revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Funnily there's a counter-thread to this over on PB forum with lots of people posting loud exhaust pics and videos.

But yesterday, out and off up to Ducati Aylesbury i couldn't help but notice how many people were running stupid loud exhausts.... Not just a bit, but a LOT of noise, even on tickover, let alone on riding.... Just insanely loud

Now i like a bit of noise as much as the next man, but people have to see how much of a irritation they're likely to be to general public ? Surely ?

I can't even imagine sitting in some of the local gardens around there with countless bikes flying past at 2000Db.

It's a bit of a love / hate thing.

I kind of like the idea of loud pipes, don't mind listening to bikes going past on a sunny afternoon but at night when I lay in bed and can hear bikes a mile before they reach the village and two miles after they've left I fucking hate it.

Personally I've only ever had one bike with a race can, it stayed on for the distance it took to get the bike home after buying it, the can then went on eBay. I want to ride an electric bike so that is silent.

For the first time in nearly 20 years my "main" bike has the stock exhaust. I don't miss the noise TBH. The old 60s Triumph is still crazy loud, but that feels of it's time. Ditto on my 90s Triumph with the factory loud exhaust. Going out of your way to make a new bike super loud just feels a bit childish and old hat to me now.

I don't exactly tut at loud vehicles, but I doubt I'll ever spend my own money on a noisy exhaust again.

I love to hear bikes as I grew up watching pre 65 brit bike events and MX scrambles, so for me a whisper quiet bike is just wrong! But, I don't like mega loud exhausts! Straight through exhausts have the wrong sound. I prefer a muted type roar, such as a race can with a smaller db killer in. As much as my Harley sounded right with its V&H short shots, I fitted db killers to it.

Although my ten had a race exhaust, I prefer stealth mode these days.
Akrapovic cans with the baffles in is enough of a note for me. Mrs.Skub tells me she can't hear me when she's following in the car.
That's the balance for me,a bit of airbox roar mingled with a deep exhaust note keeps everyone happy.

They are also very annoying if you are riding behind one for any distance. On my 2 tours there has been one bike that no-one wanted to follow for the day.

For me personally I think it's about the purpose of the noise, EG

Ducati 916 with full termis- Well that exhaust will make the bike faster

Harly Tractorson with open slash cut pipes- Just there to make noise

But alongside that, it's the way the rider uses it, my old 990 Superduke had a full Akro on it so when in town/ built up areas, I'd only tickle the throttle. But we've all seen those knob heads who insist on revving their bikes past the cafe/at the traffic lights etc because they are so desperate for attention.

My current bike has a 'noisy' front pipe mated to a OE endcan, partially because that's how I got it and partially because I was reliably informed "the end can to match the front pipe adds nothing but noise"

Mine sounds luverlee, bah't can

I've got a noisy can on my Sprint GT.

I bought it off eBay at a bargain price otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

1. I like the sound it makes. Not too loud but a pleasant rasp on the triple.

2. It takes a bit of weight off as the standard silencer weights a ton. I know percentage wise its not going to be much on a heavy bus like the Sprint but I like to think it helps a bit.

As our town isn't a bikers heaven we don't have much of a problem here, but do have a few local kids in modded cars who you can hear miles away racing around at night.

And I'll be honest, when I hear a motorbike rider with an INSANELY loud exhaust I can't help but feel they didn't grow out of that phase.

Happy with a note, not anything silly.

I'm sat outside and can hear the lads playing on the twisties about half a mile away. They drop down to a slow T-Junction , then long uphill where they like to make some noise

Both bikes have aftermarket exhausts.
GSXR just a road legal and nice and stealthy.
KX has a Pro Circuit spannie and silencer. Its not louder than bog standard but to be fair bog standard on a 500 motocrosser is pretty loud and I'd rather it was a lot quieter.

Pro Circuit used to make a 296 silencer for em which is supposed to be a good bit quieter but its discontinued. I look on ebay every once in a while for one but they don't come up often.

Personally I'm just not a fan of loud bikes and firmy believe in not drawing too much attention to my bike if I can help it.

BMW has the stubby with the baffle in it fitted at the minute so it's loud but not overly so. We live in what would be a quiet village except there's an industrial plant a mile up the road and some tang in an R730 with side pipes gives it full boot/exhaust brake combo at 5am most morning, coupled to the local kiddies in their Bora/Passat/Leon TDis that sound like Masseys with blown manifold gaskets means the bike is the least of the noise round here.

TBH the main reason I ditched the OE can was A) it weighs about 10kg and B) It got so hot it would hiss when rain hit it a good hour after you got home. Out front is open to the footpath and the odd kid wanders on, you wouldn't want them getting roasted.

I shift work so am on the bike at 0500 sometimes, aftermarket can for the weight saving (yes I could just eat less) and a baffle to keep the neighbours sweet

Having lived on a popular biking road for several years (A29), I can't help but agree, despite liking a loud bike now and then.

I've got the Akra "long" end can on the ZH2 and have taken out the dB killers, it has a pleasant burble on tick over and at a few thousand rpm and is still quieter than the stubby Akra can with dB killers. It's also MUCH lighter than the stock exhaust. The whoosh valve seems to make more noise dumping boost when decelerating than the exhaust does an acceleration.

Ssray wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:12 pm I shift work so am on the bike at 0500 sometimes, aftermarket can for the weight saving (yes I could just eat less) and a baffle to keep the neighbours sweet

Apparently one of the most popular things about Hybrid Ferraris, McLarens etc. is the fact you can leave silently. People in expensive country houses like being able to get 4 miles away before starting up their noisy V8.

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:07 pm

Ssray wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:12 pm I shift work so am on the bike at 0500 sometimes, aftermarket can for the weight saving (yes I could just eat less) and a baffle to keep the neighbours sweet

Apparently one of the most popular things about Hybrid Ferraris, McLarens etc. is the fact you can leave silently. People in expensive country houses like being able to get 4 miles away before starting up their noisy V8.

No warming up for that poor old engine then.

Skub wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:21 pm

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:07 pm
Apparently one of the most popular things about Hybrid Ferraris, McLarens etc. is the fact you can leave silently. People in expensive country houses like being able to get 4 miles away before starting up their noisy V8.

No warming up for that poor old engine then.

I drove those Glider bus things and the diesel never actually stopped running in cold conditions as the battery couldn't keep up with running the heating and lights. You powered it up and it immediately started and fast idled. I ran one out of diesel once at Stormont and the battery was dead by Hollywood Arches.