xt600 E - after market can ?
 

2001 xt600e - I commute on it so i need a louder can to get me noticed - anyone know which the good ones are - anyone know of one for sale secondhand?

Search in youtube & you can listen to them all, a lot of guys mod other cans to fit the XT.

Mezo.

I've replied already on the ABR forum.

With respect I'd point out that it's illegal to fit aftermarket exhaust systems which are louder than the OEM fitment.

Why would anyone want to wake kids up in their beds by using loud and illegal exhausts?

Loud exhausts are anti-social and quite honestly if you need a loud exhaust for drivers to notice you more, perhaps you need to slow down a bit and learn better defensive riding techniques...

I can never understand why anyone would wish to upset people they don't know and have never met?

Perhaps I'm just an old fart ex bike cop who doesn't get it. Then again I have been riding nearly 50 years and survived (to date that is).:(

Noisy exhaust
 

I totally agree with Kentfallen. Loud exhausts are a good way of raising anger towards motorcyclists. Be quiet and creep up on them I reckon. Yes, get an exhaust that lets the bike breathe better but keep it quiet and ride with stealth. :-)

Having done the commute in & out of Londonistan on a daily basis on my old Ducati, im glad i had a set of Termi`s to wake up some of the prats i encountered to be honest & London is so frigging noisy anyhow i don't see it as a problem.

Nowadays my exhausts are nice & quiet, but then again im older & i don't commmute in to London anymore. :D

Horses for courses lads.

Mezo.

In the summer I get extremely pissed off with the amount of idiots riding past my house with ridiculously loud and illegally fitted exhausts.

Personally I think that those systems which allow the user to take the baffles out should be banned from sale in the UK.

Why oh why do so many riders get a kick out of upsetting people they have never met let alone upset them. I just don't get it.

I must say that car drivers are by far the worst culprits in these ere parts.

The worst offenders on two wheels seem to be Honda CBR Fireblade's for some reason. Last week I nearly had a heart attack when one blasted past me from a standing start at lights (bloody idiot).

Loud and unlawful exhausts do us bikers no favours in the long run. :nono:

Here are a few things I found online re the law here in the UK -

Road Vehicles (ConstructionandUse) Regulations 1986
The Department currently has no plans to tighten the regulations referred to, although this position is kept under review. Regulation 54 already requires exhaust systems to be maintained in good and efficient working order and prohibits modification to increase the level of noise emissions. The regulations as they stand are therefore adequate for dealing with noisy vehicles.

Q. Whether they (Government) have a strategy to tackle the problem of the fitting of illegal noisy exhaust systems; and, if not, what plans they have to develop one.

A. Powers are available to tackle the problem of illegal noisy exhaust systems. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulation 54 requires that "every exhaust system and silencer must be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not after the date of manufacture or be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases".

Under Regulation 97 it is also an offence "to use a vehicle in such a manner as to cause any excessive noise which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care by the driver".

Enforcement of these requirements is by the police and in the case of maintenance, at MOT.

Powers are available to local authorities to prevent or abate noise nuisance from any vehicle in the street.These powers are generally applied to stationary vehicles.

This pretty much covers the government position. Illegal noisy exhaust systems are, simply illegal and there is sufficient legislation to cover the problem.
Decibel Reductions
1970. 86 decibel noise limit introduced for motorcycles larger than 125cc (not implemented until 1982)
1980. 77 decibel limit on Mopeds first used after 1/10/80.
1982. EEC 86 decibel noise limit implemented.
1987. EC 87/56 stage one (82 decibel) noise limit becomes Euro law. Stage 2 (80 decibels) planned for 1993.
1993. EU proposes 'Multi Directive'. Contains 80 decibel upper noise limit, anti tampering and emission limits.
1995. UK implements stage one of EU directive 87/56 and reduces maximum noise limit to 82 decibels
1997. EU Multi Directive becomes European law. Maximum noise limit set at 80 decibels. Europe wide implementation July 1999.

