[1thump]

are these things necessary? Mine are almost falling out last time I checked. All the pictures of others bikes I see they are still fitted. Are they really all that important?

[Otto_Ing]

Mine are gone, and i notice zero difference. In some laboratory maybe it is possible to measure a difference in the noise. But it can only dampen the high frequency noise which probably nobody can hear anyway. The old two stroke mopeds like the Kreidlers had an issue with ringing cooling ribs, but those ribs where much larger and the engine was reving much higher and was a two stroke therefore the stimulation of high frequency noise was much larger than in an low reving four stroke engine.

[Otto_Ing]

...some of the ringing ribs, here a Zuendapp

[Jellyroll]

Your post made me grin-when my bike came in I got permission from the shop to help uncrate and assemble it. The first thing I did was pull those ugly, useless pieces of eyesore off and chuck them in the accessory box where they reside today. Maybe they'll come in handy one day, but not on this bike-mayble a lawn mower, or gas weed whacker....

[iRideRoyalnVA]

Your post made me grin-when my bike came in I got permission from the shop to help uncrate and assemble it. The first thing I did was pull those ugly, useless pieces of eyesore off and chuck them in the accessory box where they reside today. Maybe they'll come in handy one day, but not on this bike-mayble a lawn mower, or gas weed whacker....

Hahahahahaha.  I'm gonna go head and take mine out this evening.  Been looking at pics in the gallery and there are a lot with them removed in there, just looks so much cleaner as the uce is a very beautiful engine to jus stare at.  I find myself just staring at the bike sometimes, weird! 

[1983JZR3W]

Not weird at all......art needs to be admired.

[SSdriver]

I haven't noticed any difference after removing mine, other than it looks better.
One good thing about the high pitch ringing sound is that small animals, especially dogs, get out of your way! 
...Jimmy

[iRideRoyalnVA]

One good thing about the high pitch ringing sound is that small animals, especially dogs, get out of your way! 
...Jimmy

So that counts for deer too then! I see lots of deer where I am!

[1thump]

Pulling them off when I go home.

[KD5ITM]

Now really all joking aside, what are they really there for.  To keep the cooling fins from "singing" when the bike vibrates? and if you take them out how hard is it to put them back.  looks like a small rubber mallet would get them back in place.

[Jellyroll]

KD, yep, they're on the fins to keep the oscillating engine parts noise down, like the valve train; they do work on certain types, like two strokes, and at certain rpms they absolutely sing! There are different types of 'donuts'-my Virago has separate, dime-sized plugs set between the fins, and then you gots these strips o' rubber on the GT. I suppose somebody somewhere can tell the diff, but I can't. The RE sounds like a machine should, so I reckon they aren't necessary.
And, every close-up photo I've seen there is at least one of 'em that's not completely seated from the factory, which makes it look even worse. However, they are easily remounted if desired. Mine pulled right off, but if you find a tough one, slip a screwdriver behind it and give a pull on both ends, it'll pop loose.

[KD5ITM]

Yeah my GT has a few that are not in all the way.  Id like to take them out just so it would look better but don't want to do any damage  for some odd reason that they have a purpose other then to keep the noise down.

[Otto_Ing]

Yeah my GT has a few that are not in all the way.  Id like to take them out just so it would look better but don't want to do any damage  for some odd reason that they have a purpose other then to keep the noise down.

...be assured they have no other purpose than noise reduction. They have been invented with the aircooled two strokes and became obsolete with water cooling.

[VanHalenMan]

Pulled mine after I loaded it on the truck at the dealer. Sorry, not sorry.

Haha. They were actually kind of a pain to remove! They're tight! (Removed them w/ 3 miles)

[hyperhad]

Took mine off last night.  I had to use a screwdriver, padded with an old sock to avoid scratching the fins.  Some of the rubber broke off, but it was an easy mod.  And, the engine does look a lot better!  Haven't taken her out yet to determine any difference in the sound or feel.

[1thump]

Ya, I took them off last night, most of mine were barely hanging on, all of them came off just using my hands. Went for a ride today, I think its louder but probably because I was trying my hardest while riding to hear something different. All in all, unless they were there for any reliability reason, I cant see the need for them. Im not sure if it looks better with or without though. The black lines that they put on kind of broke up the gray engine, but it does looks cleaner without. Will see how it goes.

[KD5ITM]

Now hears something to think about... the singing of the fins on the motor is what you call a harmonic, in other words a vibration.  the vibration you feel when you are riding and it makes  your hands hurt is a long wave length vibration or a slow vibration.  a harmonic is a very short or fast wave length.  short wave lengths can be very damaging.  has anyone thought about the long term effects of removing the rubber
spacers?  over lets say 4,000 miles of that harmonic and vibration what could the effects be to the motor.  could the fins get hair line cracks in them over time?  or could something in side the motor get damaged in some way?  It may look cool to remove them but what would the long term effects be?

[Good Vibes]

I've had mine removed for over 9 months and can't say I noticed any difference in noise.  My bike came with the RE Sports muffler fitted by the supplier, so maybe that masks some engine parts noise that owners with the standard RE muffler fitted. My rubbers are also in a drawer with a couple in pieces, but haven't found any just cause to replace them, and it sure looks a whole lot better with just the fins.

[Jellyroll]

KD, naw, you're waaay overthinking this. The harmonics that the rubber is trying to dampen is strictly from the engines' internals making noise. That noise is transported throughout the engine, and since the cylinder they are contained in has cooling fins on the outside, it basically acts as a speaker does. However, these harmonics are not powerful enough to be destructive, they simply attenuate the air surrounding the fins and cause what some people hear as irritating valve noise. This engine doesn't run at high enough rpms to cause anything close to that. If you're that concerned about it, leave 'em on. I pulled them because I'm A: not concerned with valve noise, I'd much rather be able to hear it so I can tell if there is a problem with the valve train,B: they look like shit, and C: I've always considered them a hinderance to maximum cooling.

[Arizoni]

I took the rubber dampers off of my RE on the day I rode it home from the dealers.  Truth be known, one of them volunteered as I was pulling into my driveway by falling off.

This is Emma2's Homecoming so that happened 4 years and 17,400 miles ago.

Having spent 39 years working in a company that makes gas turbine and jet engines I'm familiar with vibration and the high cycle fatigue it can cause so I have kept a close eye on the fins.

There is no sign of damage or cracks in any of the engines fins and I think this is largely due to the low frequencies the big, slow running engine makes.

Yes, the high revving 2 strokes often had problems with high cycle fatigue in their cooling fins but the low revving RE does not.

[iRideRoyalnVA]

I had mine off for 2 riding days now n I think it's running smoother without them! Lls