Loud exhausts

[Hamza]

What’s everyone’s views on loud exhausts? I’ve got a stubby scorpion exhaust on mine without a baffle and have had comments by non bikers saying how it sounds quite nice. I’ve noticed that having the bike quite loud generally makes drivers more aware of you (not all) in comparison to when I had a standard can on it. I like the sound too aswell as the (arguably negligible) “safety” aspect of having drivers more aware.

 

However, I’ve noticed with some of the older bikers they aren’t too keen on loud sports bikes and tend to look down on people with louder bikes. 

[Blackholesun]

I don't really like loud ones tbh unlike some I don't like pissing my neighbours off when I go to work early 

[Fiddlesticks]

17 minutes ago, Blackholesun said:

I don't really like loud ones tbh unlike some I don't like pissing my neighbours off when I go to work early 

It's one thing about mine that tbh I'm not wild about. If I liked my neighbours a bit more I'd be tempted to change it.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Fiddlesticks

[Bender]

It's a no from me

[MikeHorton]

I live near a town centre which has become a bit of a racetrack can be a pain like now when I'm sat outside and there are excessively loud cars and bikes racing around. I find people have their music on loud in cars and with a loud exhaust by the time they see you it's too late to really do much and startling noises make people do silly moves sometimes. I prefer good lighting to be seen and use roadcraft techniques to avoid hazards. I think noise monitoring equipment will be the norm in the UK soon it'd being trialled. All the above just my personal view blah...... 

[JustinW]

No to excessively loud from me. Selfish and ignorant. One person (the rider) likes it, while everyone else in earshot is annoyed. 

But, seems to fit in with current climate of 'screw everyone else I'll do what I want'.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I have two bikes with very different exhaust notes. The CBF is typically quiet. The Bobber has the stock Triumph system which with a twin running at 270 degrees produces a rich burble which whilst not overly loud is clearly audible. 

 

Riding in traffic shows the difference. The Bobber gets noticed and because the exhaust sounds classy motorists often move over with a wave. It doesn't produce the animosity that obnoxiously loud exhausts generate.

 

There are plenty of silly aftermarket systems that are clearly illegal and using them indicates that bikers are anti-social and selfish. Both qualities not inclined to earn much respect or tolerance from other road users. 

 

So I'm all in favour of well designed exhaust systems and engine tuning that delivers a rich classic sound. But sticking a crap system that just makes noise for the sake of it just announces to the world that you are a nob. 

 

[onesea]

My trophy got after market exhausts, after the originals rotted out. They are the quietest I could find, they still have a bit of a rumble.
My TDM is stock and quite.

 

My observation switching between the 2 bikes:

Loud pipes can help, however when filtering some cars become unpredictable. There are those that don’t want you to pass.

The quilter bike you need to ride for position however often progress can be just as quick if not quicker as cars are generally more predictable.

[Copycat73]

noise scameras comming .. .. your choice then will be pay the fine or change the exhaust .. thats if it passes the mot... 

[S-Westerly]

I've got an after market exhaust which is maybe 1 Decibel louder than original, is fully homolgated and is completely legal. However it does sound different   not louder but richer somehow.

[Breezin]

The claim  that loud pipes save lives has never been demonstrated scientifically,  and the few studies out there indicate otherwise.

I saw/heard a pocket rocket blasting everyone's ears just today. By his posey body language on the bike he clearly thought he was the bees' knees.

I just thought,  what a prick.

Edited July 19, 2022 by Breezin

[fastbob]

I haven't really got an opinion about this because all of my bikes as far as I can remember have had louder than standard exhausts . The only one that even I felt uncomfortable with was my first GSXR 1100 that had  a Micron can sawn in half and rivetted back up . That was just nasty . My GSX 1100 with a Vance and Hines and no packing was a close second with a lovely booming roar . My recent favourite loud bike was my last ER5 with a little GPR slip on . It had a lovely roar to it and a delightful crackle on the over run but always returned to a reasuring  metronomic thump thump thump on tick over . By contrast the current ER5 is virtually silent in comparison . 

[Steve398]

I’ve had a baffled Remus can on a VFR800 RS Ltd Edition as OEM which made a nice noise, and an aftermarket cheapo raucous thing on a Blackbird that I bought that was just plain horrible and was changed back to stock asap.

