Noise when cornering

[Big Red 94]

My 2004 1800 I have had for about 18 months. Got it with very low kms, and now have about 48kms. I replaced the tyres with Dunlop elite 3's front and rear. What I get is the bike seems to hum along in the straights but as I start to tip into a corner, it gets a howling noise happening. I am wondering if this is a tyre noise. It is very noticeable and loud. It has been doing it for sometime, but seems to be getting worse. I run the recommended pressures by Dunlop. Anyone got a clue. I have been riding most of my life but dont recall a howling like this out of tyres. They now have 14,000kms and still looking great. Should get 20k.

[WingAdmin]

My 2004 1800 I have had for about 18 months. Got it with very low kms, and now have about 48kms. I replaced the tyres with Dunlop elite 3's front and rear. What I get is the bike seems to hum along in the straights but as I start to tip into a corner, it gets a howling noise happening. I am wondering if this is a tyre noise. It is very noticeable and loud. It has been doing it for sometime, but seems to be getting worse. I run the recommended pressures by Dunlop. Anyone got a clue. I have been riding most of my life but dont recall a howling like this out of tyres. They now have 14,000kms and still looking great. Should get 20k.

This is the universal sound of cupped tires - an uneven, scalloped wear on the edges. The causes behind it are debated voraciously, but one thing for sure, big heavy bikes like Goldwings are much more susceptible to it. Certain tires cup more easily than others, and tire pressure and riding style also come into play.

An example of a badly cupped tire:

Cupped Tire

[Mh434]

Every Dunlop I've ever had howled like that. The front Dunlop on my 1500 (still has 80% tread left) howls in turns, and it's not even cupping yet.

I figure it's a Dunlop-design safety feature - if you doze off & start to veer off the road, the howling will wake you up...

[dingdong]

Yes. A bad flaw with Dunlop E3s. I replaced my last set way early because I just got tired of the noise as well as being able to feel the cupping. No more for me.

[Viking]

Interestingly, my Dunlop D250s also exhibit this howling noise, and they have no cupping yet at all, although I expect they will cup. I tried Avon Cobras and they were the smoothest, quietest tire you can imagine. They also belt separated in 8K Kms or 5K miles. I think putting up with the howling and getting three times the service is well worth it. Although, till belt separation, I was very pleased with the Avons. So, if I want to change tires two or three times a season, at $300 plus each time, then Avons would be the tire for me.

[Big Red 94]

Thanks for your comments, it does not really bother me, I was more concerned that maybe a bearing might be causing it. The Honda dealer could not work out why the noise is like that. Both tyres are not showing any cupping, they continue to hold a pretty even shape. Next set I will try something else, maybe the Bridgestone. Not game enough to go to the Darkside on the rear. Also I heard in Australia its illegal.

[wing rider 2012]

The Dunlops I had on my 1500 made the same noise. Here is an interesting article on Darkside, http://www.ridermagazine.com/browse-by- ... ycles.htm/

[Viking]

One thing that I found lessened the howling was to increase the tire pressure by two or three pounds. This also gave my first set of cupping D250s added life as the cupping wore back smooth. I am just about at the point right now with these D250s that I am going to increase the pressure and see if they quiet down.

[Big Red 94]

The Dunlops I had on my 1500 made the same noise. Here is an interesting article on Darkside, http://www.ridermagazine.com/browse-by- ... ycles.htm/

New to this site, but get good responses. Thanks for the link and I had read that before, I am tempted to give it a go, but so far the Honda shop, won't fit it. so got to see if a private dealer will do it should I try it. Thanks again

[WingAdmin]

Is the front brake rotor cover on your bike an aftermarket item? GL1800's here don't have that.

[redial]

Not game enough to go to the Darkside on the rear. Also I heard in Australia its illegal.

I have checked through the Australian Design Rules (ADR), which is the rule book for road vehicles, and there does not appear to be a rule against having a 'different' tyre on as long as it is within the same size and characteristics (ie weight carrying, speed rating, and similar size) as the manufacturer specified on the Compliance Plate..... But I could have missed something. Check with your local Motor Vehicle Registry and ask them the technical question. You might like to take with you the comparative size tables that someone has prepared on this site, so that you are swapping a like-with-like tyre, and it should be immaterial that it is originally made for a car. But also, check with your insurance company and see if they will still cover you. HTH

[Big Red 94]

Is the front brake rotor cover on your bike an aftermarket item? GL1800's here don't have that.

