New exhaust

[arebee]

I tried a search but couldn't find anything. If I put on a 2 bro. exhaust on a 04 RT, do I need to do anything else to the bike?

[Ken H.]

Stock up on ear plugs?

[DavidEBSmith]

Stay away from me?

[David]

Be prepared for people to trumpet their own agendas instead of answering the damn question?

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Probably not.

 

You will lose a little weight and maybe, just maybe, gain a jot of performance.

 

The downside is the bike will be quite a bit louder and loss of the catalytic converter will probably increase the number of pollutants you dump into the atmosphere. To my mind, the cost/benefit ratio is pretty low but, it's your bike and your ears. Certainly others will chime in with "it's our air" and they have a point.

 

Do be aware that the change in flow characteristics might cause some holes/peaks in the torque curve that were not there before. A device like a power commander can be used to tune these out, for the most part, but then you have another $320 down the hole.

[Softtail]

There are a lot of purest, sissy dogooders on this forum who will give you a ton of crap about tampering with your exhauxt system. Most of them still have normal hearing and just don't understand the need for a more throaty rumble from beamer. I have been riding an HD with an open Supertrap sytem for about fifteen years, so when I got my RT, I couldn't tell if it was running or not. To rectify the problem, I put a Stayintune exhaust system on the RT and now it has a tune you could dance to!! I didn't have to do anything to the RT except bolt the aftermarket system in place, I think they are made that way. I didn't notice any performance improvement, but I did get rid of the catolytic converter. Who needs one anyway? <<<<<Softtail>>>>>

[ShovelStrokeEd]

C'mon guy, it is easy to tell if the bike is running. Put it in gear, put your feet up on the pegs and release the clutch. If you fall over, it was off. If you pull away, it was running. Damn poor excuse if you ask me.

 

I like the tone of the Staintune as well and find it the least offensive of the aftermarket exhausts. I still don't think the sound compares to that of an old oilhead with Conti's on it, but that is just me.

[DavidEBSmith]

Be prepared for people to trumpet their own agendas instead of answering the damn question?

 

Be prepared for snide meta-comments that also don't answer the damn question?

[flat_twin]

Usually, no changes to the fuel system are needed. I am wondering why you're asking about a 2bros exhaust. Have you heard a 2bros system compared to a Staintune or Remus?

IMHO, the 2bros is almost obnoxious sounding. The one I heard may have been due for repacking but it was way loud. The street version of the Remus (what I have on my RT) or the Staintune with the buttplug in place, are not much louder than stock but sound so much better. Nice deep tone that the stock system lacks.

 

No flames please, this is just one riders opinion

[GordonB]

IMHO BMW's are great the way they are STOCK (except for the usual lighting acc. GPS, etc.).

Ya wanna go loud, get a Harley.

Keep your stock exhaust, 'cause when it's time to sell, you're gonna need it.

Think about it.

IMHO

[chrisstroh]

Why? Are you talking about IF you're going to trade it in to a dealer? If you sell your bike to any private party, you don't have to worry that the exhaust is stock in N. California. Is it different in S. Cal? If someone wants it with stock exhaust then that his or her's personal preference. They don't have to buy your bike. I'm guessing that a dealer is required by EPA law that any bike it sells has to have the original smog equiptment on it. Not so for the private buyer. Hell, I bought mine and registered it and don't have the envirowacko's knocking at my door thank god to check if the CAT is still on there.

[GordonB]

The point was.....Most of us (and buyers) prefer stock. IMO.

Of course everyone is entitled to do as they please.

[FlyingFinn]

Many new BMW bikes on dealer show room floor are equiped with aftermarket pipes. That's the case at least at the dealerships I visit. So my 2 conclusions would be:

1) Many people do prefer to receive their bike with other exhaust system than the stock.

2) Selling a bike with non-OEM exhaust is not against the (Arizona)law.

 

--

Mikko

[Ken H.]

If you fall over, it was off.

LOL! Ed, you took the words right out of my mouth!

 

If you can't tell whether or not your bike's running, you've got bigger problems than whether or not your bike's running!

 

But to appease Mr. Baker a bit, and address the original OP's question a bit; what's your goal of changing the exhaust? To make the bike louder? If so you need to do nothing more. To improve the performance of the bike? Depending upon how you define "performance", presuming straight line acceleration is the only goal, by also modifying the fuel mapping you may gain 1 or 2 HP and .1 or .2 seconds faster times.

