Loud