Anyone else here run a metric cruiser with V&H Straightshot HS?

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
GilaMinumBeer

GilaMinumBeer

Half-fast Prattlarian
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,431
Reaction score
10,793
Have had this bike since 2004 and I am just now replacing the pipes.

Ordered a set of Vance and Hines Straighshot HS to put on a 2004 Shadow Aero 750. Read the reviews and some coplained the pipes were too loud even with baffles.

Anyone else running a similar set-up? Were you forced to get the optional "quiet-baffles" to be less of a nuisance?
 
2005 Suzuki C50 (first year with FI) with Cobra Classic Slashcut. Way louder than the quiet exhaust of most metric cruisers, but not near drag pipe loud. They even smoothed out the ride a noticeable bit with a fuel manager.

I ride with a guy who has a Honda VTX1300 and some kind of V&H. Cruzers, I think. They are louder than mine and very deep sounding. His bike does not sound like a Honda at all.

I think any mc exhaust with "straight" in the name is the loudest offering. This chic I work with has straight pipes on her HD 883. LOUD! Good sounding loud, but loud.
 
2004 Suzuki Vl 800 with Cobra straight slash cut. I removed the baffles from them because I didn't like the rap it made. But it's extremely loud which is fine for me. Any new pipe that's short is going to be way louder then the stock full baffle stuff I was.actually surprised how loud the bike was after taking off the stock pipes
 
I have straight pipes on my 81 cx500 (not stock at all) and boy is it loud, the cops got called while I did a test ride around the block after cleaning my carbs
 
Those are some sweet pipes. Can't say I've had them on a metric but did have a set on a 1200XL. They are not obnoxiusly loud but you can still set off car alarms if you want. Just depends on how you ride the bike. Putting around the neighborhood or screaming down the highway. Big difference.
 
Dan said:
Those are some sweet pipes. Can't say I've had them on a metric but did have a set on a 1200XL. They are not obnoxiusly loud but you can still set off car alarms if you want. Just depends on how you ride the bike. Putting around the neighborhood or screaming down the highway. Big difference.
Click to expand...

I do both on a daily commute.

I am saddened to annouce I cancelled the order. Bought the pipes amidst a late night buzz shop for bike tune up stuff. Guilt has since taken over since I didn't discuss the purchase with the wife.

Frankly, I'd rather keep the wifes pipes screaming than the bikes. This way, once she's convinced, I'll have the opportunity to hear both pipes at max volume.
 
Put em on a Road Star 1700 and while loud it really doesn't bug me. I think that sort of thing is a little subjective. What sounds good to me might be to loud for you. Yes they are loud, I like the way that they sound though and the bike runs smoother now that it can breathe.
 
static said:
Put em on a Road Star 1700 and while loud it really doesn't bug me. I think that sort of thing is a little subjective. What sounds good to me might be to loud for you. Yes they are loud, I like the way that they sound though and the bike runs smoother now that it can breathe.
Click to expand...

I do like loud, while on highway. Not so much nuisance loud when running through a neighborhood after a late night run to the c-store or grocers. And definitely not in the early morning.

Have had a few people tell me that they refuse to ride behind someone with baffle-less V&H pipes. All say they get a headache from teh noise.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I do like loud, while on highway. Not so much nuisance loud when running through a neighborhood after a late night run to the c-store or grocers. And definitely not in the early morning.

Have had a few people tell me that they refuse to ride behind someone with baffle-less V&H pipes. All say they get a headache from teh noise.
Click to expand...

I learned early on that constant noise, particularly wind noise, can fatigue a rider very quickly. So i wear ear plugs or listen to my Ipod with noise canceling ear buds. It was a night and day difference in how i felt after a ride. So having that extra noise on top of the wind noise may put someone over the edge. For those riders that get a headache from the noise a box of foam ear plugs should solve that problem and they will feel much better at the end of the day.
 
bigbeergeek said:
Wanna hear it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwrntnLJSsM
Click to expand...

Yes. I've watch that and a few others. Not.the.same.

