Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust Will be looking for louder pipes...warnings?

I'll be needing louder pipes after I get my 06 America. Anyone have any warnings for me to help steer clear of problems? I really like an old school look, but havn't settled on what look I'm after to complement the America yet. Just want to make sure I look at best fit and quality value first. Recomendations are appreciated too.

LOL, you should just ask what kind of oil to use while you're at it!

There are many good options and I'm sure others will weigh in with their advice. If you want a quieter pipe and are not concerned as much with performance, the Triumph Off Road pipes are nice quality pieces and are not excessively loud. If you want a little more sound and better airflow, S&S, Bubs, D&D's are some of the names I have seen. Also, you can have you stock pipe gutted for relatively cheap dollars - take a look at the classifieds section.

There are really only two things to remember:
The header is 1 3/4".
From the end of the headers to hub of the rear tire is 36".

The first point is more important to remember. The second one is a point of reference. Other than these two things, best advice is to keep an eye out and get what you think you would like. Just about anything can be made to fit.

I like my Bubs pipes.Nice rumble,clean look.

I have D&D's on a Bonneville and Bonneville America. I have been very happy with this setup with a Jet Kit. Do a search on loudness ratings/poll. Good luck.

What can I say... Thunderbike!! Take the baffles off if they aren't loud enough.

Specialty Spares - they are a little on the loud side, but you can repack (or remove if so desired) with more packing material.

AFAIK, the SS pipe is the only one where I have yet to hear a complaint about rust, finish problems, etc. I can't recall any complaints for these pipes. Mine look like new after 30,000 miles. At $470, they're sort of priced in the middle as well.
http://www.specialtyspares.com/speedmasters.htm

I definitely recommend to first hear what you want to buy. They all have slightly different tones/volumes and what appeals to me may sound awful to you. I rode for an horu behind a member with his SS pipes, which sold me.

I like gutted stock pipes best.

Personally, I found the SS pipes just a bit loud for me. I will add though that at the time I had them I used an open faced helmet which can tend to intensify the db's somewhat.

Other than MY little problem because most who buy them love them, the problem with pipes is that opinion of one is subjective to themselves, meaning Staffo finds them loud but Fast Eddy doesn't.

Eddy won't mind me using him as an example btw cos we're pretty good mates, but unless you can hear pipes in person you are relying on someone else's perception.

So I bought a set of Staintunes and have recently taken out the restrictors. This has not only given them a lower rumble but having them lower in the rumble department tend to make them sound less offensive. Also, this allowed me to install thruxton needles and larger mains giving me good vibes in the extra power dept.

I do intend to dyno my setup again soon just to make sure all is well but like many others, there are some more importantant projects at the moment.

I've actually been meaning to do a sound clip on them too and comparing them to the other ones I have ie Tors, SS, staintunes with restrictors in and now restrictors out, which may give some idea in a comparison sense at least.

Of course, depending on the quality of the sound clip can also skew or misrepresent the real sound. Imho, the one's I've done and heard are pretty close though.

As has been mentioned, The staintunes are at the top end of the price chart but imho, for a reason. I'll leave it at that.

Good point. Sceptre is about ready to end their America/Speedy run. If you want a set, better jump now. I'd have a tough time coughing up $700...

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AFAIK, the SS pipe is the only one where I have yet to hear a complaint about rust, finish problems, etc. I can't recall any complaints for these pipes.

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I've never read a complaint over fit, finish, or quality of Scepter pipes either. I love the way they look and sound.
You may want to check out Staintunes also. Stainless, adjustable baffles, pricey though.

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I also can't stress that enough. It's shame to spend $500-$700 on something you don't like!
Recently, I added a GPS/MP3 player to my bike and my SS pipes, with 1/2 the exhaust wrap material removed were too loud. I just bought a $20 pack of wrap and redid my baffles, toning her back down to a lower level. Or maybe I'm just getting old....<g>

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....but unless you can hear pipes in person you are relying on someone else's perception.

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Thanks. I'll keep looking. I want a nice low rumble, but I'm also wanting the best look for my bike and my style. Doesn't seem like anyone is mentioning pipes that have real big issues, so I feel better now shopping around.

Just my two cents but for under $40 I bought 2 clamps and two 45deg slash cut turn downs at an automotive store. (these are the ends you might buy to clamp to the outlet of a muffler on a VW rabbit or Dodge Omni) They are 1-3/4" by about 6" long. I gave them a quick polish and they don't look half bad. these are the loudest pipes you can put on our bikes besides pulling the headers off of the cylinders.

There is no baffles or packing. Also no ill effects from lack of back pressure. You can probably find the same thing in chrome and use the OEM clamps if you want it dressed up a little more too.

I don't really hear them over the wind noise on the highway and I know for a fact that cagers can hear them in town and always know where I am.


Just one end of the spectrum, I hope you find a happy medium for your own taste. NR

I'm a big fan of JCWhitney 16" shorties. Cheap, loud, look great,
20 pounds lighter than stock.

I know it's a subjective thing, but can someone give me an idea of how loud the stock America pipes are with all 4 baffles removed?

Louder than Sceptres? D&D? Specialty Spares?

I have 2 out (Chevy605 modded), and I'm thinking about going all out.

-B

The long cannon type seem slightly quieter than Sceptre but the slash cut pipes are slightly louder, I used to ride with a friend with Sceptre pipes on his BA. Wendy has gutted slash cuts and mine used to be tapered pipes with the taper cut off and gutted.

Recommendations? I recommend you go to one of the PNW gatherings and listen to as many different pipes as you can. Ask lots of questions. There's nothing like hearing them in person.

I posted this in the other thread here. Wish I hadn't taken out that 4th baffle.


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I removed 3, leaving the reducer and 1 baffle. I have another set with all the baffles out, a little loud for me. Quote.


I'm in the same boat. Had what I liked in the way of sound with 3 baffles out each side. Then made the mistake of punching 2 holes in the remaining baffles. Got a wrapping sound then. Solution was to take out the fourth baffles....then had a great sound riding around the city...but the loudness on longer runs started to get to me. I have another set of stock pipes now and I'm back to taking out just 3 baffles each side.

They all the same. Shop for price. D&D's on Cinnamon girl why? Cause the price was right. She had the oem pipes for a long time. Then one sunny day in Eureka Springs an offer was made that could not be refused.

One thing about the D&Ds: They look freaking sassy. And sound retro.

D&D's


oem (pre Taiwan)


sceptres

My bike now has just over 42K on it, and I took 3 stages out of my factory slash cuts about 40k ago. The sound is simply "perfect" for me..Not too loud, not too quiet.

I'm really happy with my Epco pipes. Good sound, not quiet but not painful to the ears. Made of stainless so they can't rust and they came with mounting bolts and jets.

stock slash cuts with all offset baffles and reducers removed. louder and deeper than my old d&d's. love'em! No back pressure issues either.
Hear em here.
http://s711.photobucket.com/albums/ww111/woodley74/?action=view&current=MOV01047.flv

Back pressure "issues"?

I love the sound of my gutted short TORS. I installed these as well: http://gmanindustries.com/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=203

Brandon, that video link was great. I'm almost absolutely certain videoing on the move is the best way to really determine what a set of pipes sound like, and they do sound impressive. Maybe a bit loud for me but I don't ride your bike the long distances I ride mine. Nice work and thanks for the link.

staffo

Btw, I forgot to say that of all the pipes out there, the D&D's IMHO are the best lookers. Just my opinion