Yes it is an aftermarket it came with the bike when I got it 18 months ago. I believe from the seller he got it imported from the US, but it also had a tow bar, chrome aftermarket side stand, the chrome disc covers, original screen, sheep shin seat cover, manual and back rest for the rider l. I have seen all these items on a few sites, mainly Wingstuff in California.

[Big Red 94]

Not game enough to go to the Darkside on the rear. Also I heard in Australia its illegal.

I have checked through the Australian Design Rules (ADR), which is the rule book for road vehicles, and there does not appear to be a rule against having a 'different' tyre on as long as it is within the same size and characteristics (ie weight carrying, speed rating, and similar size) as the manufacturer specified on the Compliance Plate..... But I could have missed something. Check with your local Motor Vehicle Registry and ask them the technical question. You might like to take with you the comparative size tables that someone has prepared on this site, so that you are swapping a like-with-like tyre, and it should be immaterial that it is originally made for a car. But also, check with your insurance company and see if they will still cover you. HTH

Do you run a car tyre, as for insurance I have never in my life insured a bike, so I am not worried about that, i am just thinking of the handling what it would be like. I think I would leave the front as a motorcycle tyre. But will look into it further as tyres are getting due in a few thousand ks

[dingdong]

Do you run a car tyre, as for insurance I have never in my life insured a bike, so I am not worried about that, i am just thinking of the handling what it would be like. I think I would leave the front as a motorcycle tyre. But will look into it further as tyres are getting due in a few thousand ks

Okay! Just have to ask. Is insurance on bikes "down under" not required?

[Big Red 94]

Do you run a car tyre, as for insurance I have never in my life insured a bike, so I am not worried about that, i am just thinking of the handling what it would be like. I think I would leave the front as a motorcycle tyre. But will look into it further as tyres are getting due in a few thousand ks

Okay! Just have to ask. Is insurance on bikes "down under" not required?

We have CTP third party which is in the rego of the bike or car, but to have fire, theft or accident cover thats up to you. The CTP covers injuries to people in the car, pedestrians and such. That is compulsory but the other is not. I have had one major accident, which left my bike pretty badly damaged, but repairable but other than that nothing really. I was not hurt by the way. So in 37 years of riding on the roads with my licence, its been pretty good. The money I have saved has bought me this Goldwing really.

[eberlebike4]

Metzler Marathon ME 880's i install'd last year are holding up really well.No cupping,humming etc.Excellent grip and cornering capabilities.Purchased for less than $400 @ Motorcycle Superstore.com :)

[Big Red 94]

Metzler Marathon ME 880's i install'd last year are holding up really well.No cupping,humming etc.Excellent grip and cornering capabilities.Purchased for less than $400 @ Motorcycle Superstore.com :)

I take it that is on your 1500, I have looked at the metzler but funny enough the Honda dealer steers me away...

[Viking]

I take it that is on your 1500, I have looked at the metzler but funny enough the Honda dealer steers me away...

Probably not a big enough profit margin on Metzlers for your Dealership. I have not heard of them being problematic, and in fact, I have seen them installed on many, many Goldwings at the Wing Ding that I attended in Knoxville, TN. And the installations were all done on site, by a dealership that brought in about ten thousand of them. At Americade, this year, Avons were the onsite tires for both Goldwings and Harleys. Avon Venoms are one of the preferred tires by our WingAdmin for GL1500s, but I had problems with Avon Cobra tires on my GL1800. I have not had problems with Dunlop or Metzler so far. I was out for a ride today, and noticed that cupping is just beginning on this set of Dunlop D250s with just around 4K miles on them, so it is time to up the pressure by a couple of pounds. Metzler did not give me the longevity that the Dunlop D250s are giving me. I got about 16K miles on my first set of D250s and hope to get the same from this set. The Metzlers only came in at about 12K miles. I have not yet tried Bridgestones.

[eberlebike4]

Yes the 1500! I installed and balanced them myself with Dynabeads,no probs. And i concur with the Mainviking on mileage, 16500 on Dunslaps and 12500 on Metzlers.I prefer the Metzlers over the Dunlaps for their ride quality. Cornering and rain,tracking,even wear etc.The Dunlaps don't come close.

[Big Red 94]

I take it that is on your 1500, I have looked at the metzler but funny enough the Honda dealer steers me away...

