Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust StainTune Pipes Evaluation

Hi all, I've just put some new Staintune Pipes on my Speedie and I wanted to tell you about them but first some history.

I bought my bike second hand and with it, I inherited some Long Tors. Now I haven't minded the tors one bit and after freaking and some jet changes my speedie got along very nicely.

Now whilst I had been happy with them, I also liked the idea of seeing if some less restrictive pipes not only gave me a better tone (whatever that was) but a bit more power.

So I did my research and it seemed we have a lot of our members who really like their Bubs and SS pipes. Well I found the Bubs were too hard to get, so I bought a pr of SS long slashcuts.

Well didn't they free up my speedie. So much more responsive than with the Tors and my dyno numbers seemed to prove it with 54 footpounds of grunt (torque) at my disposal

The only problem I had with the SS pipes though was the level of sound. Don't ask me what it is in Db's, but for me out there in "nice riding country", I wasn't enjoying that "racket" as much as I thought I might.

Hey, I couldn't even hear my music, and that was with my ear moulds

What a shame though, great power delivery but just too loud .

So I put my old faithful Tors back on, re-tuned and was happy I could hear myself think again.

Ok, so now do I keep the Tors and remain satisfied with my lot, or do I look round for those perfect pipes that gave me similar power gains to the SS's but didn't give me a headache?

Well during my research it turned out that a lot of the chrome pipes on the market such as Thunderbike and Bubs were having chrome flaking off issues and anyway, how could I verify their noise levels weren't too high for my liking.

Well in the end my choice was made very simply when I discovered what looked like the pipes I was after happened to be built only 200k's from where I lived.





Now admittedly these little numbers cost me some serious cash but geez, I soon discovered they are worth every cent.

Here's why:

Firstly, I knew I wasn't going to have any issues with quality or longevity as they are made of Stainless Steel, including the brackets and even the clamp.



Secondly, I had a pretty good idea these babies weren't going to be too loud cos on their
website

They told me what the decibel levels were ie:

Restrictors In: 94.5 dba @ 3650 rpm
Restrictors Out: 99 dba @ 3650 rpm

FYI, the restrictors are the inner pipe you can see in this pic and they are simply removed using a hex key.


Now considering my Tors were rated at



I was pretty sure the Staintunes were going to have a nice tone at 94db and if that wasn't enough, just take out the restrictors.

The final and most conclusive selling point though was that here in Aus, all pipes have to have a sticker on their pipes that conform with our noise pollution regs.

Well it so happens Staintunes have the sticker which means, NO expensive Police Ticket from some officious youngster trying to make a name for himself.

Ok, so that's the research but what are they really like.

Well putting them on was even more simple than the SS pipes, as they come with their own S/Steel brackets that mimic the tors and the stock pipes. Then there was the clamp that just tightened up so nicely with it squeezing out all the excess silicon. Job done

Ok, that was easy enough. Now with tuning.

Well to cut to the chase, it ended up after several goes that the best idling, response and performance happened to be the same as when I had the SS pipes on. That is: 45 pilots, 150 mains and a shim under each needle.

So far all good, now it was time for a test run.

So on I get and off I go. Well I knew straight away this purchase was exactly what I was after. I just love that typical sound of Staintune which for those who have heard them on other bikes, will understand what I'm talking about.

Of course me being me with not wanting TOO much DB's, I have left my restrictors in but I'm sure with those who are in the "more Db's is Better" club, taking out or putting back in these baffles is a simple 5 minute job.

So at idle there is that definite pulse that makes you even more proud of your baby when you start her up, yet give her a bit and that roar that's emitted still has that air of authority.

Yep, I'm happy. Now the really good news is how does she feel power gain wise?

Well until I do a dyno (which I will) I can't really say or prove anything but to be perfectly honest, the riding around town has I believe been at least as responsive and powerful as when I had the SS pipes on, but I have a sneeking suspicion she may even have more.

Yeah right I hear you scoff. Hey, it's my BUM DYNO and that's what it feels like.



BTW, I did do a Video using my camera but when I played it back, it just didn't do the Staintunes justice.

