BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

02 r, 25k miles.

I've noticed over past few thousand miles that when I leave off the throttle I get sort of a popping sound that I hear primarily at the exhaust. The sound is most pronounced as the descending tachometer needle crosses 3000 rpm. Doesn't seem to affect how the bike runs otherwise. Just looking for ressurance that this is probably normal and I do not have to be worried about anything specific (piston rings, exhaust system, etc).

Thanks,
Steven

Do you have an aftermarket exhaust system? Or have you removed/play with anything in the exhaust?

-cFogs

(Popping, often called "back-firing" may be caused by a few things, but will not relate to piston rings.)

I removed the original exhaust can and replaced it with an exhaust tip in order to accommodate left side hard case. And I like the sound better.

Removing the the muffler lets fresh air back into exhaust at certain RPMs. That probably caused the problem. Try adding a baffle of some type at the outlet.

If no harm to the bike, would prefer to keep as is. Sound reasonable?
Thanks for the responses.

sstein wrote:If no harm to the bike, would prefer to keep as is. Sound reasonable?
Thanks for the responses.

If you dropped the can, then yes, a little popping can be expected for the aforementioned reasons. In short, occasional popping isn't bad & shouldn't cause any harm.

enjoy.

cFogs

BT
NNNN

Thnks. Just what I needed to hear. :-)

If you watch and listen to this video you'll probably hear the same popping sound when they get off the throtlle. That's absolutely normal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avu3ReD ... freload=10

That's actually really helpful. I unfortunately don't get nearly as much time as I'd like to hang out with other motorcyclists and see/hear their bikes. Thanks EasyBee.

Those exhausts sound harsh and non-boxer to me. Must be getting old to prefer the deeper standard note.

gregor wrote:Those exhausts sound harsh and non-boxer to me. Must be getting old to prefer the deeper standard note.

The sound in the video is bad, as in no deeptone/bass sound. I've got the Akrapovic Titanium and the tone is deeper than the original exhaust. I run mine without the DB-killer and it's even much lower and ofcourse louder.
But I do run the risk of getting a fine. That's because it exceeds the standard approved volume level for the R1150R exhaust.
Fine in the Netherlands for doing so is $ 375
You're then not allowed to ride until it's back to specifications. So I've got the DB-killer under the saddle, just in case the police stop me. Then it's back to approved specs.
I have been riding it for two years now, never a problem. Riding through tunnels etc is great, what a deeptone boxer sound. Accelerate and then get off the throttle and let the bike decelerate, Deeptone plop plop plop.
Perhaps this video gives a better impression of the deeper sound. Use good speakers or a headphone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdllL3xaJao
Note that in this video the cat is still in place, that takes care of a lot of noise. I also still have the cat in place.

To answer the query seriously- - there should be no popping with a standard correctly set up bike and a standard exhaust.
My standard K75 popped on a closed throttle at around 2500 rpm and that was normal. Even the dealer warned me about that. Similar Bosch fuel injection system IIRC.

Indeed, more obvious change in that video. But the exhaust note in the garage does not mean much for the pleasure of riding.
I use earplugs as the wind noise and ear pain is too much for me otherwise at normal road speeds. I can barely hear the exhaust with decent ear plugs. I was also appalled by the clunks from the transmission when I rode it briefly without ear plugs last night. And the standard exhaust sounded fine to me at low speeds with no popping in gear down to low road speeds.