Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust thunderbike pipes just installed / reviewed..

I recently purchased an 04 SM and I'm very happy with the bike, but the stock pipes/sound are pitiful. I bit the $$ bullet and bought the tbike pipes. It took exactly 6 days for them to arrive in Virginia from NZ. Not bad!! Removing the stock pipes wasn't so bad...but very tricky to get your hands where you need them to loosen/tighten -- that goes for re-assembly too. The tbike pipes were equally as heavy as the stock pipes, and the finish was really nice--they look very stock except for the slash cut at the end...much nicer IMHO. The fit, however took some finesse. Both connecting ends on the pipes needed re-shaping in order to fit properly over the (header?). One was seriously mis-shapened. This ate up a lot of time. I'm no mechanic by the way. The connecting end also had "loose" chrome on the ends, and after re-shaping, came off a bit (anyone know how to re-chrome...I'm guessing there is no such thing??)
Regardless, after about 2 hours, they were on. Again I'm no mechanic, but I took my time and made sure they fit like the stock ones did. I fired it up, and wow what a difference! The pipes have a nice deep throaty sound, and yes, loud enough to get anyone's attention, but not so loud you ****** your neighbors off everytime you hit it, or lose your hearing after 10 minutes. It's a very classic rumble but certainly not over the top...I am not dissapointed in the way they sound at all. In regards to power gain, it most certainly is there. The power response feels AND IS more immediate and steady thru the RPM band. The bike pulls noticeably harder and smoother. More power...awesome sound...what more could you ask for??
Aside from the reshaping and loosing a bit of chrome, all is well...I'd do it again if I had to...no regrets!

i feel the same way. accept for the problems. mine fit just as good as stock did. sorry to har about your problems but nice to hear your happy. you can have them rechromed but i am pretty sure its expensive.

Frank

I've had mine long TB's on my SM for a couple of weeks now and they are well-made. However, they arrived with minor shipping damage that I'm working with Richard at TB to resolve; I'm hoping for some minor compensation. The problem is the inept packaging they do . . . they claim it's very difficult to get packaging material down there. Right, you're selling $700 pipes and you can't ship them properly? B.S. If my pipes had been properly packaged, they would have arrived perfect. Shoot some pics and send them off to TB and followup with them on a weekly basis until your concerns are resolved. Mention also that you know at least 2 other owners who have had similar issues. If they have enough of us doing this, maybe they'll get a clue about how to ship stuff correctly.

Otherwise, I'm absolutely thrilled with the pipes!

Glad you like them babies. I got the first set in the states, at least I'm pretty sure I did, and I have been in love with them from the minute I opened the boxes. Mine were flawless and slipped on in about 15 minutes. But I have been yanking pipes on/off the SM several times before going the TPipe route.
I just love them and think they were worth the money. I just wish I had just bought them first instead of dicking around with other pipes so much. But, then again I would not have learned so much if I didn't. I chalk it up to a learning experience.
Have fun with them and keep after them over in KiwiVille if you have an issue, they will make it right if you have any problems.
By the way, how were yours packaged anyway? Mine were in two seperate packages, wrapped in plastic, then heavy duty perf cardboard (wrapped 3 times each) then both packages were again wrapped together with the heavy duty perf carbdoard. Mine arrived in less than 2 weeks, customs held them up for 4 days, and they were perfect when I opened them up.
Maybe consider upping your main jets a notch or two even though they say it's not needed. Do a plug check to verify mixture.
Have fun!

hey TR6, u ever ride a 04 and under ba or sm? just curious what you think of the 05. sorry to hijack this thread

Frank

oh forgot about sprokets. oh well guess it will give some sort of idea though how differentt hey are. ehy not just change your sproket

Frank

Well, at least they're being replaced. But what a pain! Man, you'd think for what these guys cost they'd be delivered encased in Kevlar.

Did the stickers come on the pipes or did you put them there? I got a set a few months after I bought mine but Haven't put them anywhere.

pat like you my badges for the pipes arrived later i put them on the rear of the pipes at about a 10 oclock 2 oclock position when the bike is upright,makes them stand out from all the other pipes out there

I want some, Bad.......No, I need them, ya, that's right I need new pipes, cause,..... It's safer, yea., that's right safer.....and.... the stock ones........ had a recall, yea, that's it, they recalled them for safety reasons..... something about a weld in the bottom.......I want some....

Hey Rick, I got the T-pipes on my BA last fall, and they certainly woke my bike up in stock configuration too. What I noticed though, is that after about 50 miles or so, it got the "stumbles" when you opened it up. It was starving for fuel. I changed to 135 main jets from the stock 120's and the difference is incredible. I have 138's and 140's too as I anticipate needing larger jets once summer gets here (if it EVER does!) for the "thicker" air. If you try the larger jets, I'm 99.99% certain you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the input. Mine were individually bubble rapped, then bubble wrapped together, then wrapped in heavy guage paper/cardboard. Not bad. I don't think they were damaged in shipping, I think they left the factory that way. Love your slogan by the way....

LOL! Yes, they sound soooo nice. I go out in the garage and stare at my BA every night hoping for a warm enough day to get here so I can finally ride it again. We got about 5 inches of snow dumped on us again last night so it may be a while. If I didn't mention it before, I also kindly suggest adding the float bowl allen screws "kit" if you're going to change jets. That way if you need to change them again you can do it in 15 minutes with an allen wrench as compared to the hour to 1 1/2 hrs pulling everything else apart to pull the carbs off. You can get them at newspeedmaster or I think bellacorse too. Or your local hardware store too probably...