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I'm not familiar with any empirical evidence that loud pipes save lives as some are fond of saying, but I can say with reasonable confidence that loud pipes do irritate people - non-cyclists in particular - and don't do the greater motorcycling fraternity very much good.
My Versys had an aftermarket (loud) exhaust installed when I bought it. It sounded very boy racer-like but soon became really irritating, especially on anything other than a short ride. Fortunately the bike also came with the stock exhaust. I re-installed it and became much happier. Quiet is a good thing when it comes to hearing what's being said in my helmet speakers and what's going on around me (like Woots said).
As far as weight saving and the ever-popular supposed increased horsepower/performance, I would be better off (and healthier) if I lost the weight difference between the stock exhaust and the average aftermarket muffler rather than spending a boatload of my favorite currency on noise. And, short of a series of dyno sessions that accurately record before and after performance data, seat of the pants "evaluations" are probably too subjective to serve as meaningful testimonials. If I had spent a boatload on a Yoshi, of Two Bros, or any other costly exhaust can, I'd be likely to attest that the result was a noticeable performance boost, rather than merely noise.
Having said all that, I'm officially a geezer and no longer crave the loud go-fast things that I did in my youth. Well, that's certainly more than two cents worth. Am I capable of a short answer? Naaah. :grin2:
My Versys had an aftermarket (loud) exhaust installed when I bought it. It sounded very boy racer-like but soon became really irritating, especially on anything other than a short ride. Fortunately the bike also came with the stock exhaust. I re-installed it and became much happier. Quiet is a good thing when it comes to hearing what's being said in my helmet speakers and what's going on around me (like Woots said).
As far as weight saving and the ever-popular supposed increased horsepower/performance, I would be better off (and healthier) if I lost the weight difference between the stock exhaust and the average aftermarket muffler rather than spending a boatload of my favorite currency on noise. And, short of a series of dyno sessions that accurately record before and after performance data, seat of the pants "evaluations" are probably too subjective to serve as meaningful testimonials. If I had spent a boatload on a Yoshi, of Two Bros, or any other costly exhaust can, I'd be likely to attest that the result was a noticeable performance boost, rather than merely noise.
Having said all that, I'm officially a geezer and no longer crave the loud go-fast things that I did in my youth. Well, that's certainly more than two cents worth. Am I capable of a short answer? Naaah. :grin2:
