When is the sound of a bike to much??

[Andrew]

After reading s few (too many) bashing threads of a certain make of bike. My question to all you, what constitutes too much noise? Is it the tone? the Volume of said exhaust (decibel level)? or the I4 vs V twin argument?

  Here is one experience that got my goat.
On the ride back from the National in Gunnison CO I stopped over for the night in Moab UT. The motel was on the northern side of town (a locally owned and operated motel with good rates and friendly owners who will willingly give a discount if asked ) The motel has small but comfortable rooms and parking is right in front of the door. After dinner I set in for the night. As I lay there attempting to sleep two american V twins came in to the motel parking lane and proceeded to set off more than one car alarm, due to the unbaffled loud ass exhaust. The bikes had deep ground shaking rumble exhaust notes and a BLAAAAPP sound when reved, and the owners both gave the throttle a good blip before shutting the bikes down. The sound of the car alarms whaling in the night eventually stopped and I again attempted to sleep but found it rather hard to as I was now fully awake. I wanted to find a hardware store or some such store that I could purchase a can of sprayable expanding foam and fill up the exhaust pipes of said V twins and thus silence them. But alas I thought it over and decided that although this would be an effective way of silencing the bikes it was probably not the best thing to do legally and morally. I buried my head in my pillow and tried to sleep
 In the morning as I was loading the BMW one of the V twin owners walked by on his way to the office (checking out I guessed.)  
I complemented him on his bikes exhaust "nice exhaust".
He looked at me and said "are you serious?"  
I suppose my comment was interpenetrated rather sarcastically as I hoped it would be.
I responded " serious as a hart attack,... loud enough to set off the car alarms??"  
Said V twin rider responded "It's not my fault the car alarms are set tooo sensitive besides they are only V&H pipes"
"I guess it is just a matter of perception and the laws regarding decibel limit levels" I responded and went back to packing the GS ignoring his comments there after.

I have had the misfortune of having my ears assaulted by an uncorked I4 (the angry bee) at high revs as it passed me by, I to find that offensive.  

I think I will just stick to the stock exhaust, I may not be the most polite person in the world but I try not to be offensive.

[et]

I hate loud exhausts. Doesn't matter if it's a V-twin, an I-4, high pitched, or low pitched. Loud is loud.
Loud pipes don't save lives; they only cause more freedom stripping laws.

[ZZR Rob]

To much is when its the other guys bike

[evilted]

I used to have a Hard Krome Sideburner on a metric cruiser for a while, and I found that after 15 minute of riding it my ears started to hurt.

That's my definition of too loud.  

[shooplick]

ive got both in my alley. 1 FN squid on a new r1 (buys a new one every year and cant ride worth a crap) almost no exhaust and keeps it in first gear throughthe entire neighborhood while going50-60 mph. mostly at 2 am after the bars close. loud enough that i want to kick him in the trachia. ant then one fat sob on an hd something that i can hear from 4 miles away. he starts it in the alley and lets it idle for 10 min. at 5am. my alley is all garages facing door to door. so the sound echo's bad! is bike has no throttle its idle or wfo and flying down the alleyat 50. we have lots and lots of kid in my area.
I hate both of them and would put a chain around both bike and drag them down the steet with my truck if i could get away with it, or if they hit any of the kids playing i wouldn't care if i got away with it.
 
long rant sorry, alot of stress and it came out in this post.  

[Phenix_Rider]

Volume no question.  I don't care what type of engine it is.  If I can't ride behind you, or feel like like I'm being pummeled as you pass me on the sidewalk, it's too loud.  And for gods sake, if your bike doesn't idle properly, get it tuned!!!  Also, the rev limiter is meant to prevent over-rev damage, not as a mating call.

[kevin_stevens]

To much is when its the other guys bike

+1

There's post after post of people saying "I put XYZ pipe on, and it sounds great.  Nobody complains.  But everybody else's bike is too loud."  Reality is that absolutely nobody enjoys listening to your bike but you.  And by the way, they don't like listening to your baby scream and your dog bark, either.

KeS

[Baz]

I have owned one loud pipe in my life and when I took it off finally, I swore never again.

