 Strada a lot more. Of course she’s 43 old so I don’t expect the same refinement but I do think between 4-6,000 RPM it’s fairly noisy? I can’t decide if it’s an induction roar or something else, there seems to be something resonating at the same time. The bike has standard looking exhausts but they probably aren’t. The sound is like a ‘roar’ but there’s no vibration and I think she rides really smooth and nice though I’ve only done a few hundred miles since I got her a couple of years ago. Any ideas or tips? TIA

[MickeyMoto]

The 31/2 has a lot of induction noise. There isn't much silencing there, unlike the large boxes on modern bikes. If the valve clearances are correct the engine should not be particularly rattly.

[funsize]

Thanks Mickey, for sure it isn’t rattly and I feel for a bike of this age it’s smooth with the belt. I can also live with this but in that 4-6000 area it does seem to get loud!

[RedVee]

I've had comments that my 77 Strada sounds loud but not unpleasantly so. I must admit getting her back out on the road recently she sounded loud but I had been riding a modern Yam which of course is silenced to within an inch of it's life!

[3potjohn]

It may be something else resonating like the baffles,bodywork or tank. I had an odd noise on an A65 which turned out to be a metal strip vibrating. Recently a horrid sound on a current bike turned out to be a noisy rev counter.

[funsize]

Yes I think something else resonating could be it I’m going to take a good look around. The sound of the bike I feel is lovely to the bystander and yes redvee it’s a lovely departure from the modern muffled to death bikes, this is the ‘internal’ racket somewhere around me when the revs rise but I’ll see if there’s anything to tighten up or realign slightly

[Emmohaswheelsagain]

I can recall buying a 3 1/2 strada from NLM in 2009. My initial thoughts were similar to yours! Some how the bike seemed different to the Morini’s I had owned 30 years previous, was this purely the way 30 year old bikes ride. I asked Stuart to check the bike, which he duly did. He subsequently asked me how I rode the bike which seemed an odd question. Previously I had ridden Morini’s well within the rev limits, as you do between 4/6,000 rpm, generally cruising around 5. Stuart explained that the engine runs best when it is ridden with spirit, it likes to be pushed, it is after all a small capacity motorcycle. I also had a 1200 Morini at the time which in contrast had to shown some respect when riding on the road. I subsequently started to ride the little Morini on or near the red line, the bike was different again, the bike came alive, no rattles, smooth as you like with handling to match. Of course you might say that it isn’t possible to ride like this on our roads, this might be the case in your part of the world but here Lincolnshire it is still possible. You could of course try our annual track day at Cadwell.

[huub]

check the rubber between the tank and frame , if it is worn the noise is pretty horrible
adding some noise dampening on the bottom of the tank also makes a big difference

[Fastmongrel]

BLOODY LOUD but it has got straight through reverse megas on. I am running out of earplugs so I have decided to calm things down a bit with some baffles.

[funsize]

Interesting comments and whilst I don’t potter about, it’s only polite to turn up the spirit! The tank/frame insulation seems to be the area so something to look at, I’m also going to make sure there’s something under the battery as it seems to suggest in the parts book. Living n South Yorkshire I can get out into country pretty easily including the fabulous Lincolnshire! I’ll report back

[funsize]

check the rubber between the tank and frame , if it is worn the noise is pretty horrible
adding some noise dampening on the bottom of the tank also makes a big difference

Hi Huub
I don’t know if you’ve got the parts book but if so is is on page 70/71 item 23 (21.01.55) foam tank pad? Of course I’ll look at all that area but knowing that should be there gives me something to check, assuming there’s only one!

[funsize]

Evening! I thought I’d updated my progress but it appears not! Anyway I took the tank off and, on the main frame tube, was some very old and threadbare foam. I cut strips from an old back protector and cable tied them to the tube and also stuck a strip of the soft half of Velcro to the underside of the tank. Result, loads better, much less noise, no resonating and a happy chap!

[huub]

yep , had a perished foam pad on one of my 350 , the noise is pretty horrible!
have fun with your Morini!

[funsize]

Thanks! Now I’ve got my carbs (somewhere) near and put in the BP6EV plugs I’m having a ball, a cracking bike to ride..!