Penrod Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Just got my '04 1150RT (Yeah!). But it came with an aftermarket exhaust (Two Brothers) that is a bit louder than I care for. The seller suggested having the dealer put the stock one back on, I'm wondering just how hard/easy this is? Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 27 views and not one post? Has no one done a muffler change on their bike? I thought this was posted in the correct section, if not please tell me..... Link to comment
topdal46 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 You must be thinking this is the Harley Davidson site, you know Loud Pipes Save Lives, or is that Loud pipes piss off people? Not that many BMW riders change out there mufflers I would think, can't be too hard to do.... Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 No just the opposite, if you would have read the first post. I want to put the quieter factory muffler on and take off the loud after market one that came with the bike. Link to comment
topdal46 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I did read,, I understand, you bought a loud piped BMW, Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 The deal was too good to pass up. Link to comment
Boffin Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Kudos for wanting to go back to stock The change is easy if you have the right tools, exhuast fasteners tend to get tight from the heat. If you have the stock pipe it should be inexpensive, if you have to buy it the deal may not look so good unless you get a good used unit. Cya, Andy Link to comment
David_Charlton Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Hi, just be careful not to pull on the oxygen sensor wire, the connection is a bit of a pain to get to, but the muffler is an easy installation, David Link to comment
Ken H. Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Is the catalytic still there? The original cat and muffler are one piece on the RT. If the cat is gone too, on the right hand there was an O2 sensor into it. is it, and/or the wiring to it still there? (Tucked up behind the faring perhaps?) At any rate full OEM exhaust are easy to find in the used market. Sometimes here, sometimes on ebay for example. That and the O2 sensor and you'll be good to go! Link to comment
Ken H. Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 27 views and not one post? Well you've got to give the viewers here a little more time than just between 9:33 PM and 2:07 AM (GWT -06) to see and respond! Some of us some places in the world are sleeping! Link to comment
Rob L Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 The new muffler ass'y is $1120 from BMW. There are usually some on Ebay for $100-200. You need to remove the rt side fairing panel to get to the O2 sensor connection. once the O2 sensor is disconnected, loosen the clamp near the rt footpeg. Unbolt the hangar from the back of the left footpeg plate. This is made easier by removing the rear wheel. (Tie the centerstand to the front wheel to prevent collapse!) The entire ass'y can then be pulled to the rear with some twisting and jiggling. That's it! I am not sure about the aftermarket stuff, but this works for the original ass'y. I have changed 3 of them so far. Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 Thanks everyone for the great info. Link to comment
Softtail Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 A word of caution! I was in the process of installing a new Stayintune on my 1150RT. I had the bike on the center stand and was partly underneath the bike. I was trying to remove the old unit, they tend to get stuck,(push,pull,pry #$%@). In the process, I pushed the bike off the center stand, my wife was on the floor beside me and together we were somehow able hold the bike up. If I had been alone, I would have been toast, or we could have both been toast. Anyway, be cautious when working below the bike when on the center stand. <<<<<Softtail>>>>> Link to comment
Boffin Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 A word of caution! I was in the process of installing a new Stayintune on my 1150RT. I had the bike on the center stand and was partly underneath the bike. I was trying to remove the old unit, they tend to get stuck,(push,pull,pry #$%@). In the process, I pushed the bike off the center stand, my wife was on the floor beside me and together we were somehow able hold the bike up. If I had been alone, I would have been toast, or we could have both been toast. Anyway, be cautious when working below the bike when on the center stand. <<<<<Softtail>>>>> A good reminder, thanks When working on my bike I run a ratchet strap from one centrestand leg, through the front wheel and back to the other leg, (unless removing the front wheel ) this prevents the bike rolling off the stand but not falling over. Cya, Andy Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 18, 2006 Author Share Posted February 18, 2006 An ounce of prevention, is worth 641 pounds of...... Thanks guys, very sound advice. I would not want to wrastle with my bike. Link to comment
Reddog99 Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 The amount of complication you'll run into depends on exactly what kind of pipe setup you now have. In any case, the biggest headache is going to be the oxygen sensor. Is one now installed? Unless BMW has changed the layout for the '04 models (I have an '02), the connector for the O2 sensor is under the gas tank. Assuming the pipe on your bike DOES have an O2 sensor, it will need to be unscrewed four turns to come out of the pipe (and be reinstalled in the "new" pipe). So if the wire bundle doesn't have enough slack to let you twist it four complete turns, you'll need to remove all the tupper-ware, so that you can remove the tank, so that you can unplug the O2 sensor wire harness from the bike. And since the O2 sensor is fairly expensive, you will want to be carefull about twisting that wire bundle too hard and risk damaging it. If the bike does NOT have an O2 sensor installed, then things could become more complicated, because something else has probably been changed to let the bike run properly without the sensor. I'm sure someone else will follow up with more detail... Pat Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 18, 2006 Author Share Posted February 18, 2006 The aftermarket set-up has the o2 sensor installed. Talked to the local service dept. and they say it can be done fairly easily, but use care with the sensor not to break the wire. I think I'm going to tackle it tomorrow, can't ride it's raining.... Link to comment
