Loud pipes

[markl]

This is a little odd most threads are people wanting louder pipes. I have an 88 intruder which i've had for the last year but im just over the loudness. It would be good if it was just a weekend bike but for everyday commuting not so good. So i've heard chicken wire can help, apart from that does anybody know where i could get some cheap second hand stock pipes?

[Toaster]

You could possibly get a quieter custom pipe made, but given its an 88 vintage it may not make great economic sense. Tried any wreckers or Suzuki for parts/second hand parts?

[vifferman]

Given the number of people that ditch their stock pipes for louder ones, you should be able to pick summat up.
Alternatively, look at getting the pipes altered. WHen I had my Firestorm, the endcaps had been cut out and part of the baffles removed. I had some new endcaps/plugs made up that quietened it down considerably. Cost me $60.

[Macktheknife]

Given the number of people that ditch their stock pipes for louder ones, you should be able to pick summat up.
Alternatively, look at getting the pipes altered. WHen I had my Firestorm, the endcaps had been cut out and part of the baffles removed. I had some new endcaps/plugs made up that quietened it down considerably. Cost me $60.

That would be my thought too, just get some baffles made and fitted, cheap and quick.

[markl]

Sounds good, would most bike mechanics be able to make baffles?

[vifferman]

What I did, was work out what I needed, drew up a sketch with measurements, and took it to Woolf mufflers, as they were one of the muffler places that were listed as manufacturers. They said, "Sure - that'll be ready tomorrow, and cost $60."

Prior to that, I'd been to two muffler places and Custom Chambers and talked to them about what I wanted. What a waste of time!
They were all too stupid to understand what I wanted, and either said, "No we can't do that", or (in CC's case) said, "Can you leave the bike with me? I'll have to cut the mufflers open and see what's going on inside then work out what to do and give you a price. Probably around $350 to $400."
So, I've just ridden for 35 minutes to get here, told you exactly what I want, and you want me to come back,and pay you some money to cut the mufflers open and tell me what I already know?!?

But as it turned out, all the endplugs / caps were was two bits of pipe and some welding. Anyone with access to the right size pipe and a welder could've made them. I went to Woolf because I thought they'd have various sized bits'n'pieces, and I'd already bought some perforated muffler core from them on my first fixing attempt:

You can see the vandalised innards of the muffler, with the core I added at the end. While this quietened things down a bit, it was crappy and not what I wanted, which was summat like this:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...20&postcount=9

[The Lone Rider]

I have been through the "must be louder" modifications and ended up with "shit, too loud".

To go between I bought some harley baffles, which didn't quite fit the pipes, and had a new sleeve welded onto them.

Baffles, non-chicken wire like ones, are just tubs that divert the air flow so it's not all pounding out.. often have a funneling sleeve that thins in the middle with holes for the air to flow around.

[rainman]

I also had the problem of a too loud set of pipes - no baffles. Went to CC but they're too far from my home and the logistics just got too hard. Warren from Virgin sorted me out with a custom made set of baffles, good price, good service, and he did the work over two evenings, which suited me nicely. PM him here as blade1000....

[TLMAN]

Have you tried earplugs?

[Angusdog]

Wgtn M/Cs put a single simple baffle in each of my V&H Cruzers, took it from crazy loud to reasonable - loud but not offensively so. Cost about $160 from memory, but it would depend on your existing pipes. The V&H pipes have removable baffles which were easy to work on as you can take them out and work on a bench. I think they thought I was odd wanting to make them quieter, but honestly they were unsociable bits of kit.

[markl]

Have you tried earplugs?

Yeah i did for a while but putting them in and out of my pocket a few times a day didn't lend themselves to been particulary clean and healthy and changing them every day didn't seem that practical. I guess i could have put them in a container of some sort but then again as a biker there is already enough stuff to sort out, one less item makes it easier just to jump on and ride.

Thanks for you suggestions, i guess the bike is getting a bit old anyway maybe i should look around for a new quieter one

[Headbanger]

I must be getting stale, I consider my bike loud enough to be embarrassing.

look at me, LOUD MOTHER FUCKER, screaming along at 74km/h.

[The Lone Rider]

Yeah i did for a while but putting them in and out of my pocket a few times a day didn't lend themselves to been particulary clean and healthy and changing them every day didn't seem that practical. I guess i could have put them in a container of some sort but then again as a biker there is already enough stuff to sort out, one less item makes it easier just to jump on and ride.

Thanks for you suggestions, i guess the bike is getting a bit old anyway maybe i should look around for a new quieter one

EAR brand ear plugs. Have used them for years as a sound engineer, and use them at work as a technician in a factory as they are better then the ear muffs and plugs provided.

EAR brand plugs come with a nice little blue case that you can put on your keychain. They are reusable, just wash in nice soapy water and same goes for the container.

Or baffle your bike :P

[Grahameeboy]

Have you tried earplugs?

Arh, the voice of reason...........

[Plugz 4 Lugz]

........ we offer the best alternative to the foamies. Check out our website www.earmold.com.au. We'll also be at Big Boys Toys in a couple of weeks if you want to check us out. Cheers Sue

Yeah i did for a while but putting them in and out of my pocket a few times a day didn't lend themselves to been particulary clean and healthy and changing them every day didn't seem that practical. I guess i could have put them in a container of some sort but then again as a biker there is already enough stuff to sort out, one less item makes it easier just to jump on and ride.

Thanks for you suggestions, i guess the bike is getting a bit old anyway maybe i should look around for a new quieter one