 

But (yes David, I know, back to my personal agenda) at great expense to society, the environment, and the acceptability of others of our sport.

 

But then again, want to go faster? Learn to ride better/faster!

[chrisstroh]

[[[[but (yes David, I know, back to my personal agenda) at great expense to society, the environment, and the acceptability of others of our sport.]]]

 

Come on Ken, with all due respect, you're so full of crap. If you FEEL so strong about the enviroment, then get the hell off your bike and save us the air you're polluting and leave us bikers alone.

[Foxy]

Think I'll weigh in on the after-market exhaust issue but probably won't do anything to settle the controversy.

 

As i get older I find myself becoming more of a libertarian. If the man wants to put a loud exhaust on his bike, then that is/should be his right, so long as he doesn't trample on someone else's individual rights. Much like the decision to wear or not wear a helmet. Personally, there are very few times that I don't wear ATGATT but there are some & that should be my right.

 

Now to the exhaust. I ride a 96 R1100RT. Like the exhaust and the only reasons I'd change it would be less weight and/or more power. I'm still getting used to the power increase of the RT over my old R80, so I think I'll learn to ride the RT better before contemplating the exhaust swap out.

 

Now, my other ride is a KLR 650. Love the bike and how different it is from the BMW. I do both street and trail riding with it. My son-in-law (30 years younger than I) rides a DR650. We both swapped out our stock, quiet, heavy exhausts. He went for the 2 Brothers, I went for a Supertrapp (like the tuneability of it). Both are about a million pounds lighter than stock, and that really helps off road. His is really loud (he likes it that way) and mine is significantly louder than my Kaw stock exhaust-- although I can decreas disks in the Supertrapp to make it quieter & I'm running about half (8) of the tuneable disks right now. Other bikers and non-bikers have commented on the louder exhaust but so far the noise police haven't shown up. It's lighter, seems to have more power low & mid-range but maybe a slight drop off in the upper range. I'm really divided about the exhaust "sound" vs its loudness. I much prefer it to the "tweety bird"/lawn-mower sound of the stock. It now sounds like a motorcycle. I like the power increase. I do wear ear plugs with it more often now, especially on main highways and interstates. However, I really don't like it as much though when I'm trying to do a little relaxing, exploration ride on local backroads or when I'm trail riding. I'd like to hear the outside world more and don't really want to annoy other riders and non-riders in the backcountry.

 

So I think it is a mixed bag. If could have less noise along with lower weight and maybe some power increase with a motorcycle exhaust note, that would be the best of both worlds. Right now I'm trying to decide what to do about the KLR but won't change it again, for at least a while (I did keep the stocker, so I could always go back to that or quieten the Supertrapp). With the BMW, I doubt that I would put a 2 Brothers on it, having heard my son-in-law's 2 Brothers & how loud it is. Just doesn't seem TO ME, that it fits the Beemer. But that's my feeling. Someone else could and probably would come to a different conclusion.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Foxy

[Ken H.]

Come on Ken, with all due respect, you're so full of crap. If you FEEL so strong about the enviroment, then get the hell off your bike and save us the air you're polluting and leave us bikers alone.

None of that makes any sense what-so-ever, but thank you for your "respectful" opinion of me.

[Reddog99]

Two Brothers have a reputation as being one of the loudest sounding pipes, and the quality isn't all that great, either.

 

Pat

[AviP]

I like to put in 1000 mile days and a louder exhaust definitely equates to more fatigue. So my personal preference is to stay stock. Besides, performance mods (except suspension) don't seem to have much of an effect on the RT. So if your objective is a louder exhaust, go for it. If it is endurance, stay stock.

[LDHack]

There's a sentence that's repeated now and then among riders when someone on a loud HD (or other excessively loud bike) cracks the throttle as they pass; "Damn Harleys". It's because of the excessive, and in fact ear bleeding noise, which is associated with many Harleys. You either love or you hate the excessive noise.

