| This is true to all of us motorcycle lovers; we spend | | | | every day "fires up the beast" at 6:30 am to go to |
| some time looking at our bikes, weather we ride a V | | | | work or whatever; It will, for sure, make you |
| Twin cruiser or a street bike, or a dirt bike or | | | | uncomfortable, specially if you have your own alarm |
| motocross, even an ATV, we look at it, and the first | | | | clock set up for half an hour later. This can and will |
| thing that catches our attention is the exhaust pipe. | | | | be aggravating. |
| Then we think: what about a custom motorcycle | | | | The majority of us love the sound of aftermarket |
| exhaust? And that's when the debate starts. | | | | exhaust on sport bikes and Harleys, but where we |
| Loud or Quiet? | | | | are guilty is when the really loud pipes are used on |
| There is, like with everything else, advantages and | | | | the streets. |
| disadvantages to either choice. Quiet pipes are usually | | | | There is always ways to fit a nice custom |
| well accepted in your neighborhood, especially at 7:00 | | | | motorcycle exhaust and keep the noise down at an |
| am when they are still sleeping. Some state laws also | | | | acceptable level. "Louder than stock" but not insanely |
| discourage the use of loud pipes. You should check | | | | loud. |
| your own state's laws before making a decision. On | | | | And the answer is Baffles |
| the other hand loud pipes rock! | | | | The baffles are a smaller diameter perforated tube |
| Usually the first stock item replaced in a bike is the | | | | that have beveled ends to seal inside the exhaust |
| exhaust. Riding the bike becomes more fun and | | | | pipe creating a chamber also called resonator. As the |
| entertaining. It improves the overall look of the bike | | | | exhaust gases passes through the chamber, disrupts |
| and the performance gets also a boost. Some | | | | the sound wave and by the time the gases come |
| applications need modification of the fuel mapping | | | | out the end of the exhaust pipe, the noise has been |
| when you replace the stock exhaust. With so many | | | | quiet down, or in a muffler type, almost totally |
| different choices; long, short, chromed, black, | | | | canceled. |
| titanium, stainless steel, baffled or not baffled, it | | | | Other types of baffle are the removable sound |
| should be all about what we like, after all, custom | | | | inserts that are used on aftermarket street |
| motorcycle exhaust are there to make a statement | | | | motorcycle exhausts and they allow us to tune the |
| and to make us happy with our choice. | | | | exhaust note and back up pressure, this is very |
| How loud is loud enough? | | | | important specially on high performance applications. |
| Motorcyclists, by their very own nature, have an | | | | Another noise canceling trick up the sleeve of |
| appetite for power and sound that most likely very | | | | motorcycle manufacturers is the cross over tube. |
| soon exceeds the original specs set by the | | | | Used to connect two or more exhaust pipes, for |
| manufacturers. There after the existence of many | | | | example on 2 into 2 exhaust systems for V Twin |
| aftermarket companies that feed our insatiable | | | | cruisers, we see a tube that crosses between the |
| appetite knocking at our doors offering every | | | | two pipes, this allows the exhaust pulses from each |
| variation imaginable making us feel that there is no | | | | cylinder to have access to two mufflers instead of |
| limit. Or is it? | | | | just one, this helps reduce the overall exhaust noise |
| As it comes to power, the limit could be your | | | | levels without the need for extremely large silencers. |
| budget, per say, or the machine's technological limits. | | | | Cross over tubes also increases the exhaust |
| In the end does not hurt anyone else, but maybe, | | | | system's internal volume, there after allowing for |
| just maybe, yourself. However, when it comes to | | | | smaller more appealing exhaust system look. |
| exhaust noise, it should be a limit. I mean we should | | | | So in the end, how loud? Is up to us. I think that we |
| be some what considerate with our neighbors and | | | | should be some how conscious of our own impact in |
| also with other motorists and drivers all together, | | | | the environment that surround us and we are part |
| other wise just imagine having a neighbor with one of | | | | of. |
| those really loud motorcycle exhaust systems and | | | | |