You don't get the chest cavity experience nor do you really hear the environmental resonance. Those videos in no way convey the sense of hearing teh machine 2 minute beofre you can visually locate the machine.

But, the videos do convey the change in tone/pitch.
 
That sounded very lame, I mean tame. Almost sounded lke the baffles were out from the tinny-ness but that should have made it much louder.
 
Dan said:
That sounded very lame, I mean tame. Almost sounded lke the baffles were out from the tinny-ness but that should have made it much louder.
Click to expand...

Yep. Like I said you get a feel for the pitch/tone but little else. Yes, baffles out it sounds tinny. Stock baffles in it's a little more throaty. With the quiet baffles you get a 2-3dB SPL drop and more of a hot-rod "glub" from the idle.

But, again, those videos do nothing to convey the resonance of the pipes off the environment with the quiet baffles in.

There are a few youtubes that do consecutive clips of all three states.
 
static said:
I learned early on that constant noise, particularly wind noise, can fatigue a rider very quickly. So i wear ear plugs or listen to my Ipod with noise canceling ear buds. It was a night and day difference in how i felt after a ride. So having that extra noise on top of the wind noise may put someone over the edge. For those riders that get a headache from the noise a box of foam ear plugs should solve that problem and they will feel much better at the end of the day.
Click to expand...

I do the same. (earplugs) My son asked if the bike is so loud I need earplugs why don't I quiet it down. It's not the bike, I wear a half helmet most of the time (except winter) and the wind noise is much louder cruising down the highway than the pipes.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Yep. Like I said you get a feel for the pitch/tone but little else. Yes, baffles out it sounds tinny. Stock baffles in it's a little more throaty. With the quiet baffles you get a 2-3dB SPL drop and more of a hot-rod "glub" from the idle.

But, again, those videos do nothing to convey the resonance of the pipes off the environment with the quiet baffles in.

There are a few youtubes that do consecutive clips of all three states.
Click to expand...

Pulling out the baffles and running open pipes is not good and you loose power, plus the tinny cackling between shifts sounds crappy.

Having said that the Sportser I with the Straightshots, I removed the baffles but installed ThunderMonsters. They aren't much more than a 3-4 inch venturi with a lollipop at the end of them. It's almost like running an open pipe but they put just enough back pressure to prevent the cackling and power loss. HP actually went up a bit.
 
I hate loud, for the sake of loud. And it seems (some) Harley owners like loud for the sake of loud. And some crotch rocket riders seem to think they are cooler and faster when uncorked. And the A holes with their huge bass speakers in their cars that I can hear (and feel) a full minute before they drive by my house. WTF is up with all this noise? Does it make your dick bigger? Attract the opposite sex? I know it makes me want to shoot at you, but being a nice "quiet" guy, I will suffer silently.
 
(Wow! This turned into a long post)

I gave you a "Like" on that last post CBXBob, because I respect where you're coming from. I like loud, not obnoxiously loud pipes. (Of course that is subjective). There are a good number of HD riders in my neighborhood. Most are middle aged guys like me who respect our neighborhood but do love the deep rumbling sound of an HD.

One day a new fellow took a room for rent in a house across the street. His bike was very loud, no baffles, cackled every time he let off the throttle. Sounded like pure ahole, jerk, moron, noise, and makes me agree with you on whether he was trying to make-up for some inadequacy. Let's not even get started on trucks. When I say very loud I'm talking race boat open header loud.

He took great joy in revving his throttle a lot as the bike warmed up (dumb) and when he left the house and rode up the street or on the way home, he stretched the gears and made sure maximum noise abounded from his "ride".

There was a guy a few blocks behind our house who was the same way. You'd think he was on a wide open highway instead of a quiet suburban neighborhood.

Both of those guys have moved out of the neighborhood. Both a couple of jackholes.

Having said that. My bike is loud, if I want to set off car alarms it's no problem. If I want to make somebody's chest feel like they are standing next to a Navy jet in full afterburner 15' next to the catapult of an aircraft carrier.. I could, well maybe not really.

If I want to gently cruise through your town or my neighborhood I know how to do that. Some exhaust pipe manufactures even have an "in town" or "out on the road" pipe. Supposedly with a quick flip of a switch baffles when needed, or little baffle when you don't want them. I doubt they work well and know they are super expensive.

Talking with my neighbors, I've heard them complain about the two guys I mentioned. I apologized if my bike was too loud. Were pretty close so they have no reason to lie to me.. Paraphrasing, both said "No Dan, we like the sound of your bike, you're not a jackhole like those guys. We can tell when you are riding down the street or those A ‘holes".

Living in CA. Lane splitting is legal. Meaning, driving on the freeway a motorcycle can drive the white line splitting two lanes, passing the cars and traffic congestion. Supposedly it was because the CA motorcycle CHP rode air cooled HDs for years and sitting in the CA sun gridlocked freeway would toast the motors. So they the CHP were allowed to ride between car lanes down the white line or maybe it was to get to a traffic accident.. Don't really know which is true but it is not illegal to lane split in CA.

Why am I bringing this up? Maybe self serving justification for the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" motto. I know it's BS.. I'm just on a roll.

It is not illegal to lane split in CA. When a bike with loud pipes lane splits, you know he is coming and it's easy to move over a little and let the rider pass by.

Quiet bikes? When driving my car in congested traffic they have given me a scare more than once. I wouldn't change lanes without checking the mirrors but when the quite bikes come screaming by me, I always wonder.. What if I didn't check, didn't see and made a lane change at the time they were splitting lanes. Has never happened but could with a quick little quiet bike. Loud HDs. I know there coming before I see them.
 
Punity said:
If it's to loud you are to old.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Sort of. But there is a time and place. I don't find many bikes to loud. Do find some noisy and crappy sounding. This is usually the result of somebody removing the baffles. I have no idea why people do that because it sounds so sh*tty to me.

I was at the beach this weekend, small little town and quite a few HD riders cruised through the crowded streets. I made a comment to my daughter, said something like "those bikes aren't loud, mine sounds much better".

Then again, I worked around Navy jets for many years and do have some, not much; bilateral hearing damage.
 
This sums up how I feel about it. LOL
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e12-the-f-word

Even as a motorcycle enthusiast, I don't like unnecessarily loud pipes on public streets. A little bit louder than stock can be fine, but going crazy with it? You're just an a-hole.

I have a nice, quiet socially responsible motorcycle, so unfortunately I can't help you anybody with their loud pipe dilemmas. As far as my bad hearing can tell, I have to disagree with everybody who says that lewd popes shave wives. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean.

As for me, I still believe that you meet the nicest people on a honda... :mug:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hmm.. checked out the video. No noisy screaming sounds or endangering high speed cycles who believe they own the road. That must have been on a moped.

Have fun and be safe.
 
Dan said:
Hmm.. checked out the video. No noisy screaming sounds or endangering high speed cycles who believe they own the road. That must have been on a moped.

Have fun and be safe.
Click to expand...

That video certainly isn't me. And it's not in the USA, so I can't comment on the culture there. Despite him going fast, I didn't see anything reckless whatsoever, which is why I posted it.

Anyway, my little CBR1100xx moped gets me a nice respectable 27-45mpg to and from work and running simple errands, 12 months out of the year. (I only missed 6 days of riding last year) Bikes are great! :mug:

Loud pipes on the other hand... Yeah, I like the sound, but really, think about the hundreds of people around you who just don't want to hear it. Is it really that important to you? Personally, I've never heard what my stock pipes sound like at 10K RPM, but I suspect they are loud enough for most people... I don't even like idling my stock pipes in my apartment's parking lot. It's definitely a bit louder than a car as it is... and I want to be a good neighbor.

If I had to replace the pipes due to age or damage, you can bet I'd get something a little less restrained. But pay money just to be noisy or for an extra couple measily horsepower? Nahh... I'd spend an extra grand or two to get a faster bike before I dropped a grand or so on aftermarket pipes and a power commander to make use of 'em. I'd rather spend that money on beer anyway. :mug:


Edit: I actually wouldn't drop a couple grand on a faster bike. I don't really care for the 'busa. Although a Sprint ST might be interesting to check out, I actually can't think of anything I'd be eager to trade my ride in on at the moment. Maybe a cruiser would be interesting.. but it really doesn't fit the kind of riding I do (combat commuting). I've been tempted to step down to something like an SV-650 (loved that bike), but then I'd have difficulty carrying a 55lb bag of malt home from the LHBS.
 
