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