Toutsuite Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Well, that may be Noise, but they look awful hairy for bankers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherat Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Yer but come off it, Harley riders these days are nothing like the "Bad Ass bikers" back in the day they are more than likely mid life crissis bank managers with more money than sense that just wanna cruse around parades flashing off all ther chrome parts they have just spent the past year polishing. Thats why yours are louder lol ( o hello Mr Hells angel lol) D'you know............I ride a Harley..........I hang out with peple who ride Harleys............sure some are reasonably wealthy, lets face it, to own most Harleys you've got to have a few quid, but the people I've met have generally been regular guys who have owned bikes for years and always aspired to owning a Harley. The majority are not 'Badass Outlaw' but certainly no less the biker than your average jap rider, infact there are some real nasty looking dudes that wear a HOG chapter patch, but even the ones who don't fit the characature of 'Badass Outlaw' you really wouldn't want to piss off. I find that most people who slag off Harleys and their riders have little in the way of experience of either the bikes or the riders. The HOG members have a great time, attending rallies in this country and abroad, going on ride outs, and yes attending parades and carnivals, all of these activities are bike based, with the added bonus of lashings of beer. Oh, and my Harley is much louder than your 650 Dragstar, even with your straight through pipes, gauranteed, I know 'cause I've had both LOL!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearless joe Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Well fearless, it's all subjective right? I mean I like the sound of the v&h's as well, I just think they're too loud, and that's without really opening the taps. Try hitting the motorway at 70 for an hour or so, and then see how many days it takes for the ringing in your ears to go away! ;-) Also there is the issue of getting pulled over by the police every so often if your pipes are too loud. i would never ride down the motorway without earplugs, ive made that mistake before, on my star and my ears are ringing anyway my er5 was louder and ive never been pulled and that had no baffle, even if i got pulled on my star its legal sooo... each to there own i guess, you can get db killers but i dont know how good they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 As you say Joe, each to their own. My own reasoning is that if I have to wear earplugs to ride, my pipes are too loud! The legality thing is a bit more vague of course. Some people say the exhaust has to have an "E" stamp on it, others say as long as they're not marked "Racing only" they're fine. Mine have no markings. I assume yours don't have any either. Leathy, I'd just like to say I have no prejudice against Harleys or their riders! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherat Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 As you say Joe, each to their own. My own reasoning is that if I have to wear earplugs to ride, my pipes are too loud! The legality thing is a bit more vague of course. Some people say the exhaust has to have an "E" stamp on it, others say as long as they're not marked "Racing only" they're fine. Mine have no markings. I assume yours don't have any either. The guy who does my MOT's says that as long as the pipes are not marked 'not for road use' or 'Racing only' they're fine. Infact he says even if they are marked as such he can legally provide an MOT certificate if you cover the words (with a sticker) so that he cannot see them as he's not allowed to remove the sticker. As for the noise, I find that my helmet (Caberg Justimo GT flip front) causes the most noise and thats why I ought to wear ear plugs rather than the noise from the pipes. I can't wear ear plugs as I find they cause me to feel so disengauged from whats happening around me, which make me feel quite unsafe, Maybe I should invest in a more expensive helmet which has a better noise dampening design. Leathy, I'd just like to say I have no prejudice against Harleys or their riders! Yeah I know, most don't..........but the myth of the Wild Hogs still reverberates around, and anyway, perhaps it would be good if it were true, then.......in a few months time when the financial shit really hits the fan there will be a plethoria of these 'Professionals' desperate to shift their Heritage softails and Ultra classics quickly and at rock bottom prices LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 D'you know............I ride a Harley..........I hang out with peple who ride Harleys............sure some are reasonably wealthy, lets face it, to own most Harleys you've got to have a few quid, but the people I've met have generally been regular guys who have owned bikes for years and always aspired to owning a Harley. The majority are not 'Badass Outlaw' but certainly no less the biker than your average jap rider, infact there are some real nasty looking dudes that wear a HOG chapter patch, but even the ones who don't fit the characature of 'Badass Outlaw' you really wouldn't want to piss off. I find that most people who slag off Harleys and their riders have little in the way of experience of either the bikes or the riders. The HOG members have a great time, attending rallies in this country and abroad, going on ride outs, and yes attending parades and carnivals, all of these activities are bike based, with the added bonus of lashings of beer. Oh, and my Harley is much louder than your 650 Dragstar, even with your straight through pipes, gauranteed, I know 'cause I've had both LOL!. LOL i have no beef against Harley riders at all i absolutley WANT a harley (my step dads also got a 1988 sporty) my post was merly a dig at those with more money than me who can afford one lol (jelousy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Schuberth helmets are supposed to be the best at keeping noise down, BTW... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearless joe Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 yeah i only where earplugs cos of wind blast, not cos of my pipes, there nowhere n ear loud enough to need them a anything below 40 i live in london, so getting to 30 is often hard enough but i have a crap htc helmet....... its crap I can't wear ear plugs as I find they cause me to feel so disengauged from whats happening around me, which make me feel quite unsafe, lots of people say that about earplugs, but i have to use them at work all the time so im used to it.... couldnt ride with headphones and music though, i would be dead withing 500 foot as for my pipes being e-marked, i never checked...... but ill have a look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearless joe Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 also, after swapping bikes with my mate the other day (gsx650f), my mate claimed my bike was too loud to ride, so its not just you i have noticed with the pipes that you can really hear how fast the idle is, im not sure if mine is too fast as everyone says that about these, i need to go down the ace cafe on a bike night and find some people with the same bike and compare ... or bodge on a rev counter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you have to wear earplugs at work - I presume something heavily industrial and manly! - then you're used