So that's the Staintune Pipes, unsurpassed quality, 5 minute job to install or remove the restrictor baffles which should suit the varying individual tone preferences, no chrome issues and finally, a pipe that has obviously been tuned for performance. Of course, the ADR compliance sticker is just pure cream on top.

Anyway, I'm off on another road trip in a few days up north so I'm happy and that's the main thing

Nice write-up!

I have heard that these guys have top-notch quality, superb pipes.
I haven't heard them on our bikes (so cannot comment) but I have on friends other brands/models and they sound very cool!
I recently had my Thunderbike pipes re-chromed (ouch!) but my next ones will be Staintunes which I have been considering for quite a while now.

Thanks.

Excellent write-up! Thank you!

Thanks for your sentiments Thanassis and Knivsta. I truely do not think you guys will be disappointed with these pipes and definitely not with the construction or finish. They are just top notch. Of course us on the internet trying to discuss what they sound like is another thing but immediately I heard mine I straight away was reminded of the sound of other bonnies like the T100 and thruxtons with their tunes. Of coarse they are 360degree cranks but the tone was the same. So, if you like that sound you'll love these, and at least they have done their noise level research cos it's the first time I've seen it.

Anyway, I understand too why people buy the Thunderbikes as they sound real nice on their website but considering they cost over $1k Aud for a chrome pipe that many have had problems with, and then they say

Quote:

---

the stock jetting works fine with this pipe.

---

whilst Staintune say

Quote:

---

There is a recommendation with the America's for an increase in main jet size to 135

---

, for me they weren't in the same league.

Whilst I'm here, there is one further element that I forgot to mention is the packing. Like for instance all the other after markets like SS, Thunderbikes and Bub (I think) are packed with a fibreglass which over time breaks down, the "noise" get louder and subsequently "the owner" has to repack them.

Well with the "Tunes" they have a fully welded construction where they are packed with a Stainless Steel wool which does not break down and is designed to last as long as the bike.

in other words big thumbs in all departments.

So the last test for the Staintunes was how they performed on the open road.

I've just done 1400k's travelling from Canberra in the south to Brisbane half way up the east coast of Aus, and for me the "tunes" have passed their final exam and now can be given the "Staffo" tick of approval

First question I needed to know was how loud were these pipes whilst cruising, because this was where I knew for instance, the SS pipes and me were going to have to part ways.

The reason for this was, whilst cruising Staffo likes to listen to books and music but with the SS pipes I couldn't hear anything from my ear plugs except the continual drone of the pipes

Sorry, but over time it drove me nutty, Well the tunes knew exactly what Staffo wanted which was such a relief.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a nice tone from my pipes just as much as the next bloke but of course we are talking levels here.

So enter stage left the tunes cos somehow when cruising these pipes work at a frequency making it possible to listen to music or whatever but at the same time with a handfull of throttle they come to life just as they should.

In fact, my missus mentioned how loud the tunes were (when driving behind me, we both saw Stevie Wonder in Sydney) when I was overtaking for instance. That's when you and enyone else around knows your coming through.

So all in all, fantastic in every department however if I do come across something that is not to my liking I'll let you know,

great review. be interested on the dyno numbers of those pipes

Frank

That's going to happen in the next few weeks hopefully, dyno that is cos I want to make sure my settings are good ie jets etc.

Like I said in my first review though, the bum dyno feels like these pipes are tuned nicely to our bikes and I emailed Staintune that question also and they confirmed as much saying all their pipes have been built and tuned for performance.

BTW, On my trip so far the fuel consumption has averaged

) using this beauty of a calculator)

probably a bit better to the "Indy Cars" I saw at the Gold Coast today at 51mpg UK / 42.5 US, which I think also seems to show my settings aren't too far off either.

