In Praise of Quiet Pipes

[clearviewx]

When I saw this topic heading I smiled from ear to ear. I thought I was the only one who thought like this. I’m one for the quiet pipes. Thank you for posting this.:worship:[/php]

 

[Yanivic_imp]

The quiet stock exhaust was and is a major plus of the CB1100 for me.

It is also part of the appeal of electric motorcycles and bicycles too. I like riding through the woods and being able to hear the birds, other wildlife, and wind in the trees.

I know that I'm in a minority, so if you absolutely must tell the world how awesome your 140 db aftermarket straight pipe is, please start another thread... We'll still be able to hear you!

What are some other bikes that are reknown for their quiet sound profiles?

If I remember, cbr1100 blackbird is remarkably quiet (with stock pipes) and smooth. It had much smoother engine than the cb. it could be because of LC vs. partially air-cooled? At least, that’s my observation based on what I remember of 1100XX.

 

[rboe]

Proven that loud noise is fatiguing so put me down for quiet pipes.

Plus it's just public relations for the non-riding public.

 

[Cormanus]

Put me down for quiet pipes too, please.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Put me down for quiet pipes too, please.

Yeah, +one for sure.

People have enough to manage in their lives. The last thing they need is a low self-esteem rider barking "look at me!", "hear me!". Those riders would have a more success getting therapy.

 

[pdedse]

I had a sportster and a couple of xs650s before purchasing my '14 cb1100 standard...I was shocked at first at how quiet the cb was and really missed the sportster's growl and the xs650s' throatiness. But the quietness grew on me. And with a couple of friends developing tinnitus I knew I didn't want overbearing loud anymore. But with my recent purchase of a W800, I'm enjoying a bit more engine music--it's more there than the cb, a slight agreeable rumble.

 

[Cormanus]

I don't have a Staintune, but I've ridden a bit with Pterodactyl who does. It provides, in pdedse's terms, a more 'agreeable rumble' than the stock pipes without being loud. Having a tonally agreeable rumble can be achieved without making excessive noise.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

All sounds agreeable.

No pointless HD acceleration "thunderclaps".

 

[Dave Swanson]

I enjoy the sound of my stock pipes also. Come to think of it I really liked the stock pipes on my CB-750 in 1974.

When I scan the CB1100 ads on CycleTrader I notice quite a few of the black standards with aftermarket cans tacked on them. Am I the only one thinking that the prior owner was trying to make a CB1100 into something that it is not, and became disenchanted with it?

 

[j3gq_imp]

Did a sound check for y'all today. A quiet, winding country road with no traffic at all was repeatedly asking for 4000 - 5000 on the rpm gauge, in 3rd and 4th, the open shield, and cold air helped acute hearing. If anybody thinks that this 2017 EX sounds like a sewing machine ... :huh: man, ... it doesn't. Honda promised better sound with that newer model, and they delivered. You can go it quiet if you like, and your neighbors will appreciate your nightly returns from the bar, but you can get all the sound you like if that's what you want. Not a brutal Harley sound, instead a deep Honda roar, which beats anything I have heard from a 750 Four - or a Kawa, and it comes with exactly the right vibrations under your skin.

 

[Rui Garrido_imp]

Did a sound check for y'all today. A quiet, winding country road with no traffic at all was repeatedly asking for 4000 - 5000 on the rpm gauge, in 3rd and 4th, the open shield, and cold air helped acute hearing. If anybody thinks that this 2017 EX sounds like a sewing machine ... :huh: man, ... it doesn't. Honda promised better sound with that newer model, and they delivered. You can go it quiet if you like, and your neighbors will appreciate your nightly returns from the bar, but you can get all the sound you like if that's what you want. Not a brutal Harley sound, instead a deep Honda roar, which beats anything I have heard from a 750 Four - or a Kawa, and it comes with exactly the right vibrations under your skin.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[Gone in 60]

I know quiet pipes are good, but I started to get a little weak recently. I test rode a new Bonneville T100 last weekend, and the sound was so much deeper and throatier than my sewing machine 2012 that I had to ask twice to confirm that the bike I rode had stock pipes.

I started cruising the net for Bonneville exhausts. Several options are available. I noticed that Bassani makes slip-ons. The sound clip on their website sounds pretty cool, and I know those guys...

 

[Yata-Garasu_imp]

Near where I live, there is a dog park right next to an outdoor recreation area frequented by young mothers pushing strollers and elderly folks feeding the birds.

I like riding past that area and having people smile and wave at me.

I also have a Honda Shadow 750 that is fairly quiet, but I have to *TRY* to be quiet on the Shadow. The CB1100 is quiet.

I agree that some folks simply don't appreciate the CB1100 for what it actually is.

Those who are looking for an exhaust note, or even something more throaty, are probably not listening for cardinals, finches, and warblers. Nor are they seeing the neighborhood Yorkies and Labradors cower when they ride by.

I do notice the neighborhood dogs don't like my Shadow nearly as much as the CB1100.

While I ride for my own edification, I do enjoy happy neighbors too. And it's nice to be able to hear the birds.

 

[Gone in 60]

I like that too, Yata-Garasu. Coming home each day, I ride through a park (a shortcut that removes three long traffic lights), and then through the gate to my condo complex and a long winding road to my street. I move slow through the park to avoid the errant soccer balls that perpetually spit out into the road, and slow through my complex for the benefit of the neighbors. I get plenty of waves, and particularly dig little kids in strollers, straining to see the motorcycle go by. I give the kids a wave - I dunno, maybe a guy on a motorcycle is as cool as an astronaut to a little kid.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I like that too, Yata-Garasu. Coming home each day, I ride through a park (a shortcut that removes three long traffic lights), and then through the gate to my condo complex and a long winding road to my street. I move slow through the park to avoid the errant soccer balls that perpetually spit out into the road, and slow through my complex for the benefit of the neighbors. I get plenty of waves, and particularly dig little kids in strollers, straining to see the motorcycle go by. I give the kids a wave - I dunno, maybe a guy on a motorcycle is as cool as an astronaut to a little kid.

... and don't forget the kids on the small bicycles. They strain too.




Heck, the adult kids in the blacked-out, lowered Subarus strain too ... and provide some sort of favourable rappish hand gesture and tongue sound.

 

[tommymck]

My BMW R1200C sounded like a sewing machine. It developed a vacuum leak around the air intake once, and then it sounded like a sewing machine with a lisp.

 

[the Ferret]

:rofl:

 

[Gone in 60]

My BMW R1200C sounded like a sewing machine. It developed a vacuum leak around the air intake once, and then it sounded like a sewing machine with a lisp.

Ha! My last R1200 sounded like a sewing machine. The original owner later handed me a Leo Vince pipe that he had been meaning to install. Went from a sewing machine to a tractor.

 

[Tev62]

I narcissistically recorded the sound of my 2017MY EX to get a feel for what others experienced = very pleasant sound indeed.

 

[tommymck]

I narcissistically recorded the sound of my 2017MY EX to get a feel for what others experienced = very pleasant sound indeed.

Dang Tev, Great video. What a pretty location. Surprised there is still so much green around there. I guess they don't call it the emerald isle for nothing.