diff --git a/system-test/storage.ts b/system-test/storage.ts
index f7f1cf097..c7614368e 100644
--- a/system-test/storage.ts
+++ b/system-test/storage.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ describe('storage', () => {
   const storage = new Storage({
     retryOptions: {
       idempotencyStrategy: IdempotencyStrategy.RetryAlways,
-      retryDelayMultiplier: 3,
     },
   });
   const bucket = storage.bucket(generateName());
@@ -225,6 +224,12 @@ describe('storage', () => {
 
   describe('acls', () => {
     describe('buckets', () => {
+      // Some bucket update operations have a rate limit.
+      // Introduce a delay between tests to avoid getting an error.
+      beforeEach(done => {
+        setTimeout(done, 1000);
+      });
+
       it('should get access controls', async () => {
         const accessControls = await bucket.acl.get();
         assert(Array.isArray(accessControls));