Exhaust volume: OEM or aftermarket?
Discussion
I always promised myself a loud bike, but now I have it, I'm not sure it was the right decision 
. Unlike my previous cars (BMW M cars), they have valved systems and this is the ultimate solution. If only bikes could have this tech.
My bike is a Yamaha XSR700, I bought it purely because of the engine and the gold wheels. Love it or hate it, I personally think the CP2 engine is a masterpiece. It's punchy, economical and makes a good noise.
The stock exhaust system has the cat build into the rear can, which I didn't realise until I started shopping for a cheap and cheerful rear can upgrade. After watching countless exhaust YT videos, I decided on a Kelpi system, but paying additional import taxes put me off, So, I have installed a full Scorpion Red Power system. It sounds epic, and very similar to a Triumph Scramber 900 (the next bike I want). 30yr old me would have been in heaven, but I'm closer to 40, and I'm not cut out for constant anti social noise.
I have kept the DB killer and end flute installed, and while these two have kept exhaust DB levels down, it's just not enough for me. Scorpion do sell a closed end DB killer, but I will modify my own as they want ~£40.
Installing the OEM exhaust is a no go, it makes the bike sound like a hoover and takes a lot of character away from the engine / riding experience.
Has anyone here ever regretted an exhaust system? Or have you fully embraced decat life and are happy making all of the noise?
. Unlike my previous cars (BMW M cars), they have valved systems and this is the ultimate solution. If only bikes could have this tech. My bike is a Yamaha XSR700, I bought it purely because of the engine and the gold wheels. Love it or hate it, I personally think the CP2 engine is a masterpiece. It's punchy, economical and makes a good noise.
The stock exhaust system has the cat build into the rear can, which I didn't realise until I started shopping for a cheap and cheerful rear can upgrade. After watching countless exhaust YT videos, I decided on a Kelpi system, but paying additional import taxes put me off, So, I have installed a full Scorpion Red Power system. It sounds epic, and very similar to a Triumph Scramber 900 (the next bike I want). 30yr old me would have been in heaven, but I'm closer to 40, and I'm not cut out for constant anti social noise.
I have kept the DB killer and end flute installed, and while these two have kept exhaust DB levels down, it's just not enough for me. Scorpion do sell a closed end DB killer, but I will modify my own as they want ~£40.
Installing the OEM exhaust is a no go, it makes the bike sound like a hoover and takes a lot of character away from the engine / riding experience.
Has anyone here ever regretted an exhaust system? Or have you fully embraced decat life and are happy making all of the noise?
I'm trying to quieten down my little Honda. Built it from parts of various bikes and the only exhausts I had to hand were very loud. Got a DB killer and some packing in them now so a bit better. Plus I want to take it green landing and I don't want to be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of noise complaints.
Fitted a full system to my '21 Z900RS, removed it after the first ride as it was too loud, I can't stand noisy bikes these days but I'm in my 50's, there's no chance of a quiet nap in the garden on a weekend afternoon due to the number of t
ts with loud cans on bikes howling it up the road here.
ts with loud cans on bikes howling it up the road here.I fitted a Zard to my Ducati XDiavel, it got right on my nerves. My mate has some loud SC project exhaust on his BMW boxer it sounds awful I won’t ride behind him. Same mate has a race fit on his speed triple. He got nicked by the police.
I no longer see the point of attracting negative attention. All my bikes have legal systems except one which is more of a show bike than something I’m gonna ride for hours on end. And even that bike has the cat still fitted
I no longer see the point of attracting negative attention. All my bikes have legal systems except one which is more of a show bike than something I’m gonna ride for hours on end. And even that bike has the cat still fitted
Im the wrong side of 40, and definitely not as much of a fan of super loud cans as I used to be. One thing I cant stand which seems to be the rage is these slashed straight pipes with no end can that look like a bit of cut scaffolding and sound awful to me, really droney and so loud they have no character to the sound.
Saying that, I've always found a slightly louder bike to be safer, especially in and around the city and have always put an exhaust on everything I've owned.
My current GSX-R600 came with a decatted Lextek exhaust, and although not usually a fan of cheaper brands, it sounds so damn good I just cant bring myself to change it, i even bought a db killer insert but havent fitted it. It doesnt drone but is loud enough to satisfy my inner teenager that came up on 2 strokes, and has a nice characterful sound.
