How Loud is ok?

S1000RR  FORUM

Help Support S1000RR FORUM:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

soofsayer

Forum Admin
Joined
Aug 6, 2013
Messages
6,790
Reaction score
3
Location
York
After nearly 3 years of ownership I took the baffle off the end can on the HP4 to see what difference it makes.

Now the setup is full ti Akra system with de-cat link pipe and now no baffle.

Went out for a spin late yesterday to see what it was like and bed in new front pads and tyres.

Holy hell, I think I woke the dead.

At tick over the bike rear end vibrates a lot, so much so I thought something was loose at first. I must never mention this vibration to my wife or she'll divorce me and marry the bike, or worse, suddenly take an interest in riding pillion.

Pulled up at some traffic lights and I got the impression the bloke in the car next to me found the noise offensive. On the ride I was given a very wide berth by every vehicle I came up behind. Pedestrians turned to look at what was coming. I could certainly hear the exhaust through my helmet and plugs at a level much louder than previous.

I have never been one for very loud exhausts. I once lived next to a guy with a very loud Ducati who thought it was ok to run it outside his garage for up to an hour every Sunday morning at dawn, tinkering, before pissing off down the road to then call the AA to come and save him. Anyway....

Whats the consensus on loud pipes? I'm thinking I am now at the offensive end of noise levels, and the socially acceptable thing to do is put the baffle back in.... But I was 'unseen' by three cars last week (all elderly drivers) at junctions, so maybe there is a safety argument, louder is safer?

What do you think?
 
A wife pleaser and safety feature all rolled into one, who could ask for more :joyous: Trouble is it also attracts plod, pisses off a lot of people and drills into your head after a while, decisions, decisions...
 
The baffle in my Akro costs me about 1hp according to the dyno man. Make of that what you will. I leave it in as it's fecker to get the bolt on and off.

The noise on mine isn't as bad as you describe! which is odd as they are essentially the same.
 
If there is any possibility that you might inadvertently marginally exceed the speed limit at some point, being heard by the police in the next county is probably not ideal.
 
Loud Exhausts

I personally have a very strong dislike for loud exhausts especially at trackdays. Akrapovič exhausts are generally quite quiet especially with the baffle fitted. If it sounds uncharacteristically loud with the baffle out it's normally an indication that it needs to be repacked. Calsport sell Akrapovič repacking kits at a very reasonable price should you need one.
 
Must say I agree loud cans just attract unwanted attention off the police and everyone else , they also can give bikes a bad name (by none bikers) if they are really really stupidly loud. I was at Whitby over the weekend and a guy had a Harley with straight through pipes wow that was loud I thought my ears were going to bleed :unconscious:
 
Think it depends on where you are riding. I tent to ride away from built up areas, give or take the journey to get to the rural areas. In the built up areas it doesn't get the gas so doesn't tend to get too loud. Mines is full Akra with baffle out. Personally I like it, unless it's motorway I'm on.
 
I suppose the name of one Harley brand exhaust is screaming eagle which bit of a give away that it's going to be loud
 
personally loud isn't for me , I have the akro slip on and the bike sounds fine , really like it on song actually , I do a dalily commute and I have occasionally used my brothers RSV4 with its arrow bean tin , my God! it's ridiculous I go through a few wee housing estates at the crack of dawn and you can see the windows vibrating and every person I pass makes me want cringe to the point of having to pull clutch in! lol not fur me
 
Emmmm guessing I'm the only one that loves a loud can then? I run my Austin racing can open as it can be and it costs me 5bhp but who's ever going to notice that on the roads?
 
Hey Soof, I have run my Hp4 with no cat or baffle for 3 years, only put it in for the MOT at the beginning of May, sounds so much quieter with it in I left it like that for the run down to the Isle of Man this week. Took it off yesterday with a 8 mm spanner and will run about like this for the fortnight. The only time it will be back in is for the run back up the M6 and will then be destined for the shelf until next MOT.

I hardly hear it with my iPod full blast, WHAT?

JimmyMac
 
Id rather have a loud bike than a quiet bike from a safety point of view. That's the biggest problem I have with electric bikes and pushbikes.

The can on my old bike was excessively loud but I'm sensible in built up areas, usually ticking over in top gear so it wasn't overly loud..

If it concerns you so much you could probably modify the baffle to get a sound somewhere in between purring and roaring? (Maybe buy a spare baffle before chopping up your only one!)
 
Love my SC Project CRT although I am glad the bike still has the CAT fitted even if it is just the HP4 one which isn't massive but enough to damped the noise a little :)

I think without the CAT the bike would spit too many flames and set off far too many car alarms, but as it is it is far louder than the Akra without the baffle :D
 
Back
Top