There are only a couple of things in this world that have exhaust notes that make me have sexual accidents. Here they are. Everything else needs a muffler.

[phoenix]

I hate loud exhausts. Doesn't matter if it's a V-twin, an I-4, high pitched, or low pitched. Loud is loud.
Loud pipes don't save lives; they only cause more freedom stripping laws.

+1

on the race track, I'm not opposed to it. In my neighborhood? I don't want it to wake me up. Ever.

One of my past bikes (SV650S) had a race pipe on it. I was looking for a replacement (stock) exhaust to swap it out because I thought it was just too loud. As it was, I would shut off the engine half way down the street when coming home, and I never let it idle in the driveway. At a stoplight one day, I noticed a car next to me roll up their windows. That was a clue.

A coworker has a Harley-clone with straight pipes on it. I think its a Honda. It is loud, but jeebus, it sounds fucking AWFUL!   I like the trademark Harley sound, and that wasn't it by a longshot.

[thatguy]

When it's so slow it takes forever to get out of range.

[JoeRider]

When you can hear it over the too loud music being piped by earbuds inside youre full face!

or 50 Decibels less than that required to rattle fillings loose.

[PirateT7]

When is the sound of a bike to much??

When it makes the neighbors shake their heads and mutter "damn motorcycles."

Every one of those is a future vote for some anti-motorcycle legislation, at best. At worst, well... just see the thread about unprovoked road rage.

[JoeRider]

True, and most eloquently said!


When it makes the neighbors shake their heads and mutter "damn motorcycles."

Every one of those is a future vote for some anti-motorcycle legislation, at best. At worst, well... just see the thread about unprovoked road rage.

[243Win]

When it makes you self-conscious about it.  I know the pipe on my little 400 Bandit is too loud.  I short shift it through the neighborhoods and other areas that I don't want to attract unwanted attention.  

Since I only paid $600 for it, I'm loathe to spend as much or more to get a quieter pipe for it, I'm more inclined to sell it.  I have a similar looking Yosh pipe on my miniceptor and it is far quieter.  I put up with it as a trainer bike, if I dump it I'm not all that heart-broken -- dumping the miniceptor would be a different deal (the bike I always wanted as a penniless kid).

At 8 grand on the freeway in top gear doing 65-70mph, even with ear plugs in, it feels like ice picks in your ears after a short period.

All future bikes will be quiet and present bikes in the stable will not be made any louder in attempts at extra power.  If I want more power, I simply ride a bigger bike in the stable for now.

[Mastros2]

When it makes the neighbors shake their heads and mutter "damn motorcycles."

Every one of those is a future vote for some anti-motorcycle legislation, at best. At worst, well... just see the thread about unprovoked road rage.

I said it in another topic, the AMA has more important issues to fight for, not loud pipes.  

[Charles R]

I hate loud exhausts. Doesn't matter if it's a V-twin, an I-4, high pitched, or low pitched. Loud is loud.
Loud pipes don't save lives; they only cause more freedom stripping laws.

ooh, there's bumper sticker material there...

LOUD PIPES STRIP FREEDOM!
Or
LOUD PIPES, LOST FREEDOM!

[Global Rider]

"I guess it is just a matter of perception and the laws regarding decibel limit levels" I responded and went back to packing the GS ignoring his comments there after.

I could never quite understand why one would be allowed to modify their vehicles outside of the Federal requirements, the same requriements needed for a new vehicle to be sold by a manufacturer in the first place.

Personally, if I don't have to listen to it, I couldn't care less as long as it doesn't tarnish my image as a motorcyclist...then it becomes my business.

[spaz_666]

...At a stoplight one day, I noticed a car next to me roll up their windows. That was a clue...

Don't worry about it, she was probably just having a hard time hearing the person on the other end of the cell phone.

 

[CLAY]

When it makes you self-conscious about it.  I know the pipe on my little 400 Bandit is too loud.  I short shift it through the neighborhoods and other areas that I don't want to attract unwanted attention.  