I have to say I am biased. I have a loud bike. I dont really ca're if I annoy some people they probably do something that annoys me.

Riding my bike I notice people look at me because they can hear my bike when I come up on their left or right. If they are looking at me they aren't running into me and I'll take pissing them off for five seconds so I don't end up a statistic.
 
Sir Humpsalot said:
That video certainly isn't me. And it's not in the USA, so I can't comment on the culture there. Despite him going fast, I didn't see anything reckless whatsoever, which is why I posted it.

Anyway, my little CBR1100xx moped gets me a nice respectable 27-45mpg to and from work and running simple errands, 12 months out of the year. (I only missed 6 days of riding last year) Bikes are great! :mug:

Loud pipes on the other hand... Yeah, I like the sound, but really, think about the hundreds of people around you who just don't want to hear it. Is it really that important to you? Personally, I've never heard what my stock pipes sound like at 10K RPM, but I suspect they are loud enough for most people... I don't even like idling my stock pipes in my apartment's parking lot. It's definitely a bit louder than a car as it is... and I want to be a good neighbor.

If I had to replace the pipes due to age or damage, you can bet I'd get something a little less restrained. But pay money just to be noisy or for an extra couple measily horsepower? Nahh... I'd spend an extra grand or two to get a faster bike before I dropped a grand or so on aftermarket pipes and a power commander to make use of 'em. I'd rather spend that money on beer anyway. :mug:

Edit: I actually wouldn't drop a couple grand on a faster bike. I don't really care for the 'busa. Although a Sprint ST might be interesting to check out, I actually can't think of anything I'd be eager to trade my ride in on at the moment. Maybe a cruiser would be interesting.. but it really doesn't fit the kind of riding I do (combat commuting). I've been tempted to step down to something like an SV-650 (loved that bike), but then I'd have difficulty carrying a 55lb bag of malt home from the LHBS.
Click to expand...

And to your point you don't understand the loud pipes. I don't understand superbike speeds for street bikes. Do you need a biker that does 150+ that to me I'd a recipe for disaster. Ill take my cruiser and enjoy the ride. It's all about personal preference.
 
Sir Humpsalot said:
Loud pipes on the other hand... Yeah, I like the sound, but really, think about the hundreds of people around you who just don't want to hear it. Is it really that important to you? Personally, I've never heard what my stock pipes sound like at 10K RPM, but I suspect they are loud enough for most people... I don't even like idling my stock pipes in my apartment's parking lot. It's definitely a bit louder than a car as it is... and I want to be a good neighbor.
Click to expand...

If it means the difference beween Dan coming into my lane without looking and Dan looking around cause he hears what he can't see? Yes. It does mean that much to me.

I have no illusions that "Loud Pipes Saves Lives" but, I do hope that a higher dB presence might reduce the frequency of which I have to kick a door because ******* on a cellphone can't be bothered to look before he merges.

I used to not care. But another situation came about where I was nearly pushed off the road (highway) because ******* on a cell phone was looking at his passenger and not where he was merging. I just happened to hear his tires. And they sounded way too close. I looked in my mirror and saw him creeping to the line, I looked back and his front quarter panel would have caught me square on teh saddle bags had I not throttled fast enough to just clear his front bumper.

I always ride the left lane unless I am getting off the highway and my pipes are on the right side of my bike. Plain as day, he couldn't hear me.

I also park in our parking lot near our smoke hole. Not a day goes by that someone is startled cause they don't hear my bike until I am 2 foot from their heels.

I want inexpensive and louder. Not nuisance ear splitting. Hence my OP.

