Loud Exhaust options

Hello,

I just got my '04 SW about 3 weeks ago. I also have an X9 500 and it has a lovely exhaust note compared to my SW Have any of you fit a performance exhaust that would produce a more sporty (and more noticeable / louder) note so that other people in traffic would hear me when I'm approaching? Thanks!

Loud pipes save lives? So do loud radios also save lives?

There are some options. Maybe Bernardo can point to some as I believe he has fitted an aftermarket system to his bike.

I'm not a fan but here is a LINK for 3 made for the Silver Wing.

I make sure when approaching vehicles from the rear to stay out of the blind spots, and get in line with their mirrors and watch them until they see you (side or rear view) that is assuming they use them to begin with

But if you put on one of those custom cans to open up the exhaust, does the engine fuel system have to be modded in anyway?

eggster:
Leo Vince makes a nice free-flow exhaust for the Silverwing. It will cost about $450.00 from Twisted Throttle. It sounds great (a throaty little growl) and paired with a K&N air filter, it will boost your horse power from 5 to 10 percent (roughly 3 to 4 horsepower). You may experience a bit of popping after you let off the throttle due to uncombusted gas exiting the engine. I plan to install a power commander this fall to lean-out my fuel mixture just a little, which should lessen the popping and improve my mpgs.

Have a look (and a listen!) to the following video clips for a comparison between my bike, and my scoot with a scorpion exhaust fitted. Note the exhaust is not made for the Silver Wing, but rather a Yamaha XJR 1300. Dave the mechanic and race specialist who has done most of the Mod work to my scoot fitted it by making a tailored stainless steel connection pipe, and simply fitted the scorpion can on the end...

Firstly my 14 year old Yamaha Diversion, 900cc inline 4 8 valve engine, stock pipes....

https://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/willbernardo/?action=view¤t=MVI_5899.flv

Next the Silver Wing with the scorpion exhaust and baffles in


https://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/willbernardo/?action=view¤t=MVI_5900.flv


And finally with the baffles out... The video starts with the baffle which has already been removed....

https://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/willbernardo/?action=view&current=MVI_5901.flv



Just to point out here that without the baffles the scoot is er maybe not street legal..... But it does sound good don't you think? Also without the baffles the scoot makes another 2.5 bhp at the rear wheel... Acceleration feels a bit better, and that combined with the sound is a real rush when you ride. I went to London the other day and met up with asmall group from the maxi muppets, a UK maxi-scoot forum. On the way home I rode back through London with the baffles out.... It felt pretty awesome... And I have to say it seemed other folk did keep out of the way a bit more... In fact I'm still smiling now when I think about it...

99% of the time I ride with the baffles in!

Hope this helps with what an aftermarket exhaust sounds like on the S'Wing...

You mentioned that you ride most of the time with the baffles in. Can you just change them out? I am a little baffled about that.

Does sound kinda cool and it might be illegal but if you can put em in and take em out. There are places here I could ride and kinda be like the tree that falls in the forest that nobody hears.

Gary

Yep, and if a man talks in the woods and there's no women around, is he still wrong??

I see in the picture it looked like you had a laminated lip on your wind shield.
What kind? I made one out of an old w/s and works good on mine....
I did put the chrome exhaust extensions on my stock muffler though. Made them out of 1 and 1/4 inch chrome as suggested by someone on the Forum.
I like them...
Old Dave

Thomphoto, I can tell you are a wise man... and so young too....

Gary

Opalsboy wrote:

Thomphoto, I can tell you are a wise man... and so young too....

Gary

I don't know about wise, but my 72 yrs lets out the young part!
Thanks anyway,

Wendell

thomphoto wrote:

Opalsboy wrote:

Thomphoto, I can tell you are a wise man... and so young too....

Gary

I don't know about wise, but my 72 yrs lets out the young part!
Thanks anyway,

Wendell

Well I'm 43 soon, and its good to read that life as you get older just gets better and better!

As to the baffles, better described as a single one unit "baffle" which is essentially an oval tube with one end party open thanks to a wire mesh. It just slots into the exhaust or pulls out... It is held in place by a single screw... I can do a short video to show you if you are interested...

