What are the loudest pipes I can get for my Vulcan 800 bobber project.

[DeluxeCruiser]

As a newbie I am having difficulties with the search function.

Can someone offer advice to my post question?

Thanks

DC

[deanevo]

Loudest I don't know but I guess any VN800 exhaust with all baffles removed??..
I know that V&H makes exhausts with a sort of "big bike" sound.

[Thullan]

The loudest pipes, if that is what you really want, is gonna sound like sh*t on our 800's. You will need some baffles to get the tone down IMO.

[klx678]

If you want the loudest just hacksaw off the pipes about a foot down from the head. Probably shoot some cool flames too.

If you want advice, go get a good looking set of aftermarket pipes that have adequate baffling to keep people from getting irritated by you. Seems people are starting to complain enough that the American Motorcyclist Association has a campaign to let riders know they're stirring up problems. Also I think Vance Hines or one of the others now have an actual EPA approved, with stamping, pipes. Still sound good, just not window rattling irritating to the general public non-riders - aka the majority of the population.

As for that "loud pipes" crap, the guy who went past me the other day kind of proved that as crap again. I didn't hear him until he was beside my rear tire. I was running about 55 mph in my plain jane Chevy S10 with the window cracked a bit. I actually caught a glimpse of him in my rearview mirrors first. So much for more fiction...

[fritzi93]

The loudest pipes, if that is what you really want, is gonna sound like sh*t on our 800's. You will need some baffles to get the tone down IMO.

Yeah. But if the OP wants loud, then short drag pipes *without* baffles will be damn loud.

[Elgordo]

I made my own, with no baffles of course and they sound great... get compliments all the time. No one has ever complained to my face so far...lol.

Whiskey Mods picture by elgordo_06 - Photobucket

[DeluxeCruiser]

Maybe I should rephrase my request. I want the pipes to be loud but not overbearing.

My Harley has a great sound with long shot dual pipes on it but when I get on the Vulcan with factory pipes it sounds like a minibike or Goldwing.

I just want something with considerably more volume, just not sickening loud.

Any suggestions on makes and models of pipes along with any baffle types or should i get pipes with no baffles?

Thanks

[Danase]

The loudest pipes, if that is what you really want, is gonna sound like sh*t on our 800's. You will need some baffles to get the tone down IMO.

I totally disagree. I was running Hard Kromes (my opinion is they are the loudest) and they are basically just a straight through design. Right now I'm running custom straight pipes and I get more compliments on the sound of my bike than anything. It won't sound like crap.

Here is a pic of mine:


Here is a video with the HK's
YouTube - 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Drifter with Hard-Krome Exhaust

and a video with the straight pipes (sound quality is horrible on this camera though)
YouTube - Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 800 Bobber Exhaust

[fritzi93]

The V&H Cruzers are often recommended for the 800, I have them myself. Nice deep rumble at idle, and the bike sounds like a "cigarette boat" at cruising speed.

The baffles are removable (one bolt, it's a snap), and are wrapped in fiberglass cloth. So you could try how it sounds with baffles removed, or without packing. I've even read about a mod for those who think they're too loud, to weld short drag pipe baffles to the forward end of the baffles and repack. Personally, I think they're fine as they came.

My last bike (Intruder) had Cobra slashcuts and I thought they were tinny-sounding and obnoxiously loud.

[klx678]

I made my own, with no baffles of course and they sound great... get compliments all the time. No one has ever complained to my face so far...lol.

Whiskey Mods picture by elgordo_06 - Photobucket

It's not the ones that complain to your face you have to be concerned with. It's the ones that you don't know who complain to the police, city council, state legislators, and federal legislators... you know, the ones who can make noise laws and take your money in fines. They don't have to know you or me, they just have to hear enough loud irritating bikes to start complaining, and they are.

[ScooterDude]

It's not the ones that complain to your face you have to be concerned with. It's the ones that you don't know who complain to the police, city council, state legislators, and federal legislators... you know, the ones who can make noise laws and take your money in fines. They don't have to know you or me, they just have to hear enough loud irritating bikes to start complaining, and they are.

Not to get in your face klx but I have to say this again You must really have it in for loud pipes because this is the second post where you've interjected said opinion about loud pipes when said opinion wasn't asked for. ( just email me if you'd like to reply to this so you don't further highjack his post ) thx!
As for the post at hand, deluxecruiser... I would recommend the Cobra Drag Pipes. If the sound isn't loud enough for you then try without the baffles. If guarantee you that you and everyone else will find it loud enough. .
As well, ( if its to loud for you ) there are different mods and baffles that you can buy that are perhaps quieter. Do some research and search some acc. sites for different Quiet Baffles for different sets of pipes for the 800 before your purchase. I know I know, thats why you came to us here but I guarantee you that you will be inundated with people who just cannot help but highjack your thread simply to interject said contrary opinions as to the merits of loud pipes.
Hope i've helped out a bit!

[klx678]

Darn right I bring it up, every time someone says "I want the loudest". I like some sound. I have a tuned exhaust on my KLX and I've asked a lot of people about how loud it is. I am concerned for keeping the peace and my ability to put said exhaust on my bike. I always want to be able to put on a higher performance pipe on my bikes.

