Why 104db Is Music To My Ears

[PMAUST]

I give up! I lowered my WB E-series to 7 disk from 12. It ran fine but just doesn't have the umpth that 12 disk gives me. Some of you guys have tried a few things that sound promising. But, if you read the latest Dirt Rider Mag they test 13 factory-replica bikes. Almost all of them have pipes that are considered too loud. 104db. I haven't invested nearly 7 grand to make my bike run retarded! I am not nearly as fast or as aggressive of a rider as most of you probably are. But, if I would have wanted a wus bike I would have bought a DR and not a WR. No offense the the DR guys. But I ride for fun and part of that fun is having a bike that kicks! With my lower gearing I hit top end a lot quicker. I don't want it wimping out when I do, even if it is only for a brief time! Therefore, my stadegy now is to run 12 disk unless I find myself in trouble with the locals. I carry a allen wrench so I can remove some if I have to. But until someone can come up with something that is quiet and kicks all the way through the power band 104db is me. Sorry if I offend anyone. P ?

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

you offend me.... you guys are just too loud ?

that's why I went to Fouts Spring on Saturday instead of meeting everybody at Little Stony. That's my story & .... how's the rest go?

Brian

[Bill]

and....I'm sticking to it!

Paul,

I have the E-Series also and run 12 discs. Once we get moved into the new house (this weekend) I have a stock YZ pipe to try. I also understand that White Bros has a turndown end cap for the E-Series??? I will be doing this with consideration to YZ timing (I have WR timing now) and the E series needles. I'm also using the tapered header which should help the bottom end and the YZ pipe for the top end....Stay tuned ?

Bill

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97 KDX220, 86 TTR225, 99 WR400f, WR timing, throttle stop trimmed, air box lid removed, White Bros head pipe, silencer and air filter. De-octopussed. Works frame guards and Thumper Rad Guards, Scotts steering damper. Odometer and headlight removed. Cycra Pro-Bend hand and mud guards. YZ stock tank, IMS seat and number plate. Renthal Jimmy Button "highs" and Renthal Soft half waffle grips. AMA, SETRA, Happy Ramblers MXC, Rausch Creek MXC, Tower City Trail Riders.

[Guest Guest]

I made an insert for my stock exhaust with a 3/4 bore instead of the stock 1/2 inch. Not loud at all, but improved grunt at low end. the best of both worlds. You are not offending me but I wouldnt take your noisy ass on my trails ?

[This message has been edited by mike68 (edited 04-26-2001).]

[This message has been edited by mike68 (edited 04-26-2001).]

[This message has been edited by mike68 (edited 04-26-2001).]

[Thumper_Darryl]

Whenever I see a post like this, I don't know weather to sit down and cry or to get mad. Quite a number of your fellow dirt-bike enthusiests (myself included) spend insane amounts of time trying to preserve YOUR right to ride your bike,but all the work done is shot to hell by a few inconsiderate and ignorant people like yourself. If the non-biking public can't hear your bike,they don't know you are even there,so no-body cares. But as soon as they can hear you,they WILL complain,and thus starts the anti-dirtbike stuff we try to fight off. Some will argue that they don't ride in populated areas, but for the most part that just doesn't wash. If you choose to run a noisy exhaust (especially on the new 4 strokes) the sound carries for miles,and the person you offend may be miles away. But remember, that person you offend can, and frequently does try to ban those ;noisy darn motorcycles. It is a simple situation, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no middle ground on this one. Sorry.

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400 EXC--stock&great

YAMAHA 250--sold

250 sherco

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

Thumper Darryl,

Do a search on my name and read the post titled something like "how loud is too loud"

Interesting opinions on both sides of the debate.

Brian

[PMAUST]

Darryl, you just don't get it. I am trying to quiet my bike down. But right now I am very frustrated. Kinda like when you get a pebble in your shoe. You can still walk with it but it bugs the hell out of you until you take it out. Take a look at Bill's reply or Mike68's reply! The main reason I come to Thumpertalk is to learn from the experience of others. Everyone is concerned about this issue. By the way, have you removed those nasty knobby tires yet? Don't you know that everywhere you ride with those damn things you are tearing up precious land? I totally don't agree with you! Thats why people go to war becasue they can't find a middle ground! Sounds like to me your middle ground is what ever they tell you it is. Just because I gage "middle ground" a little differently than you, does not make me ignorant. Try to have a nice day anyway. ?

[PMAUST]

Brian, are you gonna be able to make it May 5th? Love to see you there. I'll try to be a good boy and bring only seven disk! ? Paul

[This message has been edited by pmaust (edited 04-26-2001).]

[techman]

Pmaust, I woud suggest that the middle ground would be halfway betwen a YZ pipe's loudness and a stock WR pipe's loudness. You should get reasonable power, not completely choked up, but not the full on max power of a YZ pipe. You will still piss off sensitive people (read land owners) by being too loud, but will not piss off everyone within a mile regardless (read YZ pipe) and hence could feel a bit better about the situation, knowing that you're not a blatant over-loud offender. In that middle ground, you might get by with judicious throttle use and staying away from sensitive houses/people/areas.

Hope that's a constructive suggestion that can at least make the shoe pebble a flat one that you might grow to ignore. ?

Practically: I think 96 or 87 dBA vortip-like or other pipes might do the trick. If you want to know where you stand, do an SAE or MMIC sound test on your bike.

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

pmaust,

I won't be able to make it on the 5th - already got plans. I will be at Elkins Flat on the 12th with a group from DRN - maybe some of you guys will be there?