Scorpions do tend to be on the louder side usually.
Its your bike, so do what you feel happy with, and if you dont like it then change it back would be my advice.
May be worth finding videos online of different branded/setup exhausts on your exact model to see what you like the sound of.
Saying that, I've always found a slightly louder bike to be safer, especially in and around the city and have always put an exhaust on everything I've owned.
My current GSX-R600 came with a decatted Lextek exhaust, and although not usually a fan of cheaper brands, it sounds so damn good I just cant bring myself to change it, i even bought a db killer insert but havent fitted it. It doesnt drone but is loud enough to satisfy my inner teenager that came up on 2 strokes, and has a nice characterful sound.
Scorpions do tend to be on the louder side usually.
Its your bike, so do what you feel happy with, and if you dont like it then change it back would be my advice.
May be worth finding videos online of different branded/setup exhausts on your exact model to see what you like the sound of.
Edited by NAnut on Monday 23 March 12:25
I had a Tuono with Arrow full system for a while that was ridiculously loud, made things in the house shake when I started up. I repacked the material inside the cans which took some of the echo out of it, but still very annoying to people around me. It was great blasting around like that though.
These days I have my S1000R with factory Akra, has a valve system to be quieter at low revs. It doesn't sound 'good' at all and the usual advice is de-cat, replace with full system and remap. I wouldn't say it's loud as it is, but if you go through quiet places people still give you dirty looks like you're doing 100 in a 20, even though my gf says she can't hear it in the house when I come home and put away.
So I wouldn't want to go to the expense of changing it really unless there was performance gains to be had, and it's fast enough anyway. Some touring bikes I've noticed are very quiet and I would say too quiet for being noticed by pedestrians.
These days I have my S1000R with factory Akra, has a valve system to be quieter at low revs. It doesn't sound 'good' at all and the usual advice is de-cat, replace with full system and remap. I wouldn't say it's loud as it is, but if you go through quiet places people still give you dirty looks like you're doing 100 in a 20, even though my gf says she can't hear it in the house when I come home and put away.
So I wouldn't want to go to the expense of changing it really unless there was performance gains to be had, and it's fast enough anyway. Some touring bikes I've noticed are very quiet and I would say too quiet for being noticed by pedestrians.
I'm in the process of changing the exhaust on my Speed Twin. It's very difficult finding something small enough (for more chain access), that looks good, and isn't too loud. I've ordered something so we'll see.
Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
There's a guy across the road from me that commutes on something like a Ducati with one of the loudest exhausts I've heard. He also leaves before 6am, which is annoying. To be fair, he does start and immediately ride off pretty gently, but you can still hear it.
I think if I'm pissed off by it as a person that likes motorbikes, other neighbours must be furious!
I think if I'm pissed off by it as a person that likes motorbikes, other neighbours must be furious!
Bob_Defly said:
I'm in the process of changing the exhaust on my Speed Twin. It's very difficult finding something small enough (for more chain access), that looks good, and isn't too loud. I've ordered something so we'll see.
Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
Pics is the biker banter thread once fitted, love your orange twin Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
NAnut said:
One thing I cant stand which seems to be the rage is these slashed straight pipes with no end can that look like a bit of cut scaffolding and sound awful to me, really droney and so loud they have no character to the sound.
Funny you should say that. The only bike with a modded exhaust is this one.. it sounds fine with the cat in place, but without it, it’s bloody awful. I see so many folk on the bobber forums with those terrible twisted pie cut exhausts that are really expensive, and just laugh
crofty1984 said:
There's a guy across the road from me that commutes on something like a Ducati with one of the loudest exhausts I've heard. He also leaves before 6am, which is annoying. To be fair, he does start and immediately ride off pretty gently, but you can still hear it.
I think if I'm pissed off by it as a person that likes motorbikes, other neighbours must be furious!
Commuting on a Ducati, I like your neighbor I think if I'm pissed off by it as a person that likes motorbikes, other neighbours must be furious!
.I do worry my neighbors will say something about my bike, the cold start is obnoxious, and I've owned a lot of loud cars over the years.
The benefit of having a noisy exhaust is I commute through a city, and many times people haven't heard me coming through traffic. But whether or not this is enough to keep the exhaust is another question.