MOT Requirement –
1. Examine the condition of the whole exhaust system, including the silencers and mountings, for security, deterioration and completeness. a. a part of the system missing or excessively deteriorated b. an exhaust system mounting missing, or in such condition that it does not fully support the exhaust system

Note: An alternative mounting deice is acceptable providing the system is secure and the system is not likely to fail prematurely. 2. with the engine running a. check the exhaust system for leaks

Note: A durable repair to an exhaust system which effectively prevents leaks is acceptable providing the system is structurally sound a. a major leak of exhaust gases from any part of the system

Note: A minor exhaust leak from, for example, a connection joint or a pin hole, is not a reason for rejection b. assess subjectively the effectiveness of the silencer in reducing exhaust noise to a level considered to be average for the vehicle b. a silencer in such a condition, or of such a type, that the noise emitted from the vehicle is clearly unreasonably above the level expected from a similar vehicle with a silencer in average condition.

Biking is all about our direct connection to the environment.

Half of this is the fresh air in the face and the view as we ride. The other half is the experience of riding - leaning in to a bend, skillful use of the power available to perform an elegant overtake, the front wheel pawing the air on the crest of a rise.

A big part of that is the input to our ears. There is no doubt that a bit of exhaust noise as we go up and down the rev range is fulfilling - and exhaust noise is sgnificantly more fulfilling than the sound of tappets and a bit of drive chain noise.

I am not saying we should have exhausts that wake the neighbourhood up when we start our bikes.

But hearing our bikes exhaust is a big part of the pleasure of riding.

I don't buy the argument of people hearing you - we should all be able to anticipate the movements of other road users at all times.

I do strongly buy the pleasure that a bit of exhaust sound adds to my Sunday morning ride.

Not anti social, certainly. But audible - definately.

To answer the original question I have an Arrow can on my XT and it is excellent. It is not meant for road use but it is not that loud. It has never raised an eyebrow from the police nor failed an mot. It looks the part and makes my xt sound great, unlike the original can. I live in a rural location which perhaps makes a difference as the sound isn't bouncing off of houses everywhere I drive.

I have the Arrow can also and without the baffle in it was quite frankly embarrassing.

I'm not averse to a slightly louder exhaust but this sounded like a cruiser with open pipes.

Loud pipes don't save lives, good obs saves lives.

Gotta disagree there Rev, good obs & loud pipes in combo save lives when commuting in & out of London.

Anywhere else in the world id agree, good obs.

Mezo.

For the OP: I have heard good thing about Arrow cans, but there are quite a few different ones available. Some are straight bolt-ons, if you really want you can adapt a muffler from a different bike to yours, but unless you have the skills and equipment to do it already, it wont be cheaper than buying one.

For the naysayers: Seriously? That's a lot of unhappyness about someone wanting a louder bike. Do you know the OP? Do you know if he revs it loudly while in his street, or any other street, in the wee hours? Relax, if he wants to fit a loud can then it's his choice.

Oh I agree it's his choice, I was just surprised quite how loud the Arrow was without the baffle in. I've had different types of bikes with different loudness of cans but the Arrow sounded like heavy artillery firing.

Couldn't agree more...
 

+1 Kentfallen. Not old, but respectul.

Wake up your neighbours, but don't expect comprehension from them. Loud pipes do not help to build a nice opinion about bikers.

I'm quite extreme, I know, but when I'm about to park my XT in front of home, I release the gas down the road and don't rev it, get closer to the parking lot and then stop the engine and push it backwards. Minimum noise and no fumes for pedestrians and the people sitting in the chairs of the café.

By no means I want to be taken for a cool street fighter/urban warrior with a noisy supermoto. I didn't suffer an overdose of "Kill Bill" sessions, nor carry a katana (hate that attitude, almost as much as TMax with Akrapovic).

Esteban

PS: Funny thing is accelerating all the time in the red lights, are you riding a bike or a wild stallion which is trying to escape that you have to hold tight?