I finally got it.

[krothnbrg]

I've been watching this forum for almost a year now. Well, on and off anyway. Well I just picked up my 2008 R3!!!!! Bought it right off the showroom floor. And to think I was actually considering a Harley. I am so f****king glad I got this bike! Wow!

I do have a couple questions for all you R3 experts. I noticed that at idle, it almost sounds like the Jetson's car. Sort of a little whistle mixed in with the normal pipe sound. I never heard that on other R3s. Is it just a matter of breaking in the engine? It currently has 145 miles on it. :-)

Next, I noticed when I rev the motor to downshift, there is a sort of popping under the rider's seat. A couple times I could actually FEEL it. I know the air intake is there and if I didn't know better, I'd swear there is some back-pressure there. But I don't know. It doesn't happen all the time I'm hoping someone here has an idea.

Karl

[Ugarte]

Originally Posted by krothnbrg

And to think I was actually considering a Harley.

I noticed that at idle, it almost sounds like the Jetson's car.

Karl

If sound is a priority, nothing beats a Harley IMO. The Jetson's car was my first thought too when I took off on my 05 Rocket for its first ride. It still sounds like the Jetson's car as the stockers are still on. Sound is not a priority for me.

[Apollo_18]

Welcome aboard Karl.

Yes, some popping has been reported by quite a few rocketeers. It has also been reported to stop an engine. It is usually corrected by the break-in and or an update of the ECU.

Not so sure about a whistling sound. Don't remember that. Just the normal air passing through that short-cut between my ears.

I do remember a whirring sound when my R3 was new. Haven't noticed it lately. Maybe I'm just used to it. Will have to listen for it at next start-up.

I travel for my job, so, I'll have to wait a few days for that.

"Jane,,,how do you stop this crazy thing,,,,"

Cheers !!!

[threepot]

What's a Jetson's car? Is it good or bad

[Ugarte]

Originally Posted by threepot

What's a Jetson's car? Is it good or bad

You decide....

[Bozarth]

Welcome Karl -

I bought a 2008 R3 Touring in March - - And experienced the backfire underneath the seat when I blip the throttle during down shifting... it was pretty consistent at first and even killed the engine a few times.

I put on the new Triumph pipes (along with an EMC re-tune) at 500 miles at it was still there - maybe even a bit worse.

I replaced the air filter with a K&N before my ride to Dallas (from SoCal), and now with 5,000 miles on the bike, the backfiring rarely occurs anymore. Not sure whether it was break-in or the K&N filter, but thought I'd pass this along.

Safe riding!
Boz

[krothnbrg]

You guys rock! Thanks for the input. I hope this is just a break in thing but I'll take a look at the K&N air filter too. New pipes are likely out of the question for some time.

Oh and yeah... it did kill the engine a couple times. I though it was me being stupid with the clutch. :-)

Hey Bozarth! You're in SoCal? So am I. Where you at?

Karl

[Bozarth]

I'm in Newport Beach. let me know if you're up for a ride - I usually head East... 74, 78, 79, S1, S2, etc...

[krothnbrg]

I'm up near City of Industry. Not far from 60 and 57. And once I get through my break in on the bike, I'll most definitely be looking for group rides.

Originally Posted by Bozarth

I'm in Newport Beach. let me know if you're up for a ride - I usually head East... 74, 78, 79, S1, S2, etc...

[Apollo_18]

That engine stopping can be a little interesting at times. Same scenario that you are describing. Went for a downshift while slowing down. Clutch, a little throttle, then a little thump under the rump, and the engine was stopped. Was able to use the clutch and fire it back up with the starter button while still in motion.

There was an ECU update that was released last year that corrected an idle issue and also took care of my backfire problems. Maybe the dealer didn't apply it to the new '08 that you bought if it was an application for '04 through '07 models.

I don't know, just tossing stuff against the wall to see what sticks.

Cheers !!!