Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust Are TORs too loud?

I am wondering if TORs are considered to be excessively loud.

TORS (triumph off road) arre not very loud at all, they are a nice sounding pipe, have a few friends here that have them and they sound pretty decent, they bark when you are on them a bit but nothing radical, notlike my bubs or others that are out there.

I wonder what the decibel rating is

I was just told that the US Gov has stated that they are illegal

interesting mabe i am thinking of the wrong pipe but i don't think so, someone else will "pipe" in i am sure. I could be wrong.

I like 'em... especially the straight through version. Not too loud at all.

Good question...are the pipes really illegal here in Canada/USA? I know the disclaimer under the pipes states that they aren't legal but is that for every country or just England (get my point)? If they were illegal why do so many bike shops switch the pipes when they sell the bike, remap/rejet the engine, then plate the bike for on road use????? I think the onus is on the law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction to determine if the bike is too loud using a decimeter of some sort unless someone makes a general complaint.

Maine is still in the USA, eh? Not loud until you twist the throttle. Run 'em & be happy.

Off road pipes are illegal because of the EPA noise abatement legislation from the 70s. But, Congress stopped funding the EPA noise enforcement office in 82, the laws are still on the books, the idea being that it was more appropriate for states and localities to enforce their own laws. So, it pretty much depends on the level of enforcement in your communities of noise levels and inspection system.

For me they are the perfect volume and the performance boost is a nice extra. Best my bike has ever run. Best of all they are well under the SAE j2825 noise standard...now if we can just get municipalities to adopt this standard instead using LEOs subjective enforcement the entire motorcycle community will be better off.

Now for the "rest of the story"... (feel like Paul Harvey)
Maine is getting really screwed up with it's standards for
motorcycle inspections. Three years ago my trumpy shop put my bullet TORs on my bike and they have been happily inspected every year since. My stock pipes made my bike sound like a sewing machine. While I don't want something too loud, I want something loud enough to be heard. There are stock Harleys that sound louder then the TORs, heck, I think some Yamahas or Hondas are louder. So I drop off my 2007 Speedy to get inspected and it's 6K check up and they tell me they have to fail it because of the pipes THEY HAPPILY SOLD ME AND PUT ON. Because of the offroad sticker they now can't pass it for inspection. "Nice, why didn't you tell me that 3 years ago?" "Well, they have changed the rules"
Excuse me... I feel that there needs to be a grandfather clause here or something. Also if these F*N knuckleheads making up these rules want to ban loud pipes, maybe they should use a decibel meter and set X level as a max. If ones bike exceeds X level, too bad. If not, pass it. I agree with Gregger. Triumph bike labeling seems to reflect those standards for the bike in the UK where the brand hails from. I realize that their standards are more strict than other countries and therefore would need to label those pipes as such. To be honest I can't imagine putting the pipes that I have on my Speedy on a dirtbike

Can you take the bike elswhere for state inspection purposes?

Worst case scenario is you will have to swap the pipes for state inspection purposes & when that is done reinstall the TORS.

Or move to a free state...

Trust me... I'd love to move as far away from Maine and my wife as I could... but
My trumpy dealer said that they were going to start taking pictures of bikes that they inspect. That way of someone were to do the bait and switch it would cover their @$$.
I'm hoping that if I take it to a non triumph dealer, that they won't notice the sticker on the bottom of the pipes.

Ask around on bike night, there is always shops that check lights and vin number and BAM!, here's your paper work and sticker.

My dealer has been drilling air boxes and installing Triumph and other open pipes on Triumphs for decades. They'e never failed a bike for pipes, one guy I know has a Thruxton running no mufflers, TT pipes, they pass his. Of course we're just all hillbillys here in Missouri, moonshine is illegal too and we once joined a losing cause to protect our cotton, hemp and tobacco industries, it didn't work out.

There are some 4 or 5 different versions of the TOR pipes. Some are louder than others, some sound very nice and some are a little tinny sounding. Technically, they are illegal in some states, not because they are terribly loud, but because they are stamped "Offroad use only".

do you still have original stock OEM pipes? Can you put em back on for the inspection and then go back to your TORs when you get home? A$$ Pain, yes. Stickin it to the Man, DAMN RIGHT!

According to this months AMA mag Maine has adopted the SAE j2825 standard. Tell the inspector to get his act together and use the dB meter like he should. 45 degree angle off axis 20" away. Wish I could quote the numbers exactly but it's something like 92dB at idle and 100 dB at 3K rpm. The TORs easily slip under this. I tested my long Specialty Spares and they barely failed the idle but passed the higher rpm test. Keeps the loudness from being subjective and that's the whole point.

As far as "stickin it to the man" that attitude just sticks it to us. Do the math: 4 million riders, 326 million pissed off citizens. I don't know bout you but those are really long odds to me.

After I blew past my chum on his Fatboy last weekend during a 2nd gear rollout all he could say was "That bike is noisy".

I just smiled. A 790 blowing the doors off a 1700.

PS - I'm running long straight through TORS

When my dealer put my TORs on, I thought they were too loud. Noticeably louder than stock. Now, some times I wish they were quieter, mainly down low. My civilian friends do not think think they are (too) loud down low however, and I have asked several.

Other than the BS shield/cover the TORs have, I think the pipes are hard to beat for multiple reasons. I am considering removing the double wall from the header, replacing w/ wrap, and getting rid of the shield.

The TORs, IMO, well made, perform well, sound good. Highly recommended.

Great thread!

