One man’s opinion.
Customer Service:
- Ordered silencers on 02 OCT 2006. I was informed via email they were out of stock and would take “about†3 weeks before they receive new stock.
- Queried status via email on 24 OCT 2006. Reply received 3 days later with intent to ship “next weekâ€Â.
- Item shipped on 02 NOV 2006 and received without incident on 06 NOV 2006.
- Great packing job
Bottom Line: Call or email before ordering to ensure silencers are available. Web site should be dynamic enough to state availability of product. Three weeks translates closer to five weeks. Thunderbike probably out sources their silencers based on non-availability. They eventually do respond to emails. Great packing and once shipped transit time is quick. You are paying for the quick transit time.
Cost/Inventory:
- Silencers cost 900 NZD and 99 NZD to ship.
- Credit card was charged on 01 NOV 2006. Total cost charged to card was USD $673.03. This closely jived with
OANADA conversion utility.
- Thunderbike has since increased their price to 1015 NZD shipped.
- Thunderbike is the second most expensive aftermarket silencers I found, only surpassed in cost by Staintune from Australia.
- Silencers ship with 4 bolts/washers to replace Triumph hardware used to attach aft hangers
- No jets are provided as manufacturer states no-jetting is required
- Unlike some other silencers like Sceptres, new header clamps are not provided
Bottom Line: If my credit card was charged at the time of order, the pipes would have cost me $14 less based on the exchange rate fluctuation from the time of order (10/02/06) and the time my card was actually charged (11/01/06). I paid to wait for an item that was out of stock. It’s true the fluctuation could have gone either way, but it was $14 more than I expected to pay at the time of order.
Installation:
- Comprehensive instructions provided, but unnecessary
- 20 minute job. Leave aft hangers attached to original silencers during removal. It’s much easier to remove the allen head bolts that attach the old silencer to its hanger when the entire unit is removed together.
Bottom Line: Easy to install. Everything fit correctly
Summary:
If you like the look of the stock silencers, you’ll like the look of the Thunderbikes as they closely match. To me this is a good thing. It’s too early to comment on the finish. They’re beautiful now and I hope they stay that way. The sound is truly amazing compared to the Triumph Off-Road long and stock silencers. The bike sounds like a motorcycle should at idle (much deeper) and it roars between 5-7k RPM. At first I thought they were a bit loud, but now I’m convinced they are not and I never gave a hoot what my idiot neighbor thought anyway. The flat butt-dyno does feel a wee more pull with these pipes. I did have to open my HD thumb idle-mixture screws a pubimeter more. I either had more decal-popping with the Thunderbikes, or decal-popping I couldn’t hear before was now audible. I do recommend them if you feel $695 (today’s price/rate) is fair for a set of silencers and arrival time is unimportant.
42 Mains (stock)
132 Pilots
Poor man’s Freak: Drilled air box, Opened K&N drop-in
Snorkel removed
Stock Needles (2 shims)
HD Idle Mixture Thumbscrews
Thunderbike Silencers