Eschelon1 Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 If you're mechanically inclined you can do it yourself. Otherwise I imagine the dealer would charge about an hour labor (At $80 an hour)as long as you have the stock exhaust. Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 18, 2006 Author Share Posted February 18, 2006 Actually they consider it a two hour task ($150). I have time, like to work with my hands, and have several other things I prefer to spend the money on. Link to comment
LBump Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 You might consider soaking and/or apply to bolts and collars liquid wrench, triflow or some other lub. so you don't have too much cursing to do. Be very careful with the O2, the heat and age can cause the threads on both the sensor and the threads in the pipe to be gauled. On reassembly coat threads with an appropriate amount of anti-seize lub. Both the removal and the reassemly is easier to do with two people and it is safer. Good luck. The O2 sensor is about $180... Link to comment
Unity Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 The new muffler ass'y is $1120 from BMW. There are usually some on Ebay for $100-200. Check with your BMW dealer -- if you talk to them right, they might give you one! --John (Sometimes when they install aftermarket exhausts for customers, they end up with stock units that nobody wants to buy.) Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 Thanks for all the help guys, I put the stock muffler back on. It was easy (with all the helpful tips provided by the members here). Sounds great, runs better and I'm a happy camper. The seller gave me the stock muffler when I bought the bike, so it cost me nothing. Didn't even lose any skin this time.... Thanks again to all who helped! Link to comment
GearedForACure Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Just curious what a loud muffler sounds like on a beemer. I cant imagine its a loud harley/buell sound. Can anyone explain? Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 If you can imagine a bit< I might be able to help. Think of the stock exhaust as sounding like mouse farts. A loud pipe on a Beemer sounds like Hippo farts. They really do get kinda flat and blatty. The best sounding BMWs with moderatly loud pipes are the old air heads with Conti pipes on them. I would imagine that some industrius person could fabricate a dual exhaust with a central chamber in addition to the cross over pipe at the head and duplicate the sound on an oil head. Might be darned expensive as replica pipes from Staintune go for about 600 bucks and then you would need to fab a full front system for it. Might be a nice project on a roadster. I even thought about doing something similar on my R1100S but the Ztechnic pipe on that sounds just fine and is not all that loud unless I am really on the gas. David's comment after the Mid Tennessee Riding Smart was "That thing sounds great!" Since the S if of a more sporting nature and David was running quite close at times, I really don't place it in the same category as a straight piped HD. Even Ken H didn't seem to mind when I showed up at his house, but he may have been too polite to mention it. Link to comment
Penrod Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 To me the loud exhaust sounded like an old six cylinder car with a worn out muffler. In short, it sounded like I had a bike with a problem not a high performance machine. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 "The best sounding BMWs with (moderately) loud pipes are the old airheads with Conti pipes)" You should have heard my 1955 R50 with long straight pipes instead of mufflers Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 I did say moderate. Actually I have been in the old Amol Precision dyno room when they were testing a couple of the Rennsport 500's, including Oscar Liebman's version of the blower bike. Open megaphones and a sound density that had to be felt to be believed. Throttle response was also insane on those things, rival to a good 600 of today. Some things are meant to lie in our fond memories though, I wouldn't want to spend any time alongside one of those beasts. Not that I could ever keep up with Kurt anyway. Link to comment
GearedForACure Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 I guess Im gonn need a .wav file or something. I have thought about changing my exhaust, but I do not want to pay $500 just to have a brand new set of pipes sit in my garage because I cant stand the sound. I dont really like the sound of my RT as it is, I dont think it could get much worse. Its just a tough decision sight unseen...err...sound unheard. There wouldnt happen to be anyone in the Omaha, NE area that could demonstrate would there? Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I have ridden with guys who have both the Rhemus and the Staintune systems on their bikes and don't really find either objectionable. Both provide a deeper tone without being very much louder than the stock pipe. 2 Brothers is quite loud and I wouldn't consider it for a bike I own. Come to one of the gatherings, Gunnison, CO comes to mind, there are bound to be folks with a variety of systems on their bikes. Then decide for yourself. Link to comment
Reddog99 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 The Remus only sounds nice (not excessively loud) if it's installed with the "pre-muffler". Without the pre-muffler, it still sounds nice, but it's WAY too loud for my taste. Pat Link to comment
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