Probably not a big enough profit margin on Metzlers for your Dealership. I have not heard of them being problematic, and in fact, I have seen them installed on many, many Goldwings at the Wing Ding that I attended in Knoxville, TN. And the installations were all done on site, by a dealership that brought in about ten thousand of them. At Americade, this year, Avons were the onsite tires for both Goldwings and Harleys. Avon Venoms are one of the preferred tires by our WingAdmin for GL1500s, but I had problems with Avon Cobra tires on my GL1800. I have not had problems with Dunlop or Metzler so far. I was out for a ride today, and noticed that cupping is just beginning on this set of Dunlop D250s with just around 4K miles on them, so it is time to up the pressure by a couple of pounds. Metzler did not give me the longevity that the Dunlop D250s are giving me. I got about 16K miles on my first set of D250s and hope to get the same from this set. The Metzlers only came in at about 12K miles. I have not yet tried Bridgestones.

I have run Bridgestones for many years on My BMW R1100RT, great bike. Had no problems with the Bridgestones at all, good milage around 20,000 rear and 16 on the front. This being the first set I have installed on the wing, I like to experiment with tyres but it is expensive and have to wait till worn out. But going to the darkside still has me curious for the rear. I like to hunt down prey on other bikes to show them that bike bikes are fast too. Im not shy to push the envelope but running a car tyre I reckon I would have to hang back some until I got the feel it can be pushed. I go back to my younger days were all my mates rode the sports bikes of the day, late 70's and 80's and the 90's saw me on the biggest beast you could have, Honda CBX, and the Kawasaki Z1300, which was a magic piece of motorcycle. I had six in total at one stage, 38 bikes in my life, but the Wing has to be my pic of the lot. Probably because I am more sedate, in my later years of life. Its a big bike and I love it. Well thanks for your input and I am sure I will have more questions as time goes by, not like the old days were we had no internet, it was all guess work, ask your local dealer who never rode the same bike so it was hard to figure things out, and being down in Australia we had to improvise so many things because it was hard to get. One day, going to travel across the US on a wing.

[wing rider 2012]

I think that when it's time to change tires on the bike I'm going to try out the new Metzlers ME 888 Marathon tires. Int he past I've steered away from Metzlers because of problems, however, these are supposed to be a whole new design in motorcycle tires.

[Wingrider44]

Every E3 that I've owned (and I've owned quite a few) have made a cornering noise after a number of miles. However, I kept putting them on because I've always had pretty good luck and service from them. That said, after a number of seasons of studying it I finally decided to take the jump to the dark side with a Michelin Alpin ZP tire. Why on earth did I wait so long. The Michelin Alpin is possibly the perfect car tire (CT) for a motorcycle. It's shape is such that the ride quality is almost indistinguishable from a motorcycle tire (MT). I anticipate in excess of 20,000 miles for this rear tire running it at 29 psi. A great riding tire, the safety of a run flat, double the service life, all this at just over 1/2 the cost of a quality MT. What's not to like????????

[eberlebike4]

Oh yeah,one more thing about Metzler Tires and i never push the issue when it comes to tires and brakes,everybody has there own style and preference.Metzler makes Motorcycle tires and Motorcycle tires ONLY!....For a long time......

[craigtech]

Not game enough to go to the Darkside on the rear. Also I heard in Australia its illegal.

From all the reading I've done on this, the only legislative requirement is that the tyre is for "highway" use. Also according to the ADRs, you are not permitted to change tyre size by more than 20% or 2 inches (I can't remember which) - so if you aim for a rolling diameter the same as what came off your bike as OEM equipment, then there should be no trouble.

The proof is in the pudding - you'll never know what is legal or not until is actually goes to court, as everything up to that point is purely interpretation and getting an answer in writing is like like trying to play billiards with a rope.

Some interesting info on the interpretation of legalities.... a good friend of mine was hit by a drunk driver some years ago. His vehicle was restored by him and inspected and passed by a transport engineering examiner in Brisbane. He manufactured a baby-seat mount and fitted a baby seat instead of the centre seat and tried to get the examiner to inspect it - was told cannot be done. He was told that to pass ANY child restraint in ANY vehicle, the vehicle has to be crash tested.
...sort of defeats the purpose of the original restoration.
Anyway... after the crash the vehicle was a write-off. He was unhurt (was wearing an after-market safety harness). Baby was unhurt (seat never moved 1mm). His wife broke her neck (was wearing an ADR approved lap/sash seatbelt).

cheers,
Craig.

oh... His wife survived and is ok now except is deaf. Same spinal injury as Christopher Reeve (and look what happened to him). She's very lucky.

[moneypit]

My E 3s did the same thing with no noticeable cupping. Got rid of the E 3s replaced them with Michelin Commander II problem solved...