revtothelimit - motorbike forum

The eternal debate!

These days I prefer a more sneaky bike,plus in the Summer I tend to leave the house early,so I like to be on speaking terms with my neighbours. I've always wondered if there was much difference in power between baffles in or out. We've all heard the stories of big losses with baffles in and I suppose it may vary from bike to bike. We always need moar powah.

This vid from Sylvain Guintoli is a good comparison.

i think the ZX6R made 1.5bhp more.... We leave it out mostly, but you can barely hear it anyway.

KTM is completely standard.

On my Suzuki I went from a noisy can to the standard, it's quieter and faster, and it's plenty quick enough, but all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts, I suspect twins feel the same (I've never owned a 4 stroke twin)

I have a proper full akra system, baffle out gives 1.5hp more than baffle in. Baffle out is 7dB louder, which is ear bleeding loud! Baffle in is still 96dB
It depends how well designed the exhaust is in the first place. The 'cheaper' end of the market, the baffles have more of an effect iirc.

I did have a full Akrapovic and whilst it looked & sounded nice it made the bike a bit slower and in all honesty I was happier with a quieter bike. So I sold it earlier this year.

I've noticed a baffle in will lose that crispness, or flatten it slightly, on most bikes I've had.

I love the sound of bikes and will fit a race can to most bikes, but today I'll probably run with baffle in. I prefer the muted growl rather than the outright roar!

Each to their own, but if I can't hear an exhaust note I might as well be on a scooter. It really is an essential part of the bike riding experience for me.

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:43 pm all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts

For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

Demannu wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:43 pm all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts

For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

I thought my 610 SMS was about 45bhp with TE cans on it, but the Husky has a smaller engine than the LC4 KTM

Demannu wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:43 pm all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts

For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

I reckon my TE300i would be about that.

Yorick wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 3:37 pm

Demannu wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:43 pm all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts

For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

I reckon my TE300i would be about that.

i wouldnt be surprised.
my 250exc was 42 with an sx pipe and vortex reeds and a bit of magic dust sprinkled on it!

Yorick wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 3:37 pm

Demannu wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 12:43 pm all the singles I've had felt strangled with quiet exhausts

For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

I reckon my TE300i would be about that.

I'd think it would be nearer 60

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 3:56 pm

Yorick wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 3:37 pm

Demannu wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:26 pm
For shits and giggles I had my husky dyno'd with different cans on it. Oe decatted gave 42, oe gutted 44, SP race can, 48.
Which considering ktms were giving 50+, was pretty poor!

I reckon my TE300i would be about that.

I'd think it would be nearer 60

It shifts 15 stone of gorgeous Yorkshireman up some silly volcanoes with ease

I don't even have a race can nowadays! The OE is fine for me and the airbox growl is like have Box Hill in the 90s piped into your lug holes. It's not noisy off the bike but on it sounds brilliant and I only care about my enjoyment (says the wife).


On the 690 I had a Leo Vince but that made barely any more noise than OE with the Cat in place. Cat removed would have been very loud which isn't me now.

Noise is one of the sticks being used to beat motorcyclists with, and the bikers tear-arsing around during lockdowns did absolutely nothing to help our case.

Motorcycling is under increasing threat on a purely practical front - actually riding the darn thing!

Oxfordshire delivered an entirely negative view of PTWs in their 2020 development plan (they subsequently apologised and withdrew some of the comments but it had already been circulated)... they made negative statements about the safety, environmental impact, and space requirements of motorcycles.

Hackney last week have pressed ahead with their parking charges which will now cost riders the same as a car driver to park anywhere in the borough whether in a residents' bay or a public bay, and this is at least partly because of the perceived noise nuisance...

And if you want to ride into Cambridge, under the proposed plans bikes will be charged the same as cars.

It's not just the UK. There are noise bans in place already on bikes in Germany and Austria, and there are debates about the noise issue in Switzerland, Italy and France.

We may be out of Europe but you can bet your boots councils will happily let the EU set a precedent if it keeps some of their bike-hating voters happy.

The debates about noise always annoy me a bit. Yes, some bikes are changed to be pretty annoying, especially in a built up area. But HDs are produced that way from the factory - but that's ok?

And who ever hears of souped up chavvy hatchbacks that have bean cans for exhausts getting pulled and made to change back to standard

I get the annoyance of extra loud exhausts, but do it on noise, not wheels or badge!!

Lots of the local nutters here have slash cut MotoGP pipes.
They're awesome as they go up the long hill about 400 yards from our gaff

The Muzzy Meg on the ZRX11 is the *big hole* version & came with a funnel shaped doodad tack welded in the loud end of the baffle. That bit went in the trash the first week. I did test it with the baffle out & it registered 143.7Db on the gizmo a mate uses to test the aircraft noise at NAS Lemoore just South of Fresno... So that's a smidge too melodious for the street....altho I have run it without the baffle on the street a few times (it would be rude not to...) It is physically painful to stand behind it with the baffle out.. & even with the baffle in it was suggested that I ride at the back on any group rides.
The ex missus told me that the wolves would react to hearing my bike when I was on my way home. We timed it & worked out they were hearing me on the freeway 3 miles to the East & 3 or 4 miles South of the house.

The ZX11 is very quiet with stock set up & I don't mind it as the bike is pretty much 100% stock.... altho the hooligan part of me thinks a pair of replica Muzzy Megs poking out the back would look & sound great.

Noggin wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:15 pm The debates about noise always annoy me a bit. Yes, some bikes are changed to be pretty annoying, especially in a built up area. But HDs are produced that way from the factory - but that's ok?

Actually, out of the factory, they are pretty quiet - they have to be to comply with new bike legislation. But the law allows the dealer to fit a loud exhaust to a brand-new machine, and of course most dealers are only too happy to offer since it's more cash in the bank for them. It's a knee-jerk reflex for most new owners to fit a loud pipe.

And who ever hears of souped up chavvy hatchbacks that have bean cans for exhausts getting pulled and made to change back to standard

I get the annoyance of extra loud exhausts, but do it on noise, not wheels or badge!!

Actually, the plod are regularly rounding up the boy racers in the hot hatches. They get ASBOs.

The trouble is, they rarely go further than the local supermarket carpark at 11pm. Bikers actually ride the damn things to Snowdonia and the racket echos round the mountains.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:23 pm Actually, out of the factory, they are pretty quiet - they have to be to comply with new bike legislation. But the law allows the dealer to fit a loud exhaust to a brand-new machine, and of course most dealers are only too happy to offer since it's more cash in the bank for them. It's a knee-jerk reflex for most new owners to fit a loud pipe.

Over there they will now prosecute dealers who do that.. however, when being questioned by the rozzers about a loud pipe "It came like that from the dealer" will stop them from issuing a mere *fix-it* ticket as it suddenly involves a LOT more paperwork & ballache... especially if you name a now defunct dealer & there's at least a half dozen closed Kaw dealers in LA. Canoga Park Kawasaki is my go to as they closed shop before my ZRX was even built. (I bought all their Z1/KZ/GPz parts back in the day)

For the bikes that don't have standard exhausts the baffles are in. Loud exhausts annoy me so would be hypocritical to be that dick. The 1290SD is far too loud without it.