Here is a youtube for an idea. This one has stock exhaust but the rear baffle plate was drilled. Still, sounds like sewing machine.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well I'm sure I will never convince anybody who is determined to justify loud pipes. But suffice it to say that in my three straight years of being motorcycle-only, riding 12 months a year in the Chicago area, including commuting for awhile in and out of the city, and going there frequently on Friday and Saturday nights, I can count the number of close calls I've had on one hand.

But then, I take regular rider refresher courses and I guess I tend to take it more seriously than most.

If you seem to have a lot of close calls, maybe loud pipes will help others watch out for you...

Me, I just assume I'm invisible and ride accordingly. And it would work just as well if my bike were a silent electric.

Regardless, be safe out there. :mug:
 
Sir Humpsalot said:
Well I'm sure I will never convince anybody who is determined to justify loud pipes. But suffice it to say that in my three straight years of being motorcycle-only, riding 12 months a year in the Chicago area, including commuting for awhile in and out of the city, and going there frequently on Friday and Saturday nights, I can count the number of close calls I've had on one hand.

But then, I take regular rider refresher courses and I guess I tend to take it more seriously than most.

If you seem to have a lot of close calls, maybe loud pipes will help others watch out for you...

Me, I just assume I'm invisible and ride accordingly. And it would work just as well if my bike were a silent electric.

Regardless, be safe out there. :mug:
Click to expand...

I see what you did there. I'll continue to be the lesser rider with my loud pipes. Some people like potatoes others like books.
 
Loud pipes don't indicate poor riding ability. However, you find very few riders with loud pipes who do more than a few thousand miles a year.

What if a kid in a tiny Honda Civic tried telling you that because his car is so small and vulnerable amidst the trucks and SUVs that his loud stereo was always bumpin so that he could be sure everybody heard him even if they don't see him?

I actually LOVE loud exhausts. On a track. Or at a rally of some sort. It makes for a wicked cool atmosphere. But you can bet that the people there also think it's cool. That's why they showed up. The same can't be said for any member of the general public. Hence, I put it in the sane category as loud stereos and fart can mufflers... No matter how much I agree that the music, or the exhaust sounds good to my ears.

Personally, when I hear a bike rip past my apartment at 3am, I smile. I genuinely dig it. But I still think the rider is a self-centered jerk because I'm well aware that I am in the minority on this one.

And when I used to drive a car, anytime I heard loud pipes, despite my best efforts, I found that I would start to drive erratically, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from, taking my attention away from my usual driving tasks. Now as a rider, I find that the best way to cope with traffic is for them to be acting as predictably as possible... Even if that means they are driving like a predictable a-hole.

That's why they are referred to as BDC's.
 
Had another close call today. I am shutting er' down at a last second Yellow to near red and I get stopped right at the line. Look in my rear view and see a Lincoln Navigator coming at me way too fast, just as I start to rev the engine to get the bless outta the way she veers over into on coming traffic and goes around, through the light.

Light turns green and I go. Pull up behind her and she on a FVCKING CELLPHONE!

Yeah. I know, no pipes could change that.
 
That sucks man. Also a foot to the driver door leaves a nice dent
 
I wired a pair of Wolo High/Lows in with my stock tooter.

That little black button has a much bigger presence now. Went from 110dB on the "meepmeep" to 119dB with a "whaaaaaooomp".
 
New exhaust delivered, happy birthday to me. also went with some Iridium spark plugs and a K&N Oil filter. Seriously thought about going off stock on the air but the reviews were either sketchy or the new airbox required a rejet of the bike.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I wired a pair of Wolo High/Lows in with my stock tooter.

That little black button has a much bigger presence now. Went from 110dB on the "meepmeep" to 119dB with a "whaaaaaooomp".
Click to expand...

Does this wire right in as a direct replacement or do you have to beef up the electrics?
 
Zuljin said:
Does this wire right in as a direct replacement or do you have to beef up the electrics?
Click to expand...

The ones I chose wired in with the existing horn (I have 3 horns now). All I had to do is change the 10 Amp fuse to a 15 Amp to accomodate.

However, some of the bigger horns do have a relay that you have to use to wire straight off the battery.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top