WOF and aftermarket pipes.

**AllanB** · 21st September 2008, 19:41

I went for a WOF yesterday on the bike (hard to believe I have almost owned it for a year!). I went to the AA WOF station in Hornby, Christchurch.

There was a Harley sitting outside with Vance & Hines pipes - hmm I thought that will be loud - he fired it up and it was mellow - almost quiet. Weird.

Anyway the chap doing by WOF recognises me and we chat about bikes while he looks over mine. I ask whats the guts with after market mufflers under the new rules.

He told me that they have been told that if it is a modified stock or aftermarket pipe fail it. Irrespective of noise level. They will only pass it if it has been certified ($140 apparently).
I also learnt that if a cop stops you for loud pipes its 25 demerit points now

I told him I could order pipes that pass EU certification and are well under 100db (under 90 on some). He said they fail them for not being stock unless they have the certification sticker.

So if you are ordering slip-ons from your bike shop - ask them if they will pass them at WOF time as non bike shops probably will not. Or figure in a extra $140 on top of the purchase price.

What happened to the Harley???
It failed for two reasons - non stock pipes......and half a meter of wound-up chicken wire stuffed up each pipe

**hospitalfood** · 21st September 2008, 19:54

well, i just passed a warrant, the first one i have had to go for, i have buell factory race pipes on the bike and the race computer, the fine gentlemen at the shop are well aware of this.
perhaps you can get away with it if its oem....????
or maybe they are just good guys..???

**ajturbo** · 21st September 2008, 19:58

Originally Posted by hospitalfood

well, i just passed a warrant, the first one i have had to go for, i have buell factory race pipes on the bike and the race computer, the fine gentlemen at the shop are well aware of this.
perhaps you can get away with it if its oem....????
or maybe they are just good guys..???

na .. the bike shops know what they are looking at...

**scracha** · 21st September 2008, 20:18

And the moral of the story is..........don't get a WOF at the AA.

**JimO** · 21st September 2008, 20:21

well i was looking at some carbon cans for my bike at a local bike shop and arxed the owner if i put these on my bike will it you it pass it on a wof and he said ....NO

**orangeback** · 21st September 2008, 20:45

And the moral of the story is....don't Sell your stock pipe on trade me, as you'll need it for a WOF

**AllanB** · 21st September 2008, 20:52

Originally Posted by jimjim

well i was looking at some carbon cans for my bike at a local bike shop and arxed the owner if i put these on my bike will it you it pass it on a wof and he said ....NO

Exactly - this is what I suspect will start to happen more - one local dealer in CHCH has a stand with tasty Leo Vince pipes on it - with a disclaimer stating fitment is at owners risk.

If you get on the old google and search any of the major European brands of cans they all come fitted with db killers (street pipes) that meet EU standards. These standards are a lot lower than NZ's new 100db (pretty sure they are about 88). I know the spunky MIVV pipes have the type approval stamped on the mufflers.

Unfortunately it looks like this is being ignored by WOF inspectors unless they have been independently NZ inspected.

Ironically it is likely that a EU approved muffler without its db killer insert will just pass our 100db maximum test.

That's government for you.

**Rockbuddy** · 21st September 2008, 20:53

so that must mean the price of stock pipes has just gone up, phew lucky ive still got mine hanging up in the garage

**orangeback** · 21st September 2008, 21:09

Originally Posted by Rockbuddy

so that must mean the price of stock pipes has just gone up, phew lucky ive still got mine hanging up in the garage

yea and for all those people that bought a bike at a summer feast with an after marke pipe and didn't get the stock one, buying one new will hurt the bank ballance,
this is the third time i've hear this in chch since the start ove the month, its only going to get worse , and i here they are making people re fit Catalytic converter as well.

**Dino** · 21st September 2008, 21:25

Originally Posted by scracha

And the moral of the story is..........don't get a WOF at the AA.

Have to agree with Scracha, just got a WoF for mine with yoshi's on it, from the local bike shop.

If some bike shops are selling aftermarket pipes for street legal bikes and then failing it for the WoF then surely they are breaching the Consumers Guarantees Act by selling a product that is not fit for its purpose.

**Max Headroom** · 21st September 2008, 21:31

Originally Posted by hospitalfood

well, i just passed a warrant, the first one i have had to go for, i have buell factory race pipes on the bike and the race computer, the fine gentlemen at the shop are well aware of this.
perhaps you can get away with it if its oem....????
or maybe they are just good guys..???

That is very encouraging. I'm taking my wife's XB12S with race ECU & race muffler for a WOF tomorrow. I phoned the dealer we bought the bike from and spoke to their workshop people a few weeks ago to enquire about how they dealt with the exhaust noise with our setup. Seems they haven't had an XB12 with a race muffler needing a WOF yet, so they are looking forward to doing a sound check on ours....

**cold comfort** · 21st September 2008, 21:51

Originally Posted by AllanB

I went for a WOF yesterday on the bike (hard to believe I have almost owned it for a year!). I went to the AA WOF station in Hornby, Christchurch.

There was a Harley sitting outside with Vance & Hines pipes - hmm I thought that will be loud - he fired it up and it was mellow - almost quiet. Weird.

Anyway the chap doing by WOF recognises me and we chat about bikes while he looks over mine. I ask whats the guts with after market mufflers under the new rules.

He told me that they have been told that if it is a modified stock or aftermarket pipe fail it. Irrespective of noise level. They will only pass it if it has been certified ($140 apparently).
I also learnt that if a cop stops you for loud pipes its 25 demerit points now

I told him I could order pipes that pass EU certification and are well under 100db (under 90 on some). He said they fail them for not being stock unless they have the certification sticker.

So if you are ordering slip-ons from your bike shop - ask them if they will pass them at WOF time as non bike shops probably will not. Or figure in a extra $140 on top of the purchase price.

What happened to the Harley???
It failed for two reasons - non stock pipes......and half a meter of wound-up chicken wire stuffed up each pipe

Would that be an objective decibel reading from the cop or the usual "because i said so" response? A timely post as i had planned to get MIVV slip ons (keeping the CAT) or complete Staintune system replacing the lot for the genuine Ducati rasp. Feeling somewhat chastened here but where there is a will there HAS to be a way!

**woodybee** · 21st September 2008, 22:03

Originally Posted by Rockbuddy

so that must mean the price of stock pipes has just gone up, phew lucky ive still got mine hanging up in the garage

Glad I read this one, my pipes don't have the vert stamp on, so will be getting my pipes out of storage and replacing them for the wof next month by the sounds of it.............:

:

**scracha** · 22nd September 2008, 20:03

Originally Posted by woodybee

Glad I read this one, my pipes don't have the vert stamp on, so will be getting my pipes out of storage and replacing them for the wof next month by the sounds of it.............:

:

I did warn about this many moons ago.

I pay their taxes.
I pay their ACC.
I pay their fucking speeding fines.
but..
Hell will be freezing over before they get the Termi's off my bike.

bastards.

oh..AFAIK euro pipes are under 86Db. Perhaps we should lobby for bikes with a nice yurropean stamp to be automagically approved instead of pissing away more money on an enzed reinvention of the wheel?