Bernardo

Short video or series of stills would be great. Don't go to a lot of trouble, but if you do that, I promise to look at it or them.
Gary

Must admit im kinda tempted to go down the exhaust route ive done it with every other bike and it makes people look in the mirror as your coming up (most are ok noise wise if you slow down in villages etc)

mr fish wrote:

Must admit im kinda tempted to go down the exhaust route ive done it with every other bike and it makes people look in the mirror as your coming up (most are ok noise wise if you slow down in villages etc)

Mr Fish... Beware.... You are on a slippery slope...!!! Oh don't get me wrong....it's a fun one, and you end up with an even cooler scoot... But I must have spent around £1200 on mods on mine... so its not cheap! And then after all that, I bought a bike as well... Now I've run out of money to spend on bikes for the moment, so for now I am saving for another bike to eventually replace my Divvy and to have in addition to the S'wing

However if you do go for an exhaust, can I recomend that you do go for one where you can remove the baffles.... Take them out and its like having a different ride!

OK. Here are a series of photos showing how the baffles come out. Note in the second photo, the end of my allen key is pointing to the one screw that holds in the baffles.. Once the screw is out, the baffles just slide out... You just have to remember not to do it too soon after the engine has been running...!

I know what you mean about spending money ive got my eye on a xt660x for next summer (if money is there)need enough to keep scoot and bike or i fear it may be just bike with mods (cant keep the child at bay)

Get the pipes because you like the sound or like the performance improvement, not because you want people to hear you coming. The only people that will hear you coming are pedestrians. Cagers with the AC on and the stereo on will not here you coming, they may hear you as you pass them, if they are paying attention and not yacking on cell phones or even worse, trying to text while driving. Just my $.02.

Ride safe!
Wes

When I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Riders Edge Course last year, the instructor said that some folks say that loud pipes are for safety. He also said if loud pipes made riding safer, the insurance companies would be giving discounts for having them. One of the major causes of motorcycle accidents are inattentive auto drivers coming from the opposite direction and turning in front of you, and they aren't going to hear you with their cell phones stuck in their ear and the windows rolled up. If you want to be loud, have at it, but with my quiet exhaust, I can actually hear cars/trucks approaching from behind sometimes, and they're the ones that worry me. Incidently, if you haven't taken one of those courses, I encourage you to do it. I started riding motor bikes(1947 Whizzer) 61 years ago and rode off & on through the years. It was amazing to me what I didn't know and what I learned during that course. It was two nights of classroom work, a full two days(weekend) of riding their course(they supply the bikes-Buell Blasters)plus their riding test, and then a two hour classroom review and the written test. Well worth the couple of hundred bucks it costs. Those Blasters are built by Harley and are tough. They are single cylinder with about 500cc's(1/2 of a Harley engine) and make a jack hammer seem smooth.

Im one for loud exhausts because they reduce accidents(only some)in heavy built up areas when filtering they make people look in there mirrors (again only some)but one is better than none..........I used to ride in London and found that a loud pipe and lights on were a life saver ...Now I ride more outside London theres less benefit except sounding good and more power(which are 2 good reasons)
:lol!:

Most loud pipes are only loud when riding hard so if your sensible you can still have and not offened

You could always get your favorite exhaust sound and play it thru a bullhorn...

too funny Dan! that sort of reminds me of that scene in the Movie "Apocalypse Now" when the helicopters are closing in on the cong village and they are blasting some symphony through loud speakers...

I think the funniest thing I've seen regarding the loud pipes save lives debate occured one morning after a PGR mission. We had stopped afterward for breakfast. One of the HD guys had been telling us all about his latest pipe mod and how it was much safer now that it was louder. He was interrupted by a car cruising past with all of its windows down and the latest hip hop pulsing through the air. One of the GoldWing guys just said, "loud radios save lives." Strange logic fighting strange logic - it was interesting watching the loud pipes guy struggle to find a response.

No debate cars are easier to see and if you dont 9 times out of 10 just an insurance claim if it saves one life its got my backing

[quote="Bernardo"]OK. Here are a series of photos showing how the baffles come out.

Just as a matter of curiosity... do/does the baffle(s) come out of the OEM muffler in a similar fashion?? Or not at all? Would a "straight pipe" exhaust harm the SWing operation??

x

LOUDLY QUOTING OBSCURE PASSAGES OF TEXT SAVES BOOKS !