In general I’ll stay with the standard cans, the extra noise plus the added expense just isn’t worth it… perhaps with the exception of a VFR1200 if I ever bought one, which has the ugliest can in the world!
Nowadays quiet does it for me and I’m happy on the burbling RT.  

[billy sugger]

I should be extremely quiet. I spend a lot of time well and truly baffled

[Gerontious]

I went from this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

I took the baffle out and went to Germany. I got back and put the baffle back in. very quickly.

 

[billy sugger]

2 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I went from this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

I took the baffle out and went to Germany. I got back and put the baffle back in. very quickly.

 

Isn't the first one really a secret missile launcher disguised as an exhaust? 

[Old-codger]

In the mid eighties me on a ducati sd darmah with italian made 2 into 1 my brother on a Trident with hyde 3 into 1 and a mate on Harris Laverda with a 3 into 1 exhaust went to the TT. It was 200 miles plus on the motorway and I can honestly say I couldnt hear a thing for days after it was like rolling thunder at speed. We took turns in who lead but I  didnt like being to close behind the Harris Laverda you got coated in oil. My god it had a drinking problem and a thirst for batteries. Those were the days.

[Ian Frog]

48 minutes ago, Old-codger said:

In the mid eighties me on a ducati sd darmah with italian made 2 into 1 my brother on a Trident with hyde 3 into 1 and a mate on Harris Laverda with a 3 into 1 exhaust went to the TT. It was 200 miles plus on the motorway and I can honestly say I couldnt hear a thing for days after it was like rolling thunder at speed. We took turns in who lead but I  didnt like being to close behind the Harris Laverda you got coated in oil. My god it had a drinking problem and a thirst for batteries. Those were the days.

I have owned more than one SD Darmah and miss them very much but you are right they were loud as fook.

Beautiful tone but loud.

Cheers

Ian

[Davidtav]

I might be the only one on here who doesn’t get it about aftermarket exhausts. … I’ve never bought a car and replaced the exhaust. Unless the original wore out. Don’t really see why it should be different with a bike

[Gerontious]

2 hours ago, billy sugger said:

Isn't the first one really a secret missile launcher disguised as an exhaust? 

 

It did the job though... but was very large and extremely heavy and had to go. fortunately I got a great discount on the scorpion. 

[manxie49]

Personally not a fan of loud exhausts,  IMHO it just gives the anti motor vehicle brigade more to whine about, and lets not forget the power hungry local councils, who view motorists as nothing more than a cash cow, now seemingly going down the road of noise cameras.  I do have an after market exhaust on my bike, but it's road legal, and hasn't made the bike obnoxiously loud, just gives it a nicer engine note.  I do like to hear the loud exhaust notes on both the classic and modern race bikes though, although there's a place and a time "on the track".  Each to their own though,  I never see a biker with a loud exhaust and think "nob",  it's just not for me.

[MikeHorton]

7 minutes ago, manxie49 said:

Personally not a fan of loud exhausts,  IMHO it just gives the anti motor vehicle brigade more to whine about, and lets not forget the power hungry local councils, who view motorists as nothing more than a cash cow, now seemingly going down the road of noise cameras.  I do have an after market exhaust on my bike, but it's road legal, and hasn't made the bike obnoxiously loud, just gives it a nicer engine note.  I do like to hear the loud exhaust notes on both the classic and modern race bikes though, although there's a place and a time "on the track".  Each to their own though,  I never see a biker with a loud exhaust and think "nob",  it's just not for me.

But sometimes you can see someone and think nob and he has a loud exhaust

[MikeHorton]

7 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I went from this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

I took the baffle out and went to Germany. I got back and put the baffle back in. very quickly.

 

Quite like the sound of the standard AT exhaust  but ur right they do add some weight to the bike like a lot of standard ones. Prize for the ugliest looking can I think is the ones on the latest v stroms they must weigh a tonne too! 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I must confess that I find many modern exhaust systems horrible visually. I appreciate the engineering reasons but you get the impression the design team just don't know what a motorcycle should look like. 

[fastbob]

Some bikes are just crying out for a loud exhaust , among them the good old ER5 . The GRP one totally transformed the riding experience for me . The standard one on my current ER5 is so quiet and it makes the bike feel so remote that I've no idea what it's doing  . Motorcycling is a sensory experience that should be enjoyed to the full . 

Edited July 26, 2022 by fastbob