Regarding the noise issue - I run a Thumper Racing Quiet Core in my stock '99 WR silencer. Not obnoxious, not a super hard hitter. The bike has enough power with me on it - I'm 250# - so I can't imagine why it wouldn't work for most people.

Brian

[PMAUST]

Thanks Techman. You know, i'm not really sure what my db is even with 7 disk. Hum.. I'll do some searches to find out what kind of tester to get to do sound checks. Also check out the "Vortip-like" pipes. Brian, I no longer have my stock exhaust so really can't play with that. In the mean time will try to avoid all humanity while riding! Thanks guys. ?

[Guest Guest]

All I can say is you can make it as loud as you want and get that 2 or 3 little ponies, but.......

1. There are pleanty of riders on stock WR's that will still whoop your ass

2. you can't go that fast when all your stash is closed.

3. I spent enough time in the last dicsussion, I am trying to stay out of this one.

[This message has been edited by mike68 (edited 04-27-2001).]

[Dan_Lorenze]

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not again!!!!!

Pmaust, Where were you a month ago with all of these great points? I thought I was the only one who wanted to run my bike to its full potential. The bike doesnt run the same all choked up and If I wanted a nice,quiet,good performer I would have bought a DRZ400S and left it stock.

OK guys insert mean comments now.....

Your buddy, Dan

[Guest Guest]

I'm already done with you Dan ?

[Thumper_Darryl]

pmaust. I may seem a little extreme on this one,and if you took it personally i'm sorry. I have been involved with land use issues for 20 years. After the noisy bike problems of the 80's,our job got a whole bunch easier when 90's bikes were quiet and availabitity (and need) for noisy exhaust systems pretty much stopped. Then came along the new generation of high-performance 4 strokes. Great for the riders (I too own one & love it),but were instantly hit with numerous after-market exhaust systems.The problem is that most exhaust munufacturers give no thought to noise levels. Now we are back at land use meetings trying to respond to the noise problem issue again.I have 2 meetings next week alone.Hopefully the off-road community (and ThumperTalkers) can learn from sites like this by sharing information.Ideally pressure from consumers can force the after-market to address the noise concerns at the R&D level(this has happened in the snowmobile industry). And yes I do take the knobby things off my tires,400-4 strokes seem to do that rather quickly. Darryl

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400 EXC--stock&great

YAMAHA 250--sold

250 sherco

[partsman]

paumst? We got a couple of Z-E's down here in Alabama that will be more than happy to go for a ride with ya.

[PMAUST]

Thumper Darryl, I didn't take it personally! I realize that emotions can run a little high on this subject. I do not ride in Canada and therefore do not understand the problems you are dealing with. The only thing I can figure out is that you must be riding in someones back yard. It has been 30+ years since I have been there. But, my recollection is that it is a pretty expansive area. Its hard for me to believe that there is nowhere left where, if a tree falls in the forest that there will always be someone around to hear it. Noise should be like speed limits. In residential areas or near schools the speed(noise) limit should be lower. Out in the middle of nowhere it should be ok to be higher. There should be OHV areas set aside far enough away from civilization where off-roaders, snow mobiles, or what have you can enjoy their sports. Signs should be posted "Warning Off-Road Recreation Area" "If you are bothered by loud noises please stay away!" And, there should be plenty of areas provided for those wishing to escape noise, cars, people, etc. If you could do something like that then you wouldn't have to spend 20 years talking with a bunch of people who don't like you in the first place. IMO if people are really motivated to solve a problem its not all that hard to do. ?

[PMAUST]

Mike68, I accept your challenge. You ride a totally stock WR400(airbox lid on, throttle stop on, and stock pipe). We can go out to the desert on a nice long open stretch. I will kick your ass!!!! ONLY KIDDING!

P.S. you are right, some people shouldn't reproduce. Hope you don't. ?

[PMAUST]

Partsman, Love to. Think you can come out our way and maybe do a little desert riding?

[Mike_in_Roseville]

pmaust

I had a 98 WR with the E series. 12 disks 107 dbs measured up at Mammoth Bar. Got below 103 dbs at 3 disks. What a loser at that point. Purchased the quiet core insert from White Bros. About $30 or so. Immediately lowered the dbs to about 104. I thought it was much better and the power was still pretty good. Got measured again one night at Mammoth and I had to go to 7 disks and the quiet core to pass up at Mammoth. Lost all of the 2nd gear hit. Third was too high and I was disappointed. On trails this was not a problem, but on the MX track it was disappointing. I cannot believe the builders of these exhausts cannot get the noise down. I know they can. Proof is the KTM series. I purchased the 400 exc and the noise is not there and the power is. It can be done. If KTM (Euro bike) can do, so can the Japanese. I never really thought about the noise thing to much when I had the WR. I really noticed it the first time I rode with Monty up at Stoneyford. He retro'd his WR with I believe the quiet tip from his wife's TTR or something like that. His hit was good and the bike was quiet. That is when I really noticed the difference between my WR, John in Granite Bays WR and Monty's. Think mine is loud, if you rode with John at Stoneyford last week, there is a loud bike. (Sorry John). In the long run I like you just want to ride and not be offensive but still enjoy the power trip. For me again, it was switching bikes that gave me the best of both worlds, power and quiet and I did not have to keep playing with. A steep price indeed, but sanity, plus the magic button. The Yamaha guys should be able to do the same thing, we all know they can. Going to Elkins on the 5th we will get a chance to meet. I will be there.

Mike