All future bikes will be quiet and present bikes in the stable will not be made any louder in attempts at extra power.  If I want more power, I simply ride a bigger bike in the stable for now.

  Would your Bandit have a D&D pipe?  Mine came with it courtesy of the PO- full system.  The D&D pipe is LOUD- I short shift as ell whenever I'm in neighborhoods.  If it wasn't that I spend all my farkle money on riding stuff (GPS, luggage, etc) I'd get a new pipe.  The problem is that the PO did tune my bike *perfectly*, and I love the torque, so I won't go back to stock.  Next bike I'd put on aftermarket pipes again I think- I like a little sound, but the D&D's suck.  Too obnoxious when you get on it.

[BrookR1]

I'm surprised the guy didn't "engage" you more after you made those snide comments and then ignored him. Guys that do that really don't give a F what you think of their bikes.

[bungie4]

... when it smooths the wrinkles out of yer bag.

[Snowbird]

The motel has small but comfortable rooms and parking is right in front of the door. After dinner I set in for the night. As I lay there attempting to sleep two american V twins came in to the motel parking lane and proceeded to set off more than one car alarm, due to the unbaffled loud ass exhaust. The bikes had deep ground shaking rumble exhaust notes and a BLAAAAPP sound when reved, and the owners both gave the throttle a good blip before shutting the bikes down. The sound of the car alarms whaling in the night eventually stopped and I again attempted to sleep but found it rather hard to as I was now fully awake.

If it was my motel, I would have refused them a room and called the cops if they protested. Way too loud and I hate way too loud.

Loud pipes don't save lives; they only cause more freedom stripping laws.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. The other day, I was going to back out of a parking space at a gas station's convenience store and it was the sound of someone's bike that was my first clue a bike was on collision course with me. I'm not saying I would not have seen him if the bike was quiet, but I'm sure there are car drivers out there who would not have seen him if not for the bike's pipes. Now, mind you, this particular set of pipes were far from ear-splitting, but I do think there is a valid argument for loud(er) pipes... a bit louder than the legal production limit, which IMO is set too low and actually results in too many bikes that are too loud.

[et]

If it was my motel, I would have refused them a room and called the cops if they protested. Way too loud and I hate way too loud.



Sorry, but I have to disagree. The other day, I was going to back out of a parking space at a gas station's convenience store and it was the sound of someone's bike that was my first clue a bike was on collision course with me. I'm not saying I would not have seen him if the bike was quiet, but I'm sure there are car drivers out there who would not have seen him if not for the bike's pipes. Now, mind you, this particular set of pipes were far from ear-splitting, but I do think there is a valid argument for loud(er) pipes... a bit louder than the legal production limit, which IMO is set too low and actually results in too many bikes that are too loud.

Ah; but if you had backed into the parking space you could see him as/before you pulled out.
(Sorry; just a pet-peeve of mine. It's easier to see your surroundings backing into a parking space then backing out of a parking space.
Every accident I've witnessed in a parking lot occurred while someone was backing out of a parking space; not as they were backing in.)

[Andrew]

I'm surprised the guy didn't "engage" you more after you made those snide comments and then ignored him. Guys that do that really don't give a F what you think of their bikes.

DId not bother to think of that, he and his fellow rider were credit card V twin riders if you get my drift. So the "engagement factor" was not too high on my radar.

[sagerat]

When it's not stock.

Honest, I would support banning anything that's not a stock pipe as it's about the only way I can see to end the scourge of loud pipes.  And yes, I'd apply it to cages, too.  If I never hear another fart can on a lowered rice burner or a set of headers on a poorly tuned V-8, that would be fine with me.

Silence them all and let DMV sort it out.  

[nomagnashn]

When it makes the neighbors shake their heads and mutter "damn motorcycles."

Every one of those is a future vote for some anti-motorcycle legislation, at best. At worst, well... just see the thread about unprovoked road rage.

My neighbor (I've been told by other neighbors) thinks my exhaust is too loud.

It's STOCK!  

He's got something against me but I have no idea what it is since he hasn't said more than 2 words to me in the 3+ years I 've lived here.  