After riding lots of bikes withh different types of exhausts I like quiet. After riding my blackwing for 200 miles with out stopping it does not take half a hour to get all my hearing back. When I ride with the blackwing I can hear the road, birds and children playing loud. I think a 15 dollar vest from wally world is a better investment for safety and save your hearing for latter years. Just my opinion. Cars can not hear the fire trucks I drive they are not going to hear no baffles on a cycle.

_________________

I rode a new Triumph Scramber yesterday at a test ride event that was equipped with an Arrow "silencer." WOW was it loud, but what a fabulous sound. Nice bike, too, but not for me.

Got me wondering about this old thread -- I've listened to the audio clip Bernardo posted of his Scorpion exhaust but I want something more of a straight bolt-on. Does anyone have a clip of what the Leo Vince sounds like on a Silver Wing?

I don't want anything obnoxious, I just want to be able to hear it. Got back on the SWing after riding the Trumpet and I wasn't even sure it was on...

I had a LeoVince stainless exhaust on my 400 Burgman. Bit too loud for me! It wasn't until I test rode the Wing that I realised how much better it sounded than the Burgy. Mine stays as Honda intended!

roadrunner wrote:

Got back on the SWing after riding the Trumpet and I wasn't even sure it was on...

This gave me a smile. After riding my Yamaha Morphous for any length of time and then switching rides, one of my first thoughts is that the Silver Wing with stock exhaust puts up quite a racket. Guess perceptions are relative.

I've heard a Morphous and they are nearly silent indeed.

My cage for rainy days is an '07 Civic Si with a full-race exhaust system (already on it when I bought it); next to it most anything is quiet, especially when VTEC kicks in.

Don't get me wrong, I like the way the SWing sounds, I'd just like to hear a wee bit more.

x

Loud colors save lives... Wearing hi-viz gear is an excellent way to get yourself noticed by other riders and drivers. After starting with a black helmet and black jacket, I now wear a Scorpion EXO-700 Neon and one of two hi-viz yellow jackets depending on temperatures. I receive nothing but compliments on them. Several riders/drivers have mentioned they can see me better, and from farther away, than any other rider they encounter.

I have heard the arguments both ways regarding loud pipes. Perhaps there are occasions where a loud exhaust alerts otherwise inattentive drivers, so I won't recommend for or against. However, I have first-hand evidence how hi-viz gear works in addition to the comments from others mentioned above. Not long ago, I was the first of two riders proceeding through an intersection. A driver approaching the same intersection to my left, while at a stop sign, watched me, wearing hi-viz gear, proceed through the intersection. Glancing at my mirror, I noticed he then began to accelerate into the intersection, then suddenly stabbed his brake. He did this, fortunately in time to avoid a collision with the following rider, on a loud piped black bike wearing black gear.

To be fair, I have had drivers pull out in front of me while I'm wearing hi-viz gear. However, it's a rare event. There's no magic to hi-viz gear, but I believe it's the right way to go. The following rider's loud pipes were clearly not as effective, at least not that time.

Try a BRITE colored stuffed doll on the back or on top of your box if you have one. They will see this every time.

A baby seat strapped on the pillion seat works exceptionally well too!

A freind purchased one,she dropped it off where I work and asked me to mind it for later pick up at home. The box it came in was too cumbersome so I bungied the seat to the rack and seat. I only needed to travel about 1 mile, but the looks and comments proved to me that people will see you every time if they want to see you. One mum went nuts at me.
I reckon it could be improved by adding one of those realistic baby dolls.

In my opinion about the only thing loud pipes do is irritate your neighbors. There have been several times when a loud HD came up from behind me on my SW or GW which are both quiet and I didn't hear the HD until it was just about beside me. With loud pipes a long trip is more fatiguing, the constant drone gets to be less than a good sound after a few hours. One other thing is that the idea of a loud scooter seems a bit funny to me. If you want to demonstrate your macho put a loud exhaust on your scooter, dress up in a black leather jacket with lots of zippers and chains and a WWII german helmet and go riding from bar to bar. If you want to be seen and avoid the most common fatal bike accident, that of an oncoming automobile turning left in front of you (who sure as heck isn't hearing your pipes) install a headlight modulator.

