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High pitched hum/whistle noise from engine?

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Yongwjung

Yongwjung

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Premium Member
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Joined
Apr 25, 2022
Messages
16
Location
Sugar Hill, GA
www.youtube.com
Bike
2021 BMW R18, 2021 HD Street Glide Special
Hi guys, I bought my R18 a week ago and I'm totally happy with it except one thing.

Have you guys ever experienced 'high pitched hum noise' from the engine? It's heard from the cold start to high speed run. Any ideas??
 
I haven't heard anything like that, but mine does make more valve train noise than I am used to. That's curious to hear.
 
As TV says, fuel pump whine is a real thing on some bikes. The dealer can do a firmware update that completely fixes it. If it's your fuel pump, you can actually hear the whine when you power up the bike prior to starting it for a few seconds.

The R18 also has a fair bit of induction noise, which is a different thing. Road noise tends to dominate this when moving though, so if you are finding the noise annoying while underway, it's more likely the fuel pump whine that you are hearing.
 
I just talked to my dealer and am waiting for the solution. I will keep you guys posted.
 
Here is the thread.:

Fuel Pump Whine

I took my R18 Classic in for the 600 mile maintenance yesterday. It was bought in August. They said there were no recalls. I haven't had the whine. It looks like there was a change to the R18 at some point with two versions. Go to their Installation Instructions page here...
www.r18forums.com


If this is the noise you have, ask for the Puma Service Bulletin number S1 13 07 21
But may be more recent software updates will do the trick.
 
Gerard said:
Great info man. Thanks.
Click to expand...


Gerard said:
Here is the thread.:

Fuel Pump Whine

I took my R18 Classic in for the 600 mile maintenance yesterday. It was bought in August. They said there were no recalls. I haven't had the whine. It looks like there was a change to the R18 at some point with two versions. Go to their Installation Instructions page here...
www.r18forums.com


If this is the noise you have, ask for the Puma Service Bulletin number S1 13 07 21
But may be more recent software updates will do the trick.
Click to expand...
 
Now let me update the high pitched hum issue. My dealer kindly set up an appointment for me after discussing the issue and I visited them this afternoon. They conducted software update (firmware update) for my bike and the noise disappeared completely! I gave them @Gerard tip above and it was successful. If anyone having the same issue, provide your dealer with tips above. My dealer is Wooly’s Cycles, located in Marietta, GA. Service manager Bill did a tremendous job. Thanks a lot everyone. 👍👍👍
 
Harley bikes prior to 2019 seemed to have noisy chain cases where the primary drive is. My R18TC has some of that same sound emanating from the cam chains.
 
I just left my mechanic to check out this problem. At about 800 miles my bike started making a whistling noise from the front center engine. The mechanic had an alternative answer to fuel pump/software update: it is the clutch system and it is normal.

Here's what I'm experiencing: The whistling noise comes on when I'm standing idle, like at a red light. It is loud enough that I can hear it with foam earplugs and full helmet. The sound starts as soon as the engine is running. It is louder when the clutch is disengaged, and the bike is in 1st or 2nd gear. It is quieter when the bike is in neutral. When I rev the engine above 1000k, the sound dies out. When the clutch is engaged it stops. The mechanic had another R18 in the shop and started it up for me. It had the exact same whistle noise. It seems as if this noise comes towards the end of the break-in period.

Black electrical tape covers the warning lights in my old car really well, I expect ear plugs will fix the whistling noise on the bike.
 
Sounds like a different thing. My fuel pump whine definitely did not alter as a function of rpm or clutch engagement. The software update completely eliminated it. While your issue may be common, I don't think it's "normal". My bike definitely doesn't do that.
 
So I thought I had a fuel pump issue. Whistling on and off for thousands of miles. Dealer couldn't produce it because they wear a helmet when they ride and they said they could not hear it. What did it end up being? When I changed my air filter I found that one the two corrugated plastic tubes going from the breastplate of the front of the engine back to the air filter was crimped and not fully seated in the breastplate fitting so that little pinch in the plastic tubing allowed air not to go back to the air filter but to go around it and into the top of the engine compartment. That whistling as the air passed over the plastic was the cause of my issue.
It was horrendous, my dealer wasn't much help, and it was left up to me to solve the problem.
If you have a persistent whistling please please check the two corrugated air tubes that feed the air filter compartment.
 
Yongwjung said:
Hi guys, I bought my R18 a week ago and I'm totally happy with it except one thing.

Have you guys ever experienced 'high pitched hum noise' from the engine? It's heard from the cold start to high speed run. Any ideas??
Click to expand...

BMW R18

PUMA - Service Bulletin # S1 13 07 21

Loud / Noisy Fuel Pump
 
Yongwjung said:
Hi guys, I bought my R18 a week ago and I'm totally happy with it except one thing.

Have you guys ever experienced 'high pitched hum noise' from the engine? It's heard from the cold start to high speed run. Any ideas??
Click to expand...
If your talking about the whine from gearbox on deceleration then yes mine has done that from day 1...
 
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