to loudness, so the cruzers don't sound so loud to you. As far as the idle speed is concerned, it should be higher than the stock pipes (a richer mix), unless you don't mind all the popping on deceleration or when you change gear. I'll let you all know what the smartpartz quiet baffles are like when HM customs gets round to letting me have them! Almost all the comments I've seen on the interwebs are positive - in fact the only negative comments are from people who've taken them back off again for being too quiet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearless joe Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 if they are that good and quick to put in and out i might even get some for those 3am start/finishes and as for my job... industrial and manly... weeeellll im just gona let you think that lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Finally go my hands on the quiet baffles this afternoon! Had to go get them from the Parcelforce depot myself or wait till who knows how much longer (end of next week prob), paid the vat (plus £8.00 "handling fee" - highway robbery!) and got them home. Installation was not quite the breeze they claimed it to be, but not too difficult, about 30 mins. So results? Quite impressive actually: I find it now is exactly as loud as it should be, without being embarrassing or obnoxious. The tone of the exhaust is almost totally unaffected, with a possible slight deepening as a result of the baffles, just without the harsh raspiness. They are effective across the rev range too, I can now open the throttle with relish and not worry about blasting everyone around me with >100db noise! It's perfect in fact! Very definitely louder than the stock pipes, but not too loud. Love em. I took a db reading when I first fit the pipes on, 2m behind the bike at idle, 88dB. Now it's 79dB. Result! I also immediately noticed the increased back pressure on the pipes, the engine is noticeably peppier now. This means of course, a much less drastic rejetting will be necessary. Won't know for sure until she's had a dyno of course. Smartpartz make add-on baffles for just about every aftermarket exhaust there is out there, if anyone else is interested. They're not a particularly cheap option, with posting, customs, vat etc (£85 it cost me in total), but a very effective one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Where'd you get a decibel meter from? I'd love to know what our bikes come in at... All I know is that California law limits bikes to less than 92db and cars to less than 96db - Which is of little use here in Reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 I got it from Maplins, simple analogue VU meter jobbie with a dial to set the dB level (eg you select 80dB and when the needle hits the middle, it reads 80dB), £20 -£30 IIRC. I use it to calibrate my home cinema normally. Maybe I can nip up to Reading one of these weekends and give you a reading - any excuse for a trip really! Edit - just checked, Maplins don't do the analogue one any more - they do the digital ones though, about £30. Also my draggie is going for a dyno test on Saturday morning; then we'll see what's what... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well, the dyno test results are in! First thing to note, after 9 years and 33k miles, she's down to 35.4bhp max power on the rear wheel. Not too bad. A good question I suppose would be is the 40bhp quoted power of a new engine at the crank or the wheel? Anyhoes, it's not as if the bike feels sluggish to me. The main thing of course is the air/fuel mixture graph. (I've only a printout copy so have no way of posting this). The guy at the garage explained the readout to me: a straight red line represents the "ideal" mixture (13 on the scale). Anything above the line (lean mix) but under 14 is within tolerance and doesn't necessarily or urgently require rejetting. Anything below the red line (rich mix) but above 12 likewise. With the stock jets I'm mostly just within tolerances (on the lean side of course), with the pilot jet putting me just a little outside tolerance. The guy's verdict was that I could get away with not rejetting. However, I think I'll have it done in the next month or two to bring her closer to the red line, maybe regain 2-3hp (and a bit more peace of mind!), and of course lose a few mpg. Anybody know what the stock jet sizes are for the the draggie 650? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blam Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I had a set of V&H Classic II mufflers on my last bike (a Honda VF750C), and yeah, without any kind of baffles they were *loud* (my neighbours were seriously unimpressed with me going to work at 3am). However, they did seem to quieten off after a while. I suspect the packing material took a little while to bed in and/or rough up or something. Either that or my hearing started to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hey Blam, don't you miss the power of the Magna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hey remember when I said I was hoping to regain a horse or three after rejetting? Turns out I lost one more! Now down to 34bhp peak, just one pony above the restricted limit, darn it! It turns out if you want to squeeze every last ounce of power from your bike you run her lean as fuck - and change your engine every six months! Apparently that's what some ultra-performance sportsbike nutters do, maybe some of them can comment on here. I just wish someone would explain the physics of it though. I don't mind the power loss, it's not noticeable, and the bike now runs much closer to the ideal line (still on the lean side). The guy told me he had to change the jets twice as the first set of mains he put in were too big and produced an over-rich mix. The rejet incl a new dyno reading cost £95, which is not bad. And as far a mpg goes, did a run last weekend up to Buntingford, from Sarf London and back, and averaged 58mpg which I'm quite happy with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blam Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Hey Blam, don't you miss the power of the Magna? I must admit, I do miss that old girl She was an absolute animal if the road was even slightly damp, but she had enough power (and grip, if it was dry) to make a Scooby look silly at the lights. Plus, with the V&H's she sounded sweet as a nut! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Thought I'd resurrect this old thread... When I first installed the V&H Cruzers on my bike I thought they were way too loud. This was before any rejetting, and having gone from the gentle singer-sowing-machine-sound of the OEM pipes. So I fitted the quiet baffles and was very happy with that. A year and a half later, after having filtered through London traffic with loads of bikes that were louder than me (and we're not talking cruiser bikes here), and having gone to Ace Café meets, and finally a mate of mine getting his hands on a HD fatbob with V&H straight-throughs (loud as fuck natch!), I started to think that maybe I should take those quiet baffles off. So finally today I did. Absolutely loved it! I think the difference is that the carbs are rejetted, so there's less pops and bangs, the packing material in the original baffle is now well bedded down, smoothing out the tone of the pipes, and lastly I'm not self-conscious about having a loud bike! And boy does she turn heads now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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