[miles]

  Would your Bandit have a D&D pipe?  Mine came with it courtesy of the PO- full system.  The D&D pipe is LOUD- I short shift as ell whenever I'm in neighborhoods.  If it wasn't that I spend all my farkle money on riding stuff (GPS, luggage, etc) I'd get a new pipe.  The problem is that the PO did tune my bike *perfectly*, and I love the torque, so I won't go back to stock.  Next bike I'd put on aftermarket pipes again I think- I like a little sound, but the D&D's suck.  Too obnoxious when you get on it.

D&D pipes are often refferred to as "Death & Destruction" pipes because they are so damned loud.  I know a guy who was riding his Speed Triple on the PCH and an officer heading the other way did a U-turn to chase him down and ticket him for the noise of his D&D pipe.

[et]

Being a frugal person (ie cheap bastard ); I never understand why; other than the "look at me" syndrome; people even buy aftermarket exhausts.
I figure a new motorcycle costs $10,000. The stock exhaust is about $600 or more. And unlike stock exhausts of old; they give almost as much horsepower as after market exhausts.
Although aftermarket exhausts may be a little lighter giving a wee bit better handling. It comes at the price of not lasting as long as stock.
I paid for that stock exhaust; so I'm going to use it until it rusts through.

[CLAY]

D&D pipes are often refferred to as "Death & Destruction" pipes because they are so damned loud.  I know a guy who was riding his Speed Triple on the PCH and an officer heading the other way did a U-turn to chase him down and ticket him for the noise of his D&D pipe.

 Mine's not horrible unless I get on it- then it screams.  But, I don't like it.  If I could trade someone for a quieter pipe I would, and I have tried.  No luck yet.  

[Flashmo]

I was working in the yard this morning and heard a crappy sounding cruizer coming down the street so I looked up and saw a Squid on a GSXR!  OH, THE HORROR! How could you possibly make that thing sound that bad, even trying, I doubt I could make one sound that bad.

[243Win]

  Would your Bandit have a D&D pipe?  Mine came with it courtesy of the PO- full system.  The D&D pipe is LOUD- I short shift as ell whenever I'm in neighborhoods.  If it wasn't that I spend all my farkle money on riding stuff (GPS, luggage, etc) I'd get a new pipe.  The problem is that the PO did tune my bike *perfectly*, and I love the torque, so I won't go back to stock.  Next bike I'd put on aftermarket pipes again I think- I like a little sound, but the D&D's suck.  Too obnoxious when you get on it.

Yosh pipe of some sort.  Bike was tuned by previous owner to run with the pipe so even if I track down an inexpensive, quieter option, I may be opening up a can of worms there anyhow.  I get the gut feeling, by end of the season, it will be on the market to the next beginning rider.  I only keep it know as an extra for the step-daughter to ride when she is in town, but supporting a stable of loaner bikes is getting old too,...

[trophystock]

I have a yosh-77 on my 08 haybusa and I have the quiet core installed and it is as quiet as the stock system and weighs 36#s less, best of both worlds.

[Snowbird]

Ah; but if you had backed into the parking space you could see him as/before you pulled out.
(Sorry; just a pet-peeve of mine. It's easier to see your surroundings backing into a parking space then backing out of a parking space.
Every accident I've witnessed in a parking lot occurred while someone was backing out of a parking space; not as they were backing in.)

Fully agree. In fact it is a policy at work. The reason I didn't do it in that parking area is the lot is in constant flow of customers and when I tried backing in, it just left everyone else confused. So, I just pull in, back out and everyone knows what's going on.

I think much of the safety advantage of the "back in, pull out" policy revolves around the fact that you are backing at a time when you've just freshly perused to area while in the driving mindset.

OTOH, When you "pull in, back out," your brain is more likely to be disengaged from the driving task at a time when things may have changed while the car sat: think kid on a bicycle. That's how moms tragically run over and kill their own children.

Back to topic....

