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Next in my series of pointless questions . . . why do people change their exhaust?
Yes, I like most mechanical noises - bikes, cars, planes, I totally get it. I'm not objecting to loud noises.
A superbike makes that howl because it has a huge engine, chucking out 150+ bhp. An Aston Martin sounds amazing because it has a V12 under the hood.
A baffle-less MT07 (or any other deliberately illegal bike) making a noise like a chainsaw played through Motorheads PA system sounds like that because the rider is being a cock. It certainly doesn't sound like a superbike.
Just to clarify the above - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with an Akra or other aftermarket pipe either. Although the sound they make doesn't appeal to me any more than the standard exhaust, I can understand why people say they like it.
It's the deliberate making of an infernal racket that I don't like, and that would generally only come from an illegal pipe.
It's the deliberate making of an infernal racket that I don't like, and that would generally only come from an illegal pipe.
it's not the noise i love in my Termi, it's the way it sounds and shoots while coming down of revs at the crosslights
that's so brilliant
My MT03 used to pop and fart on the over run, that was quite amusing.
There's a stupid thing you can do on a bike, where you shut the throttle, leave it coasting in gear, hit the kill switch but leave the engine turning over, then after a second or two, switch it back on, and it will backfire.
I used to despatch ride in London. Sometimes I'd do this while going round Trafalgar Square. The pigeons would fly 10 feet into the air, shit on the tourists then land again. Mature, I know . . .
Wouldn't guarantee a modern fuel injected bike will do it though. This would have been on my trusty carbed Z750.
I remember that stuff too - I'd say you can't really do that with injected engines anymore...
For me, I think it must be an age thing. I used to love the "howl" of a nice exhaust and pi££ing people off a little.
Now I'm over 50 and the bikes that come thro where I live blasting my eardrums out pi££ me off now! "pesky kids"
Although must say the standard 07 exhaust really is too quite, but I can live with it.
Agree that occasionally in the past "either on bike or in car" looney toons has appeared behind and I've heard it before I've seen it.
Lastly, to spend £1000 on a bit of metal and some fancy TIG welding is just "rip off city"
Now I'm over 50 and the bikes that come thro where I live blasting my eardrums out pi££ me off now! "pesky kids"
Although must say the standard 07 exhaust really is too quite, but I can live with it.
Agree that occasionally in the past "either on bike or in car" looney toons has appeared behind and I've heard it before I've seen it.
Lastly, to spend £1000 on a bit of metal and some fancy TIG welding is just "rip off city"
I've been following this thread with interest.
One reason I upgraded from an MT--07 to an -09 was that I found the smaller bike just a bit too - how can I put it without offending everyone on here - civilised?
So when Yamaha were offering a free Akra to shift 2015 model MT-09s, that clinched the deal. The only difference in spec between the two model years is that the 2016 has traction control, by the way.
Anyway, I collected my new bike about a month ago, the dealer having fitted the Akra pipe. Before I'd gone 5 miles down the road I swear my ears were starting to bleed and I was thinking "I can't live with this thing, it's just too intrusive for me, the rider, never mind anyone else". So when I rang up the dealer to arrange to collect the original exhaust, he casually mentioned that they hadn't fitted the baffle. It's now in, and the noise is reasonably acceptable, though I do get a few dirty looks from old ladies walking dogs in picturesque Cotswold villages. On the other hand, I get a big thumbs up from kids on BMXs - got to catch 'em young!
But I'm still considering changing back to the original exhaust. Around here there are quite a few racing stables, and those thoroughbreds are too easily spooked. At the moment I have to shut the throttle and coast past any horses I meet, and they're just the hunters, not full-blooded racing jobbies. I've seen a few near misses, and really don't want to be kicked or sat on by a ton of horsemeat, nor do I really want to be responsible for a rider being thrown (it's an awful long way down from the saddle of one of those things).
