Topic: loud pipes or horns...both

[Terry in Australia]

i love jardine exhaust but i prefer graves the graves pipes are slightly quieter then jardine in my opinion

Thanks mate, when I ordered mine, there were only a couple of company's making them, and the Jardine was the better looking system, and by buying it from a store in the US, I got them for less than half the price the Aussie distributor wanted. The other system only came in flat black, and was almost twice what I paid for the Jardine. Cheers, Terry.

[77cafe750]

well let me know if you need other late model parts i have several suppliers i can try and hook u up but i cant promise lowest price i dont buy in huge numbers
peace crash

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks mate, you meet the nicest people on this forum!

[77cafe750]

lol i know right now all i need is a honda jacket

[laser145]

A loud horn is a must, and I don't think there is much debate about that.

I agree with the general sentiment that loud pipes are normally only heard once you pass someone... however, I think loud pipes are most effective, if at all, when you are riding next to a car on the freeway... If they can hear you while you're in their blindspot they are less likely to change lanes on top of you.

Loud pipes don't do much to prevent a car from pulling out from an approaching intersection.

[tortelvis]

Both. drag pipes and twin air horns. Woman in an SUV ran a stop sign right in front of me but I had anticipated this and kept back. As soon as she got straightened out I got up behind her and gave her a 10 second blast. She ran off the opposite side of the road trying to get out of the way.

[ken736cc]

If you insist that loud pipes are a safety item and that you have them so that people can hear you, then why dont you mount them facing forward?

[Laminar]

Both. drag pipes and twin air horns. Woman in an SUV ran a stop sign right in front of me but I had anticipated this and kept back. As soon as she got straightened out I got up behind her and gave her a 10 second blast. She ran off the opposite side of the road trying to get out of the way.

Nowhere in that cute anecdote were drag pipes helpful.

[plug1]

loud pipes, loud stereos, second hand smoke: life's a bi@#$

[77cafe750]

i get plenty of first hand smoke

[TwoTired]

loud pipes, loud stereos, second hand smoke: life's a bi@#$

Yes.  Partly because other people insist on making it that way.  Are you keeping things #$%*y or trying to improve the situation?

[scrapvalue]

well until every bike all of a sudden becomes quiet, stock, and are not loud anymore, i will join the club.  i am talking about exhaust not murder.  if we're talking about murder then im on the wrong board. 

im not trying to piss people off, but i choose to ride a motorcycle because i have the right. i dont get pissed at the loud harley or loud pickup truck or loud mustang, if people are buying these aftermarket products they are for the most part street legal and im not the only one.

next time ill just shut up and not post anything.

Hey man, don't take it personally. There are some real self righteous people on here that will jump on anyone that doesn't think like they do.
Face it, they are right and we are wrong. They know everything, we know nothing. If they haven't done it, it can't be done.
I think they would like it if no one new showed up on this site.
So anyway, don't be afraid to post your questions or comments.
There are quite a few good people on this site that are more then willing to help you out.
But unfortunately, there a few that can't seem to post much, other then slams and their narrow view on some subjects.
Seems like they base their posts a lot of times on emotions and not facts.  Bet they vote the same way too.

[MCRider]

well until every bike all of a sudden becomes quiet, stock, and are not loud anymore, i will join the club.  i am talking about exhaust not murder.  if we're talking about murder then im on the wrong board. 

im not trying to piss people off, but i choose to ride a motorcycle because i have the right. i dont get pissed at the loud harley or loud pickup truck or loud mustang, if people are buying these aftermarket products they are for the most part street legal and im not the only one.

next time ill just shut up and not post anything.

Your question "loud pipes or horn" was reasonable enough. You may not have realized you touched a nerve, so you learned something. Same thing with oil threads and politics.
You should be proud.
As to "for the most part street legal", that's way off base, so you'll learn something there too. If you look at virtually every, and I am allowing for the most minor of exceptions, all aftermarket pipes are marked "Not DOT approved, Not street legal, for off-road use only".

I've always run aftemarket pipes and will again. But they have baffles and only become offensive on demand. And for that I wait till I'm out of earshot to open it up. They aren't at illegal levels whenever the engine is running as many of the bikes on my street are. And that goes for harleys and all the downtown stretched Jap bikes that find their way out here with open megaphones. They are loud just idling down the street, which is what the loud pipes save lives crowd promotes.

Its a fair question, and the answer is NO to loud pipes and YES to a loud horn. You asked.

[sangyo soichiro]

When I first was cleaning up my CB to ride, the PO had some mufflers on that I just didn't like (almost a home-made jobby).  So I took them off and had rudimentary drag pipes.  It was okay, until I opened it up. 

My Dad was following me on his Harley once, and he was trying to keep up.  Later he said that he couldn't hear his engine and probably over-revved it because my pipes were too loud (and he was on a Harley!).

Anyway, I got the Mac 4-1 exhaust now.  But I also bought some Mac drag pipes.  Now I'm not sure I should use them.  I hate to waste the money though.... 

[MCRider]

When I first was cleaning up my CB to ride, the PO had some mufflers on that I just didn't like (almost a home-made jobby).  So I took them off and had rudimentary drag pipes.  It was okay, until I opened it up. 

My Dad was following me on his Harley once, and he was trying to keep up.  Later he said that he couldn't hear his engine and probably over-revved it because my pipes were too loud (and he was on a Harley!).

Anyway, I got the Mac 4-1 exhaust now.  But I also bought some Mac drag pipes.  Now I'm not sure I should use them.  I hate to waste the money though.... 

I have a one off pipe from RB Racing, modeled after the Honda Bol d'Ors bike. It came without a baffle. Used it on my racer. Back on the street, I made a baffle out of some discs and the long style CB750 baffle. Beautiful quiet sound, couldn't tell any decrease in usable power. Seat of the pants.


