Aren't Quiet bikes nice ....

[Stig / Major Tom]

Sitting here at Tim's with my sunrise cuppa Joe and witnessed two big, quiet motorcycles passing down the blvd in front of me. One was even a sport bike. Both with stock exhausts. ......quiet and classy sounding!

Watched a good video recently, from a well respected motorcycle vendor, dealing with aftermarket exhausts. Interesting. The advice was, for street use - keep the stock exhaust system. Modern bikes have well engineered exhaust systems, for power,  mpg's, driveability, etc., etc.
Thinking a loud pipe on a street bike will improve anything....is old fashioned thinking was his take away.
But, kids 9 to 90 love the noise....so they'll keep buying them.
Stig

[boo]

When young people buy their first motorcycle or motor scooter, they are anxious the changs something. Not realizing stock equipment is the absolute best. It was designed for the machine.
When I was young, I liked loud pipes too. Not anymore. I love the way my GTI slips along like a quiet jet. I can actually sneak up on people.
Now days I like my machines quiet, smooth, and fast.

Don`t get me wrong. I like the Harley sound or the rumble of a low tone crotch rocket. I just don`t want to hear those sounds all day long.

[CROSSBOLT]

Ah, men after my own heart! The elegant, understated rumble of a Burg' twin, the whisper of a 'Wing Honda and even the unique, special sound of a stock Harley are all quite pleasant. Must be an old guy thing......

Karl
 

[ole two wheels]

I will get no agreement here, but the sweetest sound to my ears are, in this order, #1 a Stearman Engine at idle and #2 a Harley 1200 Sportster with straight pipes at idle. Please excuse me, but I'm a little strange.

[TroutBum]

I prefer the quiet. People tell me to replace my pipes with a set of Vance and Hines or other aftermarket exhaust system for my Harley. I don't want or need the noise. The older I've become the less I want noise. It's loud enough stocked and while the Harley rumble is a bit muffled there's no mistaking the notes. I don't need volume to appreciate the sound the V-twin makes.

[TroutBum]

Sitting here at Tim's with my sunrise cuppa Joe and witnessed two big, quiet motorcycles passing down the blvd in front of me. One was even a sport bike. Both with stock exhausts. ......quiet and classy sounding!

Watched a good video recently, from a well respected motorcycle vendor, dealing with aftermarket exhausts. Interesting. The advice was, for street use - keep the stock exhaust system. Modern bikes have well engineered exhaust systems, for power,  mpg's, driveability, etc., etc.
Thinking a loud pipe on a street bike will improve anything....is old fashioned thinking was his take away.
But, kids 9 to 90 love the noise....so they'll keep buying them.
Stig

The aftermarket manufacturers love the young crowd. It doesn't stop with just the exhaust. Free flow air cleaners and tuners are pushed as well. You can easily drop $1,200 to $2,000 on a stage 1 setup. Vance & Hines pipes, air cleaner and FuelPak 3 tuner I priced for my bike would run about $1,400 If installed myself. Besides the noise you loose back pressure so engine breaking is much less effective.

[hypophthalmus]

I've always preferred quieter exhausts. I'm always excited by pleasant but gentle engine noises.

It seems silly when a bike is roaring away to creep into a parking spot. I think the idea of a power increase is probably more of a justification than anything.

Having a louder exhaust makes some sense for cruising at higher speeds, when the wind overpowers your engine noise.

I'm also not sure about OEM exhausts always being best. Maybe on a technical/performance level, but on both bikes I've had (Vino 125, People 250), the exhausts came apart in similar ways due to sprung tension. They're also heavy and corrode easily. And the shiny exhausts look much better.

I wish it practical to put sound higher up on my priorities when it comes to choosing a bike.

Play with good headphone/speakers:

[big blue]

Shortly after buying my Like 200i I was getting my gear on in a park. A lady with small kids came up next to me and was put stuff in their mini-van. When I hit the starter button and my scoot came to life she said "wow that's really quiet". That is the way I like it, just like the nice rhythmic thump of my old BMW R69S. There is enough noise in this life why add to it?

[Stig / Major Tom]

I've  never heard a Burgman 400 pull away from a stop.....
but early mornings, when I pull out of a street side parking space in my quiet coffee village - I  am frequently embarrassed by the noise my Burg makes at the 4000+ I use to get underway. Even with earplugs and full face helmet, it still seems loud to me.
Probably the air intake, as much as the stock exhaust?
 (Burgman 400 owners are advised to use 4000+  rpms at take off, to get clutch locked up soonest....preventing glazing.)
I'd  like to leave town a little less dramatically!  :-)...but maybe I'm  really not that noisy. (certainly less so than 95% of the big bikes doing their look at me cruises down these 3 city blocks all day - one would not believe how popular is this little Ohio village each day - and really nutty on Fridays and weekends. Many larger Ohio cities would kill to have this much city-center foot traffic & visitors!)

Stig

[ScooterWolf]

Maybe I'm different too. Growing up I never liked loud music. Never understood why my friends thought cracking a tune up made it better when it made it sound like s---, and something I couldn't hear. Hated most bars because the music was so loud you couldn't hear what any of your friends were saying.

Guess I'm the same with a bike. Never understood why ride something so loud you need earplugs to protect your hearing. A quiet ride is better. A 2-Wheel bike is like the modern version of riding a horse. We get to ride through the world fully exposed. Imagine riding a horse with a loud exhaust. Not the same. Guess I'm different.

- Wolf

[Iahawk]

agree with most here...quiet bikes are the way to go! I really dislike the Harleys that rumble around town making enough noise to rattle the walls in nearby houses...gives all bikers a bad name. My scoot is quiet as is my little Ninja...just enough noise to know it's there but not enough to irritate anyone.

[ole two wheels]

I knew I'd be the odd man out in this topic. The older I get, the less I can hear. The best thing about my Mustang is 1000 Watt sound system, but you know, that's one of the great things in life, to each his own. Luv U guys.......

[Scooter Dan]

I've always been one to appreciate quiet bikes too but exotic sports cars like a Ferrari....now that's a different story. Imagine a red Ferrari with a Prius sound???

[Redk]

I have learned the value of stealth even though I appreciate the exhaust note of a working engine.
Silent power ain't so grand, either.
redk

[GLV55]

I will also put in my vote for the quiet rides...and quiet anything. I taught Band/Jazz Band/Marching Band/Orchestra, etc., for 32 years, most of that at the Middle School level. Each and every day was a new adventure in noise, let me tell ya. I now appreciate the sounds of quietness and calmness. (And I'd enjoy it more if I hadn't lost so much of my hearing to that constant bombardment over the years.  )