[Snowbird]

Being a frugal person (ie cheap bastard ); I never understand why; other than the "look at me" syndrome; people even buy aftermarket exhausts.
I figure a new motorcycle costs $10,000. The stock exhaust is about $600 or more. And unlike stock exhausts of old; they give almost as much horsepower as after market exhausts.
Although aftermarket exhausts may be a little lighter giving a wee bit better handling. It comes at the price of not lasting as long as stock.
I paid for that stock exhaust; so I'm going to use it until it rusts through.

Only one of my current bikes is other than stock; basically, I agree. But don't discount the power of "look at me."

My rationale about the current sound level being counter-productive is that (as you noted, new exhaust systems are expensive) people think to themselves that A. the bike is too quiet (for whatever reason) and B. if I'm going to spend all this money, this system better make a noticeable difference, dammit,and I'm going to err on the loud side just to be sure.

I think we'd have fewer excessively loud bikes if the db limit were raised for stock bikes and a very slightly higher limit was legally set for aftermarket exhausts.

But, who listens to me?  

[kevin_stevens]

Fully agree. In fact it is a policy at work. The reason I didn't do it in that parking area is the lot is in constant flow of customers and when I tried backing in, it just left everyone else confused. So, I just pull in, back out and everyone knows what's going on.

I think much of the safety advantage of the "back in, pull out" policy revolves around the fact that you are backing at a time when you've just freshly perused to area while in the driving mindset.

OTOH, When you "pull in, back out," your brain is more likely to be disengaged from the driving task at a time when things may have changed while the car sat: think kid on a bicycle. That's how moms tragically run over and kill their own children.

Back to topic....

I try to park facing out because I know how much hurry I'm in going in, and I have no idea how much of a hurry I'll be in coming out.

KeS

[miles]

But, who listens to me?  

Not me. I have you on Ignorz.

[cjgauthier]

        Both my bikes have stock pipes and they don't wake up my wife if I come in late. Her: When did you get in last night? Me: er, ah, 11:30?  

[Snowbird]

Not me. I have you on Ignorz.

Ditto.  

[Clive]

Being a frugal person (ie cheap bastard ); I never understand why; other than the "look at me" syndrome; people even buy aftermarket exhausts.
I figure a new motorcycle costs $10,000. The stock exhaust is about $600 or more. And unlike stock exhausts of old; they give almost as much horsepower as after market exhausts.
Although aftermarket exhausts may be a little lighter giving a wee bit better handling. It comes at the price of not lasting as long as stock.

I reaplced the Speed Triple's dual high-mount cans with a MiVV GP carbon fiber.  Shed a TON of weight, moved the pipes down low to improve handling and allow for saddlebags ... and kept the dB Killer in to keep the volume down.

For my own aftermarket exhaust, my "how loud is too loud?" test is whether or not my wife will notice that I just dropped several hundred dollars on a new exhaust.  She's likelier to notice it aurally than visually.  For others' bikes, when it makes me worry that a negative label is being applied to me, merely because I also ride (well, rode) a motorcycle.

[sprint EX]

 I ride a Buell Uly, I can't hear the exhaust over the fan!

[Norwegian Blue]

Personally, I don't mind an exhaust change that changes the tone of the bike -- i.e. a throatier, growlier sound can be a nice change -- but I really object to ones that make them significantly louder. Harleys with straight pipes (for example) are simply anti-social. And the phrase "loud pipes save lives" is, to me, nothing more than a feeble justification for antisocial behavior.

[evilted]

Heh.  Do you have a fanfare and wear a utility belt?  

(that was too good to pass up)

I try to park facing out because I know how much hurry I'm in going in, and I have no idea how much of a hurry I'll be in coming out.

KeS

[volleykinginnc]

When I can no longer hear my dry clutch  ....loud clutches save lives.

[marc11]

I used to love the "screw you and your desire for quiet" loud pipes on all my bikes since I was a kid.  It was agreat way for me to tell the world to look at how cool I was as I screamed by at near red line all the time.  On my Ducati it was like a right of passage to have the loudest badass pipes I could get.

Then I grew up.....and moved to the country.  One day, sitting in my backyard enjoying the sounds of nature and having a civil conversation with my son we had to pause as bike after bike passed by with uber loud pipes are RPM's not seriously needed given the speed and road type.