hello
i'm marc from france
i've a sw600
it's equiped with :
-kn air filter
-iridium spark plugs
-leo vince exhaust without db killer
works great
nothing modified for the fuel injection
i found that the noise isn't so loud and it's not poping at low speed
just over 80 kmh when you leave back the throttle to decelerate and the accelerate
it's nothing to see with exhaust for TMAX 500 that are great sounds
the mecanician tells me that it will come louder with the time ...
cheers from france

x

For what it's worth, IM (oh so humble) Opinion, loud pipes merely indicate that the rider is less than nobly endowed, both physically and mentally. I agree with all who advocate headlight modulators and green hornet jackets.


Pendragon, survivor.

+1 for the hi viz!
Maybe a Chucky doll in the car seat too.

Har, har; add a blow-up item to the pillion seat and you've got viz allright. :-) Pee Ess, I use a quiet exhaust myself. Heh, heh.

For what its worth I don't actually wear a hi-viz as copper mate of mine once commented to me 'they make it p#ss easy for a radar gun operator etc. to target you - even in poor weather!' So I have modified mine to be a topbox cover - very visable from both sides and the rear, but not much, if any from the front; which suits me!

Unfortuantely headlight/tail light modulators are not legal here in the UK (possibly in the rest of Europe as well - I've never bothered to check). Even so MAG & Fema campaigned against the introduction of daytime running lights here based on various facts and reasoning, not least of which 'a flashed headlight' can and almost aways is misconstured between two drivers as one 'giving way to the other' at a junction or some similar situation.

Infact, according to the highway code (not law here - just used as guidance by the legal system) a flashed headlight indicates nothing more that 'I am here'............. There was a certain amount of fear amongst motorcyclist (notably whipped up by the motorcycling press) that daytime running lights would lead to an increase in accidents due to other road users thinking they had been 'flashed out', whether or not this is actually the case I don't know. Using the freedom of information act I suppose it would be possible to work it out if one had absolutely nothing else better to do

As far as lound cans go, I've never had one fitted - never had the money. I've ridden long distances with riders whos bikes had them fitted and found it a very uncomfortable and eventually annoying experience. One of the most gratifying things about the Swing is the ability one has to flip the visor and talk to your pillion without having to yell your head off - I haven't got an intercom (I'd be getting comments and directions etc. if I did.... ). I can see no real benefit to fitting a loud system to my SWing, its fast enough for real road use without the need to fit a 'free'er breathing system' - which if we are all honest is the main reason most folks fit loud pipes in the first place. Add to that the cost of either setup on a dyno &/or a replacement ECU kit like a Powercommander and it all seem to be a bit of a waste of time - better off just buying another bike with more power!

redeye wrote:

Loud colors save lives... Wearing hi-viz gear is an excellent way to get yourself noticed by other riders and drivers. After starting with a black helmet and black jacket, I now wear a Scorpion EXO-700 Neon and one of two hi-viz yellow jackets depending on temperatures. I receive nothing but compliments on them. Several riders/drivers have mentioned they can see me better, and from farther away, than any other rider they encounter.

+1. I look like a human tennis ball with my Olympia HiViz jacket and same EXO-700. However, as has been reported, my helmet is also fading to white on the top. Will opt for a white one next time (second best viz choice).

IMPORNTANT public service announcement about loud exhaust!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt-ytACeVM0

Great commercial!

Yeah, I don't want anything THAT loud, and I don't subscribe to the "loud pipes save lives" myth. I just like the sound of a good running internal combustion engine and at speed on the SWing I can't hear anything but wind. I just ordered a Give AirFlow, so maybe the extra stillness will allow me to hear the motor just enough. IF I go with the Leo Vince, I won't be removing the baffle. But I'd sure like to hear what it actually sounds like first.

sound of the GPR exo 7 is "louder" than leovince. Leovince without DBKiller sounds like apocalypse and there is a "hole" when you open gaz... I cut 9cm of the DBK and I think it's a good solution

personally i don't like load pipes on scooters ,as i feel thats not what a scooter is all about,motorbikes do sound good with open pipes but everybody (none biker)looks down on this and this is what gives us a bad name.where as when scooters go bye there big flash and quiet,and get noticed more ,so changing people's attitude toward powered two wheelers.