Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust Loud pipes anyone?

Well, I'm looking to get rid of the JCWhitney shorty turnouts and get a set of real pipes. I actually really dig the sound of the shorties, but on longer trips (rode over 1000 miles this weekend) it feels like the pipes are right beside my head. I want to get some longer pipes so the sound of the exhaust exits well behind my head, but also want LOUD pipes, since I live in the NYC and really appreciate cabbies knowing that I'm there.

So...I'm torn between the Scepters & D&Ds. I dig the looks of both, but haven't heard either personally. Anyone have any comments/criticisms for either?

The Sceptres are slightly, and I mean SLIGHTLY less loud than completely open pipes. They just have a deeper rumble to them. If your JCWs are too loud for you, the Sceptres most certainly will be too. The guys I ride with have Sceptres and custom made straight pipes. The Sceptres are far louder than any other pipe. I get to the point where I need to stay in front of them all the time or I get a killer headache, even with earplugs/iPod on. Ed's pipes he made are not as bad as his open pipes he used to run. All the guys that came to the NorEast rally last year can attest to how loud Ed's bike was. You really could hear him coming from several miles away.
The D&Ds are a little less loud than the Sceptres.
Maybe check out the Bub slashcuts. They are loud, but not obnoxious like the Sceptres are.
And of course, let us not forget the Thunderbike pipes. Plenty loud when you need them, but peaceful enough not to get a noise ticket.

It's not that they're too loud, I just think that they're so short. If I pick up some longer pipes that are still just as loud, but full length, they should be more comfortable for highway use, correct?

What is the length of those JCW turn outs?

Don't know off the top of my head, but here's a pic...

They're literally right below my head.

Ya I saw your pic. Then checked JCW website
and they have several lengths.
Just wondering the length of yours so as to compare.
I've used JCW on several bikes in the past and always
liked them.

Actually they're not JCWhitney...they're Rask Cycle 19" turnouts. Same thing though as far as I know.

And I do like having a pretty loud pipe in the city as I already said...keeps those yellow cars on their toes and off of mine.

OK. That helps!
JCW has 32 inch turn outs for 1 3/4 OD pipes.

OK...but that does make sense right...longer pipes = quieter ride for the driver?

What got me thinking about this is this weekend, for the first time, I rode other people's bikes. My Dad's Road King for one is loud as all hell, but while I drove it, I could barely hear it. It was nice not having those pipes blasting in my ears the whole time. And my Uncle's Honda 1300 cruiser (don't know the model) the same...long pipes = quieter ride.

Ya, if the pipes are behind your head you tend to hear less
of them while cruising.
Has to do with the physics of air pulse from the exhaust
as matched to the air flow past the exhaust.
Kinda like a faux faster then sound theory?

Now my head hurts!

Post deleted by Grump

Makes sense...but I wear a half helmet anyways

I get the same effect with a full face helmet, even the wind noise seems amplified. I use ear plugs with the full face just to cut off the edge, and all else is fine. With a half helmet, the effect of the pipes is less, but I still prefer plugs just to shield the ears from buffeting, as that will kill the hearing fast.

I tried riding with earplugs 2 weekends ago and didn't like it at all. I felt like I had no awareness of what was happening around me. It felt like I had tunnel vision because of that, so I took them right out. I didn't feel safe at all with the plugs in.

i Have got the short turnots on an absolutly love em. Yhey are loud, obnoxious and anti-social. The only problem i find is at idle they occasionally let out a hollow pop type sound amongst the rumble. Its a crappy popping type sound that seems to do it more the lower the idle. What would be causing this? The carbs have not been balanced in a while so was wondering if that could be a cause or could it even be the tappets. Have done 23000ks and they have yet to be adjusted. It has me stumped. There are no leaks in the system. Apart from that they are great except for this occasional, irregular hollow sound at idle.