Then I began to focus on it, sometimes being able to hear bikes coming several minutes before they arrived and several minutes after they passed, pissing me off as I had to pause the TV, stop talking or ask people on the phone to hold on.  That was my "ah ha" moment.  If this pissed me off, and I am a motorcyclist, then just how many people do I piss off when I rip by on any one of my bikes?

From that moment on I decided to lead by example.  My Duc was sold (for other reasons) and my Versys has a stock pipe.  I replaced the Big Gun pipe on my KLX and went back to stock as well.

Sure I lose a bit of power, but you adjust and get over it.  The weight issue is a non-issue on the street and my HID headlight, horn and general wits about me keeps my out of more trouble from other cargers than my "loud pipes" ever did saving my life.

This is just one mans opinion.  I can understand and respect others desire to have loud pipes, but the bottom line is the end is coming, people are getting sick and tired of loud pipes and the crack down is just around the corner.  If we do not do something ourselves, something will be done for us.

[chornbe]

I have had the misfortune of having my ears assaulted by an uncorked I4 (the angry bee) at high revs as it passed me by, I to find that offensive.  

I think I will just stick to the stock exhaust, I may not be the most polite person in the world but I try not to be offensive.

There's someone that lives near my house with a built V-twin custom Harley with straight pipes. In my house, with the AC on, windows closed, and TV on, I still can not hear my TV when he comes by... and it's a good solid 75 feet from my back door to the road.

That's just flat out inconsiderate.

Most loud pipes, I-4 or Twin are just stupid "look at me" bullshit pecker wagging. Even a slow bike these days is faster than they need to be. Unless you're building a track bike there's no reason for aftermarket loud-ass pipes on the street.

We're all going to be regulated out of existence with everyone exercising their "rights" to vehemently. $.02

[leveredge]

It wouldn't bother me if these vehicles didn't make any noise at all.
I was following a small car through town last week with one of those can mufflers. I4 just about buzz my teeth out. Reving it out all the time. WTF does he think he's going in bumper to bumper traffic? Fool.
We have a bit of a straight on the state road by our house. You could probably get my bike well past 100 mph on that straight road. The question is why? It doesn't go anywhere but to a stop light and a 30 mph zone. You go through that speed change at even 70 while the cop is there. 11 points  for the speed +5 for being reckless + another 3 for the loud on the license in NY. Think a LEO would be there on 4th July weekend? They could have made a killing this past weekend.
All weekend while on our deck in the back yard some screaming I4 triple digit fools winding it out down that straight. Again. I don't know WTF they are going in such a hurry? Morgue probably. Hey. They think they sound cool.
Not just the "kids" either. A "old" guy (my age LOL.) in our development with an old Charger with a loud V8. Thing is it sounds like hell until he gets it running correctly. Nice car but it runs like crap. Stalls about 4 or 5 times in the morning when he is making his way out. I think he is the same guy with the loud American made V-twin motorcycle that runs like crap.
I'm starting to sound like my old man!

[UFO]

I must be getting old, because even sportbikes with full racing systems are getting annoying to me.  Straight piped Harleys get an automatic "windows up" if I see them coming in the cage.

I may change my stance once I hear the new 1200 V4 with aftermarket exhaust.

[cjgauthier]

Being a frugal person (ie cheap bastard ); I never understand why; other than the "look at me" syndrome; people even buy aftermarket exhausts.
I figure a new motorcycle costs $10,000. The stock exhaust is about $600 or more. And unlike stock exhausts of old; they give almost as much horsepower as after market exhausts.
Although aftermarket exhausts may be a little lighter giving a wee bit better handling. It comes at the price of not lasting as long as stock.
I paid for that stock exhaust; so I'm going to use it until it rusts through.

           +1  I'm a numbers guy who has to spread a limited amount of moola among my sporting toys. To wit, spending additional un-necessary sums on a rapidly depreciating asset only hurts my cash flow. A muffler comes with the purchase, when it doesn't I'll buy one.

[bomber]

Regardless of engine type, the volume is too much when it offends someone else.

I like a healthy sounding engine, but my likes are not everyone's cuppa tea, and I realize that.