So I guess what I'm saying is that for the riding I do, which basically is avoiding any large conurbation like the plague, I probably need a quieter bike than you guys in the noisy city. It's not that I've got anything against aftermarket exhausts - I have a Scorpion on my FZ8, mainly because the original was so damned ugly. But although it's louder than the original, it's not as much so as the Akra on the MT-09.
One reason I upgraded from an MT--07 to an -09 was that I found the smaller bike just a bit too - how can I put it without offending everyone on here - civilised?
So when Yamaha were offering a free Akra to shift 2015 model MT-09s, that clinched the deal. The only difference in spec between the two model years is that the 2016 has traction control, by the way.
Anyway, I collected my new bike about a month ago, the dealer having fitted the Akra pipe. Before I'd gone 5 miles down the road I swear my ears were starting to bleed and I was thinking "I can't live with this thing, it's just too intrusive for me, the rider, never mind anyone else". So when I rang up the dealer to arrange to collect the original exhaust, he casually mentioned that they hadn't fitted the baffle. It's now in, and the noise is reasonably acceptable, though I do get a few dirty looks from old ladies walking dogs in picturesque Cotswold villages. On the other hand, I get a big thumbs up from kids on BMXs - got to catch 'em young!
But I'm still considering changing back to the original exhaust. Around here there are quite a few racing stables, and those thoroughbreds are too easily spooked. At the moment I have to shut the throttle and coast past any horses I meet, and they're just the hunters, not full-blooded racing jobbies. I've seen a few near misses, and really don't want to be kicked or sat on by a ton of horsemeat, nor do I really want to be responsible for a rider being thrown (it's an awful long way down from the saddle of one of those things).
So I guess what I'm saying is that for the riding I do, which basically is avoiding any large conurbation like the plague, I probably need a quieter bike than you guys in the noisy city. It's not that I've got anything against aftermarket exhausts - I have a Scorpion on my FZ8, mainly because the original was so damned ugly. But although it's louder than the original, it's not as much so as the Akra on the MT-09.
Scorpions and FZ8's go well together. I took the cat out of mine as well. Very loud
View attachment 2997
On a serious note...
Every 09 with an Akraprovic fitted that we've flashed or mapped has always had the baffle out because it performs way better but I get your point on the horse situation
View attachment 2997
On a serious note...
Every 09 with an Akraprovic fitted that we've flashed or mapped has always had the baffle out because it performs way better but I get your point on the horse situation
Attachments
No there's no point mapping a bike for the baffle out then putting it back in because it won't perform the same
That's a bit of a grey area because there's no law as such as to how loud an exhaust can be. i.e on an MOT it's down to the discretion of the tester. Same as when a police officer stops you he can only tell you to put it back in
The opposite is more relevant - if it's legal, he can't tell you to put it back in.
It's grey on volume, there doesn't seem to be any specific limit on decibels. However if the exhaust is type approved and you take the baffles out and increase the volume, (which we know it does), it's illegal.
Here's your legislation;
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
Section 54 (2) states; "Every exhaust system and silencer shall be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases. "
Also, section 97 of the same act states; "No motor vehicle shall be used on a road in such manner as to cause any excessive noise which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care on the part of the driver. ", which covers the loon coming up behind you revving the nuts off of it to get you to move out of the way.
Enforcement is the real grey area, but if the coppers want to give you a ticket or even a section 59 for it, they will.
It's grey on volume, there doesn't seem to be any specific limit on decibels. However if the exhaust is type approved and you take the baffles out and increase the volume, (which we know it does), it's illegal.
Here's your legislation;
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
Section 54 (2) states; "Every exhaust system and silencer shall be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases. "
Also, section 97 of the same act states; "No motor vehicle shall be used on a road in such manner as to cause any excessive noise which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care on the part of the driver. ", which covers the loon coming up behind you revving the nuts off of it to get you to move out of the way.
Enforcement is the real grey area, but if the coppers want to give you a ticket or even a section 59 for it, they will.
