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I wanted to follow-up on the discussion we were having yesterday regarding AO's concerns regarding the valve clatter on the Raider, especially when compared to some of the other bikes we're used to riding.
We mentioned the pushrod architecture and 4-Valve design. The aspect that I forgot to mention is that the Raider is an air-cooled motor. This point alone contributes significantly to the amount of racket you're going to hear from the Raider's mill. The radiator and all the coolant running throughout a liquid-cooled motor serves to muffle a great amount of the mechanical noise you hear from a motorcycle engine (not to mention car engines as well - compare the sound of the classic Porsche 911 flat-six to the new generation - BIG difference).
The Raider is the first air-cooled bike that I've owned in over a decade, so I had forgotten how much this makes a difference. I know that AO's v-star was air-cooled as well, but there are a ton of other cruisers out there from all the mfrs that are liquid-cooled, so don't fret when you fire up your Raider and hear the ruckus that ensues from a classic push-rod, air-cooled engine that has 4 valves/cylinder and has pistons the size of soup cans!
We mentioned the pushrod architecture and 4-Valve design. The aspect that I forgot to mention is that the Raider is an air-cooled motor. This point alone contributes significantly to the amount of racket you're going to hear from the Raider's mill. The radiator and all the coolant running throughout a liquid-cooled motor serves to muffle a great amount of the mechanical noise you hear from a motorcycle engine (not to mention car engines as well - compare the sound of the classic Porsche 911 flat-six to the new generation - BIG difference).
The Raider is the first air-cooled bike that I've owned in over a decade, so I had forgotten how much this makes a difference. I know that AO's v-star was air-cooled as well, but there are a ton of other cruisers out there from all the mfrs that are liquid-cooled, so don't fret when you fire up your Raider and hear the ruckus that ensues from a classic push-rod, air-cooled engine that has 4 valves/cylinder and has pistons the size of soup cans!