My good time stops dead in it's track at the end of someone else's nose.

And visa versa, I believe.

[Tyrroneous]

Yosh pipe of some sort.  Bike was tuned by previous owner to run with the pipe so even if I track down an inexpensive, quieter option, I may be opening up a can of worms there anyhow.  I get the gut feeling, by end of the season, it will be on the market to the next beginning rider.  I only keep it know as an extra for the step-daughter to ride when she is in town, but supporting a stable of loaner bikes is getting old too,...

Have you looked into re-packing it?  Could be that the packing is just old and worn out.  Re-pack it with new material and it will still be louder than stock but quieter than a pipe with old blown out packing.  

[Rusty the Scoob]

I wouldn't mind a little extra V-twin growl out of my SV650, but can't be bothered to spend the $3-500 it would cost.  Plus I don't really want a lot of extra noise.  

"Loud Pipes Save Lives" is complete BS in my opinion...  it's very hard to accurately identify the location of a really loud noise on the road, especially in the split second in which it might matter.  You can tell there's a bike near, and that's about it.

[243Win]

Have you looked into re-packing it?  Could be that the packing is just old and worn out.  Re-pack it with new material and it will still be louder than stock but quieter than a pipe with old blown out packing.  

I tried getting it apart once to peak inside it without success and other projects have higher priorities at the current moment, but that is good advise.  Says right on the side of it "NOT FOR ROAD USE".  Similar looking pipes on the miniceptor has no such wording on them and are far quieter.  Since the miniceptor is up in the air as I finish replacing a worn cam-chain tensioner, I tried pulling one of the pipes off of it to put on the bandit, but same story, get all the screws out, wail on it with a rubber mallet for a while, put screws back in, go do something productive.

[Jeremy Z]

I'm with you, Andrew. If it wakes me up at night, it is too loud.

I think there's room for a little extra volume before it gets to that point. Some of the milder aftermarket exhausts for Valkyries and Ducatis sound just beautiful to me; not too loud, but loud enough to be appreciated.  The stock Triumphs, Nortons, and BSAs of the 60s were about right.

We also have to keep in mind that a lot of these guys are near deaf. They ride without helmets, without earplugs, and in large packs of loud bikes. In order for them to hear their bikes at all, they have to be pretty loud.

Just like the guy in the other thread who had the H-D couple laugh at him for wearing hi-viz, I just remember that karma will get the bitches. At best, they'll lose their hearing by the time they reach middle age.

At worst, they will die in what many of us would consider a minor accident because of their choice to not wear a helmet.

Someone made a comment that loud pipes cause our rights to be regulated away. I'm sad to say, it doesn't seem to be happening near me. The A-holes with the loud Harleys are not at all bothered by the cops, even though they're breaking the law as sure as I am by speeding.  

[luvtoride]

My thoughts on this??? Loud pipes save lives??? Nooooo... LOUD PIPES GET PASSED!
Pisses a friend off to high heaven when I say this. Hahahaha...

[Wide Track]

Two members of my family (not me) have Harley's, as does one of my neighbors, they have enough sense to retain either stock exhaust or slightly modified, not loud

I kind of enjoy the nice mellow tone of a modified American V8, and I can also say I hate the Japanese 4 bangers with a straight exhaust. I also dislike one of the neighbors kids that rides a dirt bike that has a straight exhaust. This kid is too young to get a license, so he is back and fourth, back and fourth past the house, once or twice I can deal with, all afternoon is the pits.  

I believe some of this has to do with age and at my age loud obnoxious exhaust from any vehicle takes away from the  quality of life.

[tigertom1965]

I was passed on a Harley wannabee the other day. I didn't hear them coming until they went by then it was so loud I couldn't hear anything for two minutes afterwards. Loud pipes yes, but they did no good until after they went by. By then I could see them anyway. Whats the use.

At the dealer a couple of weeks ago I was in the shop and a technician started a bike there for inspection. Talk about loud pipes. It was not a Harley it was a metric cruiser with straight pipes. I made the comment about how they were louder than the law allowed and the technician said as long as it had baffles they passed it. It wasn't their job to hand out tickets or some such. Their real problem is that they wouldn't get his repeat business and he would just go home and put his baffles in and come back, then after he left he would take them out again but he wouldn't come back again.