 

I have to listen to it. I hear it in the peaceful north where I live, as riders of loud bikes crack their throttle, on an otherwise quiet day in the north. I'm glad most motorcycles on the road are fairly quiet, and the loud ones are generally the exception. Thankfully, most riders are respectful of the right of other folks to enjoy peace and quiet. If you have to make your BMW loud, then stay out of my neck of the woods. Keep it in the city, where folks seem to enjoy showing off that kind of stuff.

 

Personally, I wish law enforcement had the right again to stop and ticket excessively loud vehicles. It used to be the case in the '60's, but no longer is.

[chrisstroh]

When it comes to loud pipes, I agree completely. There are some poor souls (who were neglected as children) who feel the need to have excessively loud bikes. I too wish the cops would site them. Mildly louder pipes I have no problem with. I think we all know the difference between mild and loud.

[GordonB]

I was sitting at a light minding my own business and this Harley guy pulls up next to me blipping his throttle, the noise was deafening!

I have no respect for these types.

[Ken H.]

There's a sentence that's repeated now and then among riders when someone on a loud HD (or other excessively loud bike) cracks the throttle as they pass; "Damn Harleys".

Yes, and I would paraphrase your comment slightly with, "There's a sentence that's repeated now and then among people when someone on a loud HD (or other excessively loud bike) cracks the throttle as they pass; "Damn motorcycles."

 

Most people don't know one motorcycle from another. They just know they are growning more and more to hate them/us all. And that's really my whole point.

[chrisstroh]

[[[They just know they are growning more and more to hate them/us all.]]]

 

Especially the ones who go between slow or stopped traffic at unsafe speeds. They scare the hell out of me as they wizz by my passenger side with inches to spare. Now I have no problem motorcycles driving between cars in traffic, it's legal in Calif, I even move over for them to give them room, but there is a reasonable speed in which to do it.

I guess Darwin will take care of those types.

[Pierce]

I think what some of us want out of the sound of our oil heads, is for them to sound like, and as loud as, the old air heads. Todays after market exhausts seem to exceed that sound. Why can't an oil head just sound like the old airheads??? The are basically the same engine!

[Boffin]

I think what some of us want out of the sound of our oil heads, is for them to sound like, and as loud as, the old air heads. Todays after market exhausts seem to exceed that sound. Why can't an oil head just sound like the old airheads??? The are basically the same engine!

 

Because European emissions regulations have been tightened up over the years so bikes must now be much quieter than before. This is largely in response to those motorcyclists who fitted loud pipes to their bikes in the first place.

 

Andy

[chrisstroh]

I agree. I think the newer ones are too muffled and you lose that older beemer sound.

[aal3]

Any particular make of after-market exhaust that approaches the old sound?

[TracyPrier]

Thanks Ed for providing me with my Monday morning chuckle

 

God Bless

Tracy

 

C'mon guy, it is easy to tell if the bike is running. Put it in gear, put your feet up on the pegs and release the clutch. If you fall over, it was off. If you pull away, it was running. Damn poor excuse if you ask me.

[TracyPrier]

My view on this subject is that excessivley noisy exhausts don't enhance anything, they just annoy the heck out of people...

 

Having said that the one and ONLY thing I would love to change on my Beemer is the exhaust note... say something like a well set up Ducati... not noisy just "rumbly".

[John in VA]

My view on this subject is that excessivley noisy exhausts don't enhance anything, they just annoy the heck out of people...

 

Since they don't enhance performance, the whole point of ridiculously loud pipes is that the rider WANTS to annoy the heck out of people. Fortunately, not all bikers are antisocial, but the antisocial ones negatively affect everyone's perception of all bikers.

[Rinkydink]

Ok, after reading all of the negative posts above I will tell you do not get a two-brothers. I have sinned and bought a used Remus for my RT and it isn't loud at all. I do admit that I am a very conscientious rider and also hate the drag pipe thing. If you must buy a pipe buy Staintune or Remus and ride responsibly. Don't expect performance gains just a noiser bike.

[Ralph]

As for exhausts, I have the Remus and I like it. It is not much louder than stock. Well maybe just a little. staintune is not loud either. 2 bros. are loud & sound weird to me. I replaced my cat. with the connector pipe & am real happy with it. Reduced the weight a little, and the heat build up from the cat. Mid range power seems a little better, and the throttle response is just a tad better. Not a big diff. though. Hope this helps with your choice.