I also want to compare the dyno numbers I got with the Specialty Spares pipes using the same dyno machine and operator, just so we can see how pipes that are just a little bit quieter stack up. Should be interesting.

thank you so much for an incredible write up staffo...I had pretty much made my mind up, but wanted to save a little cash before getting them...but considering I live minutes away from the USA distributor...I just might get them tomorrow : ) I had staintune on a BMW F650GS and I know the quality of the pipes was perfect and the sound was great, and like you say when you want to make big noise its a matter of minutes to remove the baffle. Thanks again..Jim

For those wondering...the USA distributor is Calmoto.com they are in Mountain View, California and do ship...the price is $999.00...Jim

newspeedmaster.com has them at 899. Their caclulator has shipping at 7.95 with the caveat **Actual shipping charges on larger/heavier/more valuable items WILL vary**

As an FYI, if you do buy them, I think calmoto is one of the few places in the US where you can get a replacement for the removable baffle.

I am lucky. I got mine used, at a price you definately dont want to know, but I agree with everything that Staffo said. They are awesome pipes with quality that cant be beat. You never have to worry about flaking chrome, the sound is great, and you can easily pull the baffles if you want even more noise. As for performance, my seat of the pants dyno indicates a definate improvement.

One further thing guys, one bloke that lives over your way and now distributes the tunes is FAST EDDY, and if you want a great deal and honest freight charges I couldn't recommend anyone better. Top Bloke

Also those setting ie: 150 mains, 45 pilots and the one shim are looking good given the fuel economy results. My next post will be the dyno results which will verify this or otherwise but it should only be a minor tweak

Fast Eddy is definately a straight up guy. I didnt realize that he also had the staintunes. And its a slightly better deal with him as he has shipping anywhere in the US included in the price. Great write up, by the way! I'm looking forwards to seeing your dyno results.

thank you for the info insane viking...staffo tells me fast eddys has them now and they are 899.00 shipping included...Jim

I'm looking at new pipes and would appreciate forum members' feedback... comparing Staintune vs. Specialty Spares. At 2x the price, what makes Staintune worth the extra amount?

I'm planning on upcoming air-box removal mod and want pipes to match on my stock TBA'08 to make the performance increase. But don't know which pipes vs. cost. I'm trying to keep costs under control as much as possible.

Thanks

Chuck, if my evaluation doesn't give you just a slight hint of why they cost more, just remember you only get what you pay for.

stainless. worth the money especially if you plan on keeping the bike

Frank

Hi all, whilst I haven't as yet done the dyno I promised (I will be soon - promise), I thought a pic of my plugs would be an interesting peek.



Now I don't pretend to be a guru on analysing plugs to determine how well a bike's travelling and whether the settings are good, from what I have read these actually look pretty blo#dy good.

Feel free to tell me I'm talking s#it but as can be seen there's no soot indicating a rich condition, and yet the electrodes aren't too white either indicateing too lean.

BTW, I had these plugs for nearly 30k and the majority of times I checked them when I had tors and SS pipes on, they were always really sooty.

Then after putting the staintune pipes on, the same plugs did another 5k before I decided to change them and boy, was I stoked with their new appearance.

Anyway, of course the dyno will be the better indicator but I thought some of you people might be interested.

Stacka

I don't know how fuel quality is in OZ, but in the USA modern commonly available fuels have complicated the art of plug reading to the point where IMO only gross/obvious indications of way rich or way lean conditions are meaningful by general observation.

By the time overly rich or lean indication clearly shows on the plugs you would already know from other seat of the pants indicators.

FWIW plug reads are useful, but you've got to take them with a skeptical eye, even if you're doing specific RPM/load plug chops.

Hey Staffo, those are great looking pipes, & appear to be worth every cent!

I appreciate your comments Ken and agree with you entirely. The only reason I put the pic up here was just to point out how besides all the other indicators so far, It appears the plugs too are putting together even more of a positive picture of how the pipes and the settings are going.

Thanks for your comments on the pipes to Ken. People are probably sick of me saying this but I just love everything about them. I suppose it's just a me thing but I too like to hear others talk about how happy they are with their pipes of choice.

The plugs look OK, BTW...good onya, mate.

I agree , they seem to have a nice light brown/tan look to them.

Excellent Ian. Coming from you mate means a sh#t load