I would have failed his inspection and made him pay for another. What is the use of inspections if they pass bikes that should fail? Or I would have called the cops and told them to wait just off the premises with the gear to find out how loud the pipes really were and to tow his bike until he changed the pipes. Just to piss him off.

On the other hand my stock R1200RT pipes are too quiet. It would be nice to have some character but not at the expense of annoying the crap out of myself. Right now it sounds like a propeller aircraft motor.

[Bravo12]

When is the sound of a bike to much??

When it's someone else's loud-ass pipes.

[Jeremy Z]

Two members of my family (not me) have Harley's, as does one of my neighbors, they have enough sense to retain either stock exhaust or slightly modified, not loud

I kind of enjoy the nice mellow tone of a modified American V8, and I can also say I hate the Japanese 4 bangers with a straight exhaust.

OT: I'll admit that I like the sound of stock Harley pipes. Just like pushrod V8s. The vehicles are not my cup of tea, but that mechanical music is nice.

[Bravo12]

Yeah, I like the sound of most large-displacement V-twins, too, but have you ever had to ride next to one on the highway?  It gets old after about 30 seconds.  I don't hear them on the back roads because they are way behind me.

[RangerG]

I have no problem with a bike that has some growl to it.  Bikes with straight pipes should have those pipes placed far up inside their owners ass.  I am getting old, but even more annoying than a straight piped Harley is a snowmobile with an aftermarket exhaust.  I'd rather be subjected to fingernails on a chalk board than that!

[Wide Track]

Well guys Harley's rule, at least Ford Motor Company thinks so. I spotted a new Ford Pick up today with very readable chrome letters running the full length of the bed, "HARLEY DAVIDSON" Me guesses you gotta pay extra for that.

[LoVel]

Not if I'm the one buying it.  They are going to have to discount it more than enough for mr to get that crap taken off.

[Lon]

I have a yosh-77 on my 08 haybusa and I have the quiet core installed and it is as quiet as the stock system and weighs 36#s less, best of both worlds.

There are such a thing as quiet aftermarket exhausts.  I didn't know Yoshimura made one, but Motad does (OEM-spec - even pass Euro emissions certs) and Hindle makes some as well.

Maybe there's a list of the quietest aftermarket exhausts somewhere?  OEM exhausts are very expensive - if I had to replace an exhaust, OEM likely wouldn't even be a consideration.

[forester]

Loud pipes do not save lives...they only break laws, wreck hearing and disrespect the peace and quiet everyone else appreciates.

Much of the time they also decrease a bike's power band while increasing mostly unusable peak h.p. in a small portion of it to gain the #s.

I don't have nor would ever purchase stock pipes for a bike.  Can you tell?  

[kevin_stevens]

Loud pipes do not save lives...they only break laws, wreck hearing and disrespect the peace and quiet everyone else appreciates.

Much of the time they also decrease a bike's power band while increasing mostly unusable peak h.p. in a small portion of it to gain the #s.

I don't have nor would ever purchase stock pipes for a bike.  Can you tell?  

No.  Your conclusion doesn't seem to follow your premise.

KeS

[jfurf]

My brother just bought his first bike: A Ninja 250 that the previous owner had put a pair of Two Brothers cans on. He told me he was thinking about changing them out for the stock exhaust because they were too loud.

I thought he was full of it, so I took the bike for a spin and... dammit those exhausts are LOUD. Like ear-splitting loud and just "hyper" sounding, like the engine wants to explode. I was WAY surprised that the little Ninja could be that loud.  

[Geoff]

[evilted]

I find this part of the anti loud pipe thing a little suspect.  Anecdotally, I know that people were and are more likely to do a head check before moving into my lane when I'm on a louder bike.

But who am I to argue with statistics?  Maybe loud pipes just reduce the risk of grievous bodily injury short of death?

Loud pipes do not save lives...

[JamesG]

When it sets car alarms off when it passes by...