How loud should Gen5 cam whine be?

Hi everyone,

My gen5 runs like clockwork and all the engine noises it makes have always been there, but I have a general question about cam noise.

The question is, just how much whine should the cam gears produce? Mine have always been very pronounced thru the low rpm range. At idle it's very gentle, but up thru about 4k rpm it's about all I hear. People I've ridden with say that if I'm behind them on a low-speed road they can hear the cams as well. That said, get her in the open and let the engine sing up past 6k and that beautiful V4 roar takes over and...ah, music, sweet music

Granted my exhaust is pretty lame, it's a Barracuda EvoGP but I'm in Germany so of course it's stifled with a dB killer that I don't dare remove unless I want to pay impound fees.

If all this sounds normal then so be it, as mentioned I've no reason to suspect anything is wrong, the bike came from a Honda dealer and the noises have never changed, I'm just curious.

Thanks, folks!

 

The sound of w(h)inning!

 

Mine is very loud, always has been. Sounds like a 671 blower. Music to me.

 

never heard of it before, but i guess its possible though unlikely.......

for a spring in the split-gear anti-backlash setup to fail , and that would increase noise noticably.

 

Thanks, folks!

Sounds like all is just as it should be. It does sound like a roots blower, that about sums it up. Nothing chattery or crunchy or erratic, just the consistent high-pitched whine of lots of small meshing teeth.

I feel like a broken valve train part would result in performance problems, maybe a stutter at idle or backfiring, no? And having to work with a forehead light in my underground parking garage I can't do the work to pull the valve covers to take a look, let alone remove the engine. My neighbors tolerate my doing oil changes & brakes, I think they'd vote me out of the building if I tried that

 

I think the 5th gen is extra noisy as it uses the RC45 layout with the cam drive up the right side, different to earlier gens which had the cam drive central to the crank. Mine is certainly quite pronounced and it is something I really notice compared to my 6th gen which is alomost silent at lower revs.

 

Hello, yes, but serius problem at Spain, beacause Honda writes 88 and 89 db at 5250 rpm, in 98-99 , and 00-01, 5th generation, at less at Spain , and at inspection, every 2 years, the gear driven cams, at right side, sounds more than exhaust...because the person at inspection put the sound meter, at 50 cms to exhaust in right side...and usually it is a serius problem although the engines works perfectly, at my last inspection 94 db, 95 db, and they told me , you can´t ride with this motorcycle....what ????, and only with Copopren by turning the whole engine up i would pass the inspection official...not exhaust problem, not db killer problem, only gear driven cams, whinning sound.
If anybody thinks another solution, please tell me. Regards at everybody

 

Can you bribe the guy with the sound meter?

 

Pack some sound deadening material under the tank and inside the cowlings for the test only. Make sure the air box snorkel is in place.

 

I agree with Captain, add some sound deadening under the bodywork for the test.

 

Hello again, bribe is n ot an option, and i did this, last time whith copopren, https://www.leroymerlin.es/producto...popren-12-db-40-mm-2000x1200x40-81905360.html , but, not enaugh...the sounds was 93 db but they allow me pass inspection, ufff, now, 1o.ooo miles after, the engine, like a clock, and sond like always...