The Loud Pipe Poll 2020

[Mr. Dazzle]

Unlike the tattoo shop owner over the road whos Harley which has pretty much no pipes and shakes the office windows .

I do feel a little bit self conscious when I start up the Bonnie cause it's so loud. I try to make a reasonably prompt get away and keep it muted until I'm out of the houses...

However my neighbours have recently started playing loud music in their gardens until late at night, so fuck 'em

[Rockburner]

On the Rockster (well - any R1150) the catalyser box does most of the work of 'silencing' and producing back pressure so I tend to run the bike with just the catalyser box, (ie no end-can).


It's a little bit louder than stock (I've not measured it), but a LOT quieter than running a Remus Y-piece and end-can (which I had on (iirc) my 2nd Rockster).

Means the rear-wheel is far easier to get to for tyre changes (and the annual clean ), and also allows me to fit a full-size pannier on that side.

[KungFooBob]

On the Rockster (well - any R1150) the catalyser box does most of the work of 'silencing' and producing back pressure so I tend to run the bike with just the catalyser box, (ie no end-can).


It's a little bit louder than stock (I've not measured it), but a LOT quieter than running a Remus Y-piece and end-can (which I had on (iirc) my 2nd Rockster).

Means the rear-wheel is far easier to get to for tyre changes (and the annual clean ), and also allows me to fit a full-size pannier on that side.

My mate worked for one of the bike mags many moons ago.

He decided to borrow a bike from BMW and enter it in a club race at Cadwell... they gave him an R1200ST.

I went to spanner for him, he was worried about the pipe grounding out and BMW sending him a bill, so I took it off, made a nice noise, you could could see the honeycomb in the cat glowing when he came in.

He didn't come last, I think he beat a bloke on a Castrol painted SP2.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm shocked that I'm only 1 of 2 people with aftermarket race systems (though I have got 3 of them), if you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Well obnoxious loud exhausts, dark visors and tiny number plates all do smell a bit 1990s now TBF. They all just feel a bit old hat.

You hardly see any of those things any more IME.

[MrLongbeard]

Well obnoxious loud exhausts, dark visors and tiny number plates all do smell a bit 1990s now TBF. They all just feel a bit old hat.

You hardly see any of those things any more IME.

Sorry but I've not been out much lately with the crap weather we've been having

[Supermofo]

I'm shocked that I'm only 1 of 2 people with aftermarket race systems (though I have got 3 of them), if you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Only ever had 1 full system that was on my 625SMC. But it was a) cheap (full Remus with Ti can fpr £440) and b) gave big power gains that were noticeable as a % of stock so well worth it. Whereas on my Blade for example the % was much smaller for bigger outlay. And my balls weren't big enough to need more power on the Blade

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't think anyone ever needed more power on any of the big bikes from the 90s, it was about the pose factor, I remember people asking me why I kept the EXUP on my 98 R1 as it would make more top end power with a full system - that bike didn't need more power anywhere, it was feckin mental standard (though I had the obligatory noisy end can on it)

[Whysub]

I have the standard can on my Enfield Himalayan, as I tend to ride it off road and on tracks which often end up going through farms. I don't think that Spain is very tolerant of loud pipes EXCEPT the night before a MotoGP.

My Street Triple has standard endcans on, and as I will be using it for long distance travel, the quieter the better!

[Skub]

I'm shocked that I'm only 1 of 2 people with aftermarket race systems (though I have got 3 of them), if you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Everyone was 30 years younger then too...

[Hot_Air]

I'm shocked that I'm only 1 of 2 people with aftermarket race systems (though I have got 3 of them), if you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Aftermarket race systems are so nineties In the (quietly) roaring twenties, stealth is what's on-trend

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm shocked that I'm only 1 of 2 people with aftermarket race systems (though I have got 3 of them), if you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Aftermarket race systems are so nineties In the (quietly) roaring twenties, stealth is what's on-trend

Tell that to the guy I heard at 6 this morning, no stealth involved there

[mikeycee]

Akrapovic on my 2017 S1000XR with standard headers and CAT Etc.

[mikeycee]

If you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Definitely right there

Slightly off topic but our company has seen the same trend with all of the aftermarket filter induction kits etc for cars which was always a very 90's/Early 2000's thing. We manufacture the full induction kits that replaced the entire airbox etc and at one point we were selling upwards of 250 Kits per day in the 'Max Power' Years. Nowadays its all direct replacement filters only, or hugely expensive specialist intake kits for racers and professional tuners etc.

I cut my teeth designing induciton kits for the Nova, Astra and Corsa owning Oiks of the day giving them a lovely induction roar and helping them gain 2bhp on their 1.3 litre engines - Those were the days!

[flicker]

Happy to fly under the radar.

I'm not a fan of loud pipes and much prefer to keep it under the radar as much as possible.

And I’m another under-the-radar kinda guy

Same here, always struck me as a bit dense to give the Police fair warning I was up to no good

[Bigjawa]

If you'd asked the same question in the 1990s the answer would have been very different.

Definitely right there

Slightly off topic but our company has seen the same trend with all of the aftermarket filter induction kits etc for cars which was always a very 90's/Early 2000's thing. We manufacture the full induction kits that replaced the entire airbox etc and at one point we were selling upwards of 250 Kits per day in the 'Max Power' Years. Nowadays its all direct replacement filters only, or hugely expensive specialist intake kits for racers and professional tuners etc.

I cut my teeth designing induciton kits for the Nova, Astra and Corsa owning Oiks of the day giving them a lovely induction roar and helping them gain 2bhp on their 1.3 litre engines - Those were the days!

I used to make a fortune in those days buying old rusted out Escorts and Orions and swapping the CVHs into Fiestas that we had trailed the old OHV engines out of for the local boy racers. Add a K&N and a Peco exhaust and they were in heaven.

Funnily enough I never really rated Ford engines for performance, especially after I bought an AX GT for a ton and it totally demolished my XR2 on the way home.

[The Spin Doctor]

Well obnoxious loud exhausts, dark visors and tiny number plates all do smell a bit 1990s now TBF. They all just feel a bit old hat.

You hardly see any of those things any more IME.

Have you seen a Traffic Light Grand Prix here in London recently? It's de rigeur if you own a sporty 125 to have a race (!) can with the baffle out, and half the scooters have 'em too.

[rodbargee]

The standard Jota Pipes are deafening. ZZR 14 pipes subtle