I live on quote a busy minor road and every morning at5.30 am some wazark goes past on some piece of crap tractor v twin with open pipes.
It's selfish, rude, ignorant and utterly "look at me".
Bikers will always spout better to be seen and heard, but we all know the real reasons, see above.
Same for cars aswell obviously
It's selfish, rude, ignorant and utterly "look at me".
Bikers will always spout better to be seen and heard, but we all know the real reasons, see above.
Same for cars aswell obviously
bergclimber34 said:
I live on quote a busy minor road and every morning at5.30 am some wazark goes past on some piece of crap tractor v twin with open pipes.
It's selfish, rude, ignorant and utterly "look at me".
Bikers will always spout better to be seen and heard, but we all know the real reasons, see above.
Same for cars aswell obviously
Each to their own, I wouldn't call it rude, but I agree with it being selfish. It's selfish, rude, ignorant and utterly "look at me".
Bikers will always spout better to be seen and heard, but we all know the real reasons, see above.
Same for cars aswell obviously
I will always appreciate a nice sounding car/bike/boat with a fruity exhaust, but there's a time and a place, 0530am isn't either.
crofty1984 said:
I'm trying to quieten down my little Honda. Built it from parts of various bikes and the only exhausts I had to hand were very loud. Got a DB killer and some packing in them now so a bit better. Plus I want to take it green landing and I don't want to be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of noise complaints.
I would love to see some build pics of your bike. I'm very new to the bike scene, and already I'm enjoying how simple these machines are to work on. One day I'll have enough confidence to tackle my own project, and I love the idea of making a custom scrambler of some sort. Jazoli said:
Fitted a full system to my '21 Z900RS, removed it after the first ride as it was too loud, I can't stand noisy bikes these days but I'm in my 50's, there's no chance of a quiet nap in the garden on a weekend afternoon due to the number of tts with loud cans on bikes howling it up the road here.
Firstly, excellent choice of bike. I very nearly bought one, but decided on my XSR700 instead. ts with loud cans on bikes howling it up the road here.I'm going to try a few things to quiet things down before I remove the exhaust, if all else fails, I have a real craving for a Tenere 700, which has the same engine but with a removable rear can
MrWideFit said:
Bob_Defly said:
I'm in the process of changing the exhaust on my Speed Twin. It's very difficult finding something small enough (for more chain access), that looks good, and isn't too loud. I've ordered something so we'll see.
Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
Pics is the biker banter thread once fitted, love your orange twin Luckily the cat is under the bike well before the end cans. From my research it sounds like leaving the cat alone helps keep the noise down a bit.
P675 said:
I had a Tuono with Arrow full system for a while that was ridiculously loud, made things in the house shake when I started up. I repacked the material inside the cans which took some of the echo out of it, but still very annoying to people around me. It was great blasting around like that though.
These days I have my S1000R with factory Akra, has a valve system to be quieter at low revs. It doesn't sound 'good' at all and the usual advice is de-cat, replace with full system and remap. I wouldn't say it's loud as it is, but if you go through quiet places people still give you dirty looks like you're doing 100 in a 20, even though my gf says she can't hear it in the house when I come home and put away.
So I wouldn't want to go to the expense of changing it really unless there was performance gains to be had, and it's fast enough anyway. Some touring bikes I've noticed are very quiet and I would say too quiet for being noticed by pedestrians.
Not sure if you know this or not but you can remove the cables from the exhaust flap/servo in about half an hour. No faults on the dash and only slightly more noise. It just sounds like the cold start all the time as the flap is set open and only closes up as the bike warms up. These days I have my S1000R with factory Akra, has a valve system to be quieter at low revs. It doesn't sound 'good' at all and the usual advice is de-cat, replace with full system and remap. I wouldn't say it's loud as it is, but if you go through quiet places people still give you dirty looks like you're doing 100 in a 20, even though my gf says she can't hear it in the house when I come home and put away.
So I wouldn't want to go to the expense of changing it really unless there was performance gains to be had, and it's fast enough anyway. Some touring bikes I've noticed are very quiet and I would say too quiet for being noticed by pedestrians.
I did mine and put a Leo Vince can on it and it sounded a bit nicer without being too loud. The decat and map was out of the question after hearing one in person though.
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