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I don't actually object to loud exhaust systems, and I confess that I didn't read past the first page of this thread, so it may have become more _civil_ in the later posts.
I do object to the sound of bad sounding pipes, such as the Cobra exhaust designed for the Honda Shadow Spirit. There was a really nice looking Spirit on Craig's List in my area, and when i went to see it, I was absolutely impressed by the condition it was in. When I started it up, I was not happy with the sound, but I took the bike out on the highway anyway. I returned the bike to the owner's house within 5 minutes then asked if he had the stock pipes. He didn't, so I told him I would check to see what it would cost to return the exhaust system to stock. It was far too costly to do this, so I did not make an offer on it.
I will say, about bikes that sound good with loud pipes, that Harleys are the best for this. The sound is tuned to make it sound mean (even though they aren't).
I have been riding motorcycles for over 50 years. Crossed Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada and Europe...I am what one would call a motorcycle long-distance mania enthusiast.
However, this being said, I have also owned what are known as "rice rockets" over the years which have given me great joy for weekend riding. NONE of them would ever have a loud or non-factory exhaust, nor would be accelerated in such a way that it could annoy other road users.
If some motorcyclists cry that "it attracts attention and makes the motorcycles presence known" - please buy bells in the future, or read your instruction manual for obtaining a motorcycle license, - (1) wear the right clothes for motorcycling, bright colors with reflective strips etc (2)make sure your bike is 100% with maintenance (3) be more prudent, patient,and observant of escape routes and aware of dangers at 360 degrees....(4) You don't have to look like a 60's "Easy Rider" to impress me on your motorcycling skills, and the "tough guy" motorcyclist look just makes me laugh......
To me personally, a loud exhaust system just for the sake of it is the sign of a small wiener...
Guns and weiners! - Good name for a new rock band. Big bikes, like big cars, don't have the need for a big exhaust system to prove power, acceleration, the 0-100 in 3 seconds. It can be done without the noise, I guarantee it, and with better fuel consumption. I have owned Aston Martins, Lamborghini's, Ferrari's (hey- with factory exhaust systems-they are not the "cool" attention grabbers that make one look because it appears that a tsunami is approaching) and they are NOT noisy (unless abused)
Big bikes come with a standard exhaust system, made to accommodate economy, best blow back from valves, and comply with warranty guarantees.
Its the so called "biker boys" that want to play with, modify, adjust, fool with, accelerate (no reason why these days) something that is more potent than they can handle anyway. The overkill. Sound system included in the exhaust department.
And make no mistake at all: I have many, many friends who love to make annoying noises with their motorcycles
Guns compensating for a small weiner just shows how insignificant your thoughts for a solution for this really are; - that a gun gives you the "power" you can't compensate for, - verbally, reasonably, or rationally.
GUNS are GOOD. People holding them may be BAD.
Like a bike, car, truck; - its not the vehicle that kills; - it's the idiot pushing the buttons on the controls.
I once had an XS11 Yamaha back in the day on which I installed a 4-into-1 exhaust which looked cool and made more moise (still not really loud). The high-RPM power was about the same, but it lost some of its nice midrange. I reinstalled the stock system. Possibly it could have been rejetted to improve it, but as you said, it had more than enough power anyway. And I am of the opinion that rejetting would have hurt the fuel mileage. That didn't matter much then, but it does now!
DBCC, I was raised rurl and have owned guns of my own since my Father gave me one on my 6th birthday. Since I have a small weiner I shoot really long 52.5 inch rifles with flint locks on them most. These would be recognized by anyone in the 18th century for what they are, since they are not found in facorty sporting good stores, and are not mass produced.
My Kawii Nomad is moddified, but the exhaust note is still legal, while my state has no means to tell if it is legal. On another board many members with the same mods as my bike has, have undertaken scientific decible testings, and have found this set up fits with in the limits of all the lower 48 states sound laws.
Due to EPA regs, this particular engine has been overly restricted and IS overly lean, and many off the show room floor PING with hi test only reccommended octane gas. There is no factory device to adjust mix in any rpm band what so ever.
I have personally owned the 1500 and the 1600 cc modles. Both engines are very similar mainly the 1600 has larger factory pistons. Both models suffered the same thing. PING and in engine with lower compression ratios. In the real world compression ratios determine what octane fuels to run, and not the EPA.
So with modding the intake track and the exhaust track and adding a fuel modual chip, you can adjust fuel mix.
I expected to loose MPG's since I was seeking more power. I assume you know you can't allow for more air IN and more air OUT, with out adjusting mix.