In Portugal as a general rule, anything you change that deviates from what was done during the approval process of the bike for the market is illegal.
Example, changing the turn signals is allowed if you change to something that is approved (needs a CE mark on them I think) and if you maintain the distance between them.
Changing the exhaust is allowed if the new one is approved for the bike and you need a letter stating that, the SC-Project with the baffler in is approved, take the baffler out and it isn't.
Not only this, but on the right and side of the bike between the frame and the front fork you have a sticker, there you have two values, if I'm not mistaken is 93db at 4200rpm.
Example, changing the turn signals is allowed if you change to something that is approved (needs a CE mark on them I think) and if you maintain the distance between them.
Changing the exhaust is allowed if the new one is approved for the bike and you need a letter stating that, the SC-Project with the baffler in is approved, take the baffler out and it isn't.
Not only this, but on the right and side of the bike between the frame and the front fork you have a sticker, there you have two values, if I'm not mistaken is 93db at 4200rpm.
I think there is legislation on DB levels, and some of it is EU-wide, so the same probably applies here. The problem is enforcement.
It seems in the UK the testing process isn't very clear - our yearly checks (the MOT test) don't seem to be very specific, although the tester can fail the vehicle if it's clearly illegal. The Police don't seem to have black and white rules either, and the same applies - this is presumably because accurate noise testing requires a lot more control than they can have in a workshop or at the roadside.
There is also the fact that in the UK, no MOT test is due until the vehicle is 3 years old, so most of the bikes we're talking about wouldn't require tests yet anyway.
But that's just noise level. The law is clear enough on modification, which isn't hard to check at the roadside. If it has no baffles, unless the exhaust was type approved without them (which is never going to happen), it's illegal.
The law is usually pretty precise - as far as I know, there is no specific legal distinction between a road and a track pipe, the legislation that I mentioned would work something like as follows;
- The manufacturer submits the pipe / design for testing by the certification agency.
- The agency will approve the exhaust based on the construction they are given to test. They will apply all the legislation relating to sound, safety etc when they test it, so if it's too loud at that stage it would not be approved.
You'd have to assume an exhaust without baffles would fail this testing, so would not be road legal anyway. Whether a track only pipe has to go through this procedure I don't know. A pipe for road use certainly does.
- Having been given the type approval, which would make the pipe legal for road use, it is then unlawful to modify the pipe in a way that makes it louder, and use it on the road.
As we've discussed, whether this means the police will nick you, or the MOT tester will fail the pipe isn't clear, but they *could* do this.
So it boils down to; is it illegal? Yes. No question.
Will you get done for it? Who knows. Maybe not.
Personally - I'm split between the two pieces of law here. If you've removed your baffles, making the pipe illegal, I don't really care.
However, if you're using it to either deliberately annoy, or to intimidate traffic out of your way - which is a separate offence - I hope you get the book thrown at you. That's the kind of thing that gets all of us a bad name.
Well, I put the original pipe back on the MT-09 today, mainly because I want to try it out at Castle Combe and they have very strict noise limits there - 105 Db (which doesn't sound too bad) but at 75% redline revs (which is much higher than most other tracks). The last time I was there, on a road bike only day, 10 bikes failed, including a new R1 with the standard pipe.
Anyway, I took it out for a test ride, and although the evidence from the speedo was that I was riding just as quickly, it just seems to have lost most of its character. All I could hear was the wind and some gear noise. So maybe that goes some way to answering Sdrio's original question - we all want our bikes to have that little extra something, and having it make a "nice" (to us) noise is one sure way of doing that.
I think the Akra will be going back on once it's had its track test!
Anyway, I took it out for a test ride, and although the evidence from the speedo was that I was riding just as quickly, it just seems to have lost most of its character. All I could hear was the wind and some gear noise. So maybe that goes some way to answering Sdrio's original question - we all want our bikes to have that little extra something, and having it make a "nice" (to us) noise is one sure way of doing that.
I think the Akra will be going back on once it's had its track test!