I will not email you because this is the exact kind of place to tell someone to consider what they will do to this sport and means of transportation if they continue with this BS.

If all the self centered self important macho idiots - yes idiots - continue with their "hear the thunder" attitudes running straight exhausts, we will soon have to spend twice as much to buy an EPA/DOT approved and stamped exhaust that is virtually as quiet as stock. Or worse, we will only be able to replace stock with stock. It has happened in other countries where the motorcyclists make up a larger percentage of their population than here in the U.S. It's not hard for a cop to bend over and look at your pipes for that ubiquitous EPA/DOT stamp of approval on the mufflers.

You apparently could care less. I'm with the AMA and the aftermarket people who have some concern. Even the people at Daytona BikeWeek are fed up.

I saw the off road riding become restricted because people who owned property got tired of hearing all the noise so they just cut off the riding. That was when there was a drive for "Less sound = more ground". We lost out on a lot of good riding places. Before that I saw it with muscle cars back in the late 60s and early 70s, the police started pulling over every kid in a car and ticketing them. Even race tracks are being shut down due to noise now.

Honestly, it's less about what I like than what I have seen happen and can tell you can happen again soon with streetbikes. Should I just sit back and let things get hosed up or maybe hope someone might just listen a bit.

A good tone is one thing, open exhaust is another.

[V-Twin]

Hard Krome are known to be loud.

[meanie]

Wouldn't it be easier to mount a sign on the bike which reads "LOOK AT ME EVERYONE, I'm a cool biker"

[bloodbarber]

i just put a set of cobra dragsters on my 900. did it without the baffles first. wow really too loud and really didnt sound that great. put the baffles in and really sounds good now.

[Elgordo]

Well it is nice to know that I have been totally wrong with my whole biking career... you see up in Canada nobody told me that I had to check with you klx678 with my mods to get your approval or you meanie to find out what signs I need. If only someone would of told me to come to you to find out what the biker community was all about, we could of saved all this miss understanding... cause you know I have been an "idiot" for many years. Thank God.... or I mean Thank klx678 and meanie to have shown me the errors of my ways!!!!
Now that you have had your opinion... here is mine. I don't give a crap about what you do with your bike... all I know is there is someone out there that is going to complain about it whether it is loud or quiet. Someone that doesn't like bikes will complain, there are people complaining about electric scooters for some reason. Cars that are to high, to low, to loud, to quiet, to big, to small. Sun is to hot, to cold, to far away, to close and not what it use to be. Big rigs are to smelly, to noisey, to big and scarey, on and on and on and on....
You have voiced your opinion and move on... and if you feel the need to further this conversation maybe you can pm me and we can set up a time and place that is convenient for both of us and you could further tell me how I am a "self centered self important macho idiot" to my face.

[76brian]

klx has a valid point, hell I'm a rider too but I personally hate it when someone goes through my village with pipes 10 times louder than they need to be, especially at night. Thankfully though, 99% of the bikes that do go through here are reasonable... but some are just deafening. Don't get me wrong, stock is way too quiet for my liking, but wide open is just ridiculously excessive.

I think what he's trying to say, is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease... and if the squeaky wheel is complaining about loud bikes, that's not good for any of us.

This is an article from AMA: Threats to motorcycling in America, Part 2: The AMA’s Rob Dingman discusses the challenge of excessive sound ...but if you're riding around with wide open exhaust, you probably don't care about what anyone else says anyways. C'est la vie.

[Elgordo]

I gave my opinion about what the post said... if the rest of you want to ***** and complain like someone's sister after some date didn't call her back the next day then go ahead. It seems like the time for the ones who's panties are too tight to start complaining.

[Bubba68CS]

Agree with Thullan, going for the loudest will end up with a bike that sounds terrible. Loudest will be the equivalent of open headers on a car...the only vehicles that can kinda-sorta somewhat get away with this are pure bred race vehicles (and no, running 'open headers' does not make it sound like a race vehicle ). Some baffling of some kind is necessary to give the noise a good tone. Sounds like the OP has already come to this realization.

As for why your Harley sounds good, the exhaust is only a small part of that sound. The Motor Company has done a LOT of research and spent a LOT of development time and money maintaining that sound. The motor is what actually makes the sound...the exhaust needs to match the sound coming from the motor. Flowmasters are a perfect example of this: put them on a stock Chevy pickup with a 305, they sound boring...loud, but boring. Put them on a built 426 Hemi? Different story.

Do your research, find as many video and sound clips and opinions as you can. You should be able to construct a decent idea of not only the volume of the exhaust, but also the sound quality. Good luck.

[Bubba68CS]

I gave my opinion about what the post said... if the rest of you want to ***** and complain like someone's sister after some date didn't call her back the next day then go ahead. It seems like the time for the ones who's panties are too tight to start complaining.

You gave your opinion about what the original post said with one post...you've posted three responses in this thread. What were you doing with the other two??

I heard this saying once...something about a pot and a kettle...

Lighten up...you're not going to change their mind...they aren't going to change yours. Leave it at that, and move on.