I have been running the short TORs for seven years and find they have a lot of bark. I was considering trying the long TORs. Does anyone know if one set is louder overall than the other? As well, are there any quality aftermarket carbs for the earlier 790cc?

Don't know about the TORS but Keihin FCR carbs are the shiznit!

I've read the words, "my bike now has a nice bark" twice in this thread, and so I have to ask the following...

While I realize the degree to which the sounds any motorcycle makes is subjective, I've always wondered why you guys who like that "bark", like that "bark"?(and no, I wasn't being redundant there)

You see, I think that "bark" or maybe better said, that "tinny" higher pitched "WAAAAAAAAH" sound when you open up the throttle on our bikes with a "straight pipe" or totally unbaffled muffler, is well, terrible sounding. I MUCH prefer a lower pitch "rumble" sound on our bikes, or ANY bikes for that matter, and when its muffler has at least a little baffling inside it, regardless of "how loud" it is.

(...though, as anyone who knows me around here knows, I CAN'T STAND EXCESSIVELY LOUD PIPES, regardless of how much they "rumble" or NOT...and MAINLY because, as Ed[oldroadie] pointed out above, loud pipes do NOTHING BUT piss off not ONLY "The Man" but almost EVERYONE who doesn't ride a motorcycle, and THOSE are "bad odds" for us in the long run...and I DON'T need excessively loud pipes to "prove" to anyone one that I'm some kind of freakin' "Rebel" EITHER...hell, I do THAT by just by bein' CONTRARY and by often stating unpopular opinions among by peers...as, once again, anyone who knows me around here knows!!!!)

Thanks for the input and insight.

I should have posted the carb question on the carb forum so I will. "Keihin FCR carbs are the shiznit!" It might be easier to keep my pipes/jetted carbs as a set since the bike runs like doom. Second set of pipes equals second set of carbs?

For the record, I claimed my short TORs "have a lot of bark". There is no reference to any niceness associated with that bark. Actually, I am not very fond of the bark at all. I have known only these pipes and their bark since delivery from the dealer(carbs jetted and dyno'd). I need different pipes without compromising my current setup so I can switch at will if required. I did land a used set of America long, slashcut stock silencers as a backup in case the laws change, and they have. The OEM sewing machine is not an option. Gradually drilling out these stock pipes while rejetting may be. A direct replacement with rejet would be ideal.

I think the 790cc will struggle to match the warm, low-end rumble and growl produced by much larger displacements. The natural low-midrange characteristics of the 790 are more apt to create a classic bubbling racing tone. Since these engines like high revs, pipes should sound authentic in 5K rpm range. I find my short TORs hum/buzz loudly at a mid-high midrange tone. Off the line they are loud, low yet raspy with splash of bark. Either way, sound is always a personal preference.

There was a series of videos awhile back that showed an early model America with long TORs and one with Bubs. The Bubs were nice but it was hard to tell when the engine was revved as high as it was. The long TORs on the 790cc sounded very retro British without that bark. They were honky-throaty and would likely sound nice while riding "needles up" without being too over-bearing. They were however lacking substantial warmth in the low range. Does anybody think these pipes are too loud?

I am not a fan of excessive exhaust noise. Residential respect calls not only for reasonable pipes (people accept motorcycles are naturally loud) but also an attitude in riding approach. Putting along to get through these sensitive areas shows that you are trying to be considerate and that goes a long way to keeping the peace and freedom we ultimately are seeking. Always be a good neighbor: crack a bottle not the throttle.

Pipes anyone?

Dwight, for some reason when you describe 'bark' I hear a Chihuahua.


Loud pipes, quiet pipes? Long slash cut TORs, a set of D&D's and lastly (firstly actually) a set of Sceptres.

There is nothing like a whisper jet when rolling cross country. NOTHING! Prudence is so quiet the only reason I wear ear plugs is due to the wind noise at 5,500 rpms in 5th gear. Yes, at times I would like the bark of either the D&D's or the Sceptres (like when I am easing through the blind spot of traffic light bound cages), but the Whisper Jet effect of the long TORS is just so, quiet! Heck Prudence is jetted 40/120! Call me lazy but Prudence runs fine, is respectable in the hood, and never comes across as Barking Mad. So there is a bit to admire about quiet pipes. Actually quite a lot!

That is not to denigrate the absolute nirvana experienced when a cager is texting/on a cell phone and Cinnamon Girl passes it then drops a gear or two. The resonance in the cage is enough to demand Shout Out being sprayed to a certain cotton article of clothing...

IMO the cocktail shakers sound best when accelerating. While at speed they sound great but really come alive when I twist the throttle.

Today onthe way in to work I passed a cager on her phone. I dropped to 3rd and reved as I up shifted to 4th. She cut me a dirty look and held her phone up as if to say, "Really? I'm trying to talk on the phone here!"

You bet your blast horn they are loud. I recently bought a new 2012 Speedmaster and had the dealer deliver it with the short TORS installed. Big $400.00 mistake. I had a 2009 Bonneville with the factory TORS installed from new and they were excellent. Not to loud at idle but enough to tell you that was no sewing machine running. Were great when revved and under hard acceleration they had good sound without being irritating. They were perfect. So naturally I wanted a set on my Speedmaster. Well they are straight thru. No baffling what so ever. To loud at idle and they never stop being louder at cruise or any where else in the rev range. What a disappointment. If only I could have heard them ahead of time. I'll gladly sell these noise makers to any of you (loud pipes save lives) guys out there. The first $300.00 can have them. I only had them on one day so they are as new.

Modmaster

TORs too loud lol ;( sorry lmao