So consider making some baffles for the drag pipes. They can be removable.

[sangyo soichiro]

When I first was cleaning up my CB to ride, the PO had some mufflers on that I just didn't like (almost a home-made jobby).  So I took them off and had rudimentary drag pipes.  It was okay, until I opened it up. 

My Dad was following me on his Harley once, and he was trying to keep up.  Later he said that he couldn't hear his engine and probably over-revved it because my pipes were too loud (and he was on a Harley!).

Anyway, I got the Mac 4-1 exhaust now.  But I also bought some Mac drag pipes.  Now I'm not sure I should use them.  I hate to waste the money though.... 

I have a one off pipe from RB Racing, modeled after the Honda Bol d'Ors bike. It came without a baffle. Used it on my racer. Back on the street, I made a baffle out of some discs and the long style CB750 baffle. Beautiful quiet sound, couldn't tell any decrease in usable power. Seat of the pants.


So consider making some baffles for the drag pipes. They can be removable.

Good idea!

[Mat]

I have a one off pipe from RB Racing, modeled after the Honda Bol d'Ors bike. It came without a baffle. Used it on my racer. Back on the street, I made a baffle out of some discs and the long style CB750 baffle. Beautiful quiet sound, couldn't tell any decrease in usable power. Seat of the pants.


So consider making some baffles for the drag pipes. They can be removable.

I'm sure that I can figure out a hundred and one ways to do this through an internet search, but how did you do this?

The baffles on my stock pipes are not working, and I don't have the money to spend on replacing them at the prices I've been seeing. Modding my own would be a dream.

[MCRider]

I have a one off pipe from RB Racing, modeled after the Honda Bol d'Ors bike. It came without a baffle. Used it on my racer. Back on the street, I made a baffle out of some discs and the long style CB750 baffle. Beautiful quiet sound, couldn't tell any decrease in usable power. Seat of the pants.


So consider making some baffles for the drag pipes. They can be removable.

I'm sure that I can figure out a hundred and one ways to do this through an internet search, but how did you do this?

The baffles on my stock pipes are not working, and I don't have the money to spend on replacing them at the prices I've been seeing. Modding my own would be a dream.

Not to hijack this thread further, I'll start a baffle thread under "tricks and tips".

[77cafe750]

this is starting to remind me of the pods vs stock airbox deal from a while back

[Laids]

I have a 19 year old son that has just started riding. I have tried to impart some tips to him about riding safe. The number one tip is "treat every car as if they are trying to hit you", never underestimate stupidity. I would put defensive driving as number one. Proper gear (helmet, jacket, etc) follow close. As for a horn, I am usually trying to get my heart to start pumping again before I think of using it, and since it is stock it makes a pathetic bleating sound which doesn't project my sentiments at all. So I would say a horn that had some volume would help but only after the fact. Loud pipes seem to be pretty subjective, I like them loud enough to cover the engine noise, I have Hm300's on my 750, silencers in are just about right, silencers out while it makes a little more noise and safer according to some get a little tiring after a while. I will side with a little bit loud pipes and piss people off with a loud horn, the finger doesn't seem to work as well anymore.  

[Terry in Australia]

I've got to fit some decent horns on my Triumph Rocket III, the OEM horn is p1ss-weak, no better than a stock CB750 horn.

The horns on my BMW K1100LT were absolutely brilliant, louder than most car horns, and no silly air compressors amd hoses to worry about.

I think Stebels were standard fitment on BMW's, so I might buy a pair, or I suppose I could visit my local BMW wreckers yard and buy a good set of used horns and a relay off an LT, I really miss scaring dozy car drivers!

[Ved]

I respect peoples decision to run loud pipes, or even wear a clown outfit if they so choose. However, to me it's the "hey look at me" attention whores that make most poker runs and group cruises annoying, and distasteful... My wife calls them "Dragon Farts".

I have dual horns on mine and they have come in handy on many occasions. My pipes are only loud during heavy acceleration thanks to some nice home made baffles. I honestly can't remember a single time when they helped in preventing an incident. I'm a very defensive driver. If I see someone even looking like they may do something stupid I lay on the horn. On the highway, if I find myself cutting to the center lane to get around some tractor trailers or elderly drivers, I sometimes tap my horn a few times to get their attention so they make note of my position... If I find myself behind some Harley with insanely overly loud pipes I will either pass em, back way off, or find an alternate route to where I am going. Even if they think I'm sitting behind them saying to myself "wow that loud ass bike is soo awesome!"...not... I'd rather push a Honda than ride a Harley.

I know this has been posted before, but I just had to...

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251889

[MCRider]

terry: AS with headlights, horns can really benefit from a relay kit.

http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html

You probably know that, but I'll take the opportunity to expound. If one gets a high output conventional horn, and wire in a relay, you'll compete with airhorns for volume.

Oh I just noticed you mentioned "relay" in your post, so we're on board. A relay will make even a stock horn much louder.

[Terry in Australia]

I'd rather push a Honda than ride a Harley.

You serious mate? I'd rather ride any bike than push one, I had to push my BMW 3 miles back in August last year when I ran out of gas on a long ride, and it fukking nearly killed me? If you reckon Harley riders look silly, you should have seen me by the time I struggled that big blue land barge into the gas station!

[Terry in Australia]

terry: AS with headlights, horns can really benefit from a relay kit.

http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html

You probably know that, but I'll take the opportunity to expound. If one gets a high output conventional horn, and wire in a relay, you'll compete with airhorns for volume.

Oh I just noticed you mentioned "relay" in your post, so we're on board. A relay will make even a stock horn much louder.

Thanks Ron, I'll order one of their kits tonight!