So it is understandable one would expect less MPG's, as I did. Then the surprise was I gained MPG's.
The stock 1500 Nomad was around 33/35 MPG's as stock. Modified as above it went up in MPG's to be 42/44 MPG's with apx 10% more power in usable low rpom bands. Nomads are torque monsters, not high rpm engines of around 60 horse power.
The 1600 did better, getting around 35/38 MPG's stock and I have had mine to 46/48 MPG's modified. Currently it gets a solid 44/46 MPG's since a change in tire type with more traction has occured.
For these mods, the engine no longer runs as hot, which is nice for my legs, nor does it strain to just idle, and best of all, as if this isn't enough I can run regular 87 octane which the compression ratio matches.
And last just so you know I am a retired foreign car tech, so I do know what I am talking about, and no one has ever serviced my bike, but me.
Catman, I still have a 1981 xs 850 sh. I traded for it, right off a auto junk yard metal scrap heap. It doesn't look a thing like it did that day. The stock exhaust was mostly missing, so I had no choice but to get anything I could to be a exhaust system. E-Bay had a baddly rusted one no one made any offer for as the first system I got cheap. The next year another same Jardine system came up in better shape, and is on the bike now. 3 into 2.
These systems were not a good match for the stock jetting, and I was unable to find jets at any price. Well I did in time come by 3 sets of mixed jets, and for a very high price, which I did not buy.
You should know the carbs on the 1100 are the same as the 850 and the main needle is shim adjusted and not notch adjusted.
Being a x tech it wasn't hard to know this engine also required more fuel to run correctly as it was set up, so I set about making my 3 carbs be the same and then added fuel first by adjusting the floats levels, for more fuel. Testing the bike there was still a bad flat spot in the middle of the rpm bands. I set about making shims when the adjusting screw ran out of needle lift. Each carb got one sterling silver shim, which was the metal I had on hand at the time.
This was better, but not enough, so I made another shim for each carb and tested again. Much better but still to lean and still a flat spot. So I made yet another shim for each carb, and that got it.
I am not going to listen to any drivel about 'we' can't modify bikes' for a given better.
That little 850 will take on anything short of R bikes and beat them all.
It isn't speed that kills either, what kills is the stop. My 850 will do circles around my touring cruiser Nomad any day of the week.
I am not defending the guys who create straight loud pipes for the sake of loud a bit, but saying mods can still be street legal when done correctly. I even get paid to moddify bikes correctly.
My bike still meets factory warrenty specs while it is well out of any warrenty, since it was only a 2 year warrenty and the bike is a 06. I am pretty sure my 81 bile is a tad out of any warrenty as well. Even the part numbers have been taken for other yammi's on that score.
The term DBCC was looking for was back pressure not blow back, but since I was a service writter as well as a tech I can read thru what he means. He has however left me a little irritated.
Once I used to work service on the very same cars he had, and a lot more like Jensen Heally, Citron SM, and others. Those cars indeed did have tuned exhaust, and only a fool would begin to moddify these type cars. On the other hand MG, Datsun, Chevy, Ford had a long way to go to be the ALL they could be. More cars than that, but that's is enough to get the point over.
I worked on a 1,598 cc Datsun SPL 311 that ended up with 400 ponies under the bonnet. That car was tested on a Hamilton Test Dyna.
Mac_Muz, I appreciate your comments and read with interest your valid ideas and results. I apologize for making you irritated. All's good and by no means did I have any intention of getting your back up.
In saying this, I am not against mods in general but draw the line when unnecessary decibels are reached and become irritating or distracting to the public.
In the old days, -when I was a kid-we used to have a lever inside the car/on the side of a motorcycle which would "displace" mufflers and allow for more noise on an open road. Looking back, the vehicles sounded more like tractors but we were young, boisterous;- and reckless.....and were only allowed by the feds/cops to use this function on rural roads.
I do draw the line on a number of chromed mods that I have seen on many bikes around the city....very sharp spikes that are supposed to "enhance" the vehicle (and sometimes look very good) but are dangerous to other road users/pedestrians in the case of an accident and should have some limitations on their placement.
Thank you for your comments, they are noted;- and appreciated.
BTW....I too, was raised rural in Africa and got to hunt my first elephant when I was 11. Throughout my formative years and through my service in the armed forces in Rhodesia, I have been an avid gun owner ad collector through the years but have lost a lot of them due to immigrating to the USA.
I no longer hunt but prefer a camera lens these days.
Stay safe and ride between the ditches!
D
Last edited by DBCC; 11-09-2011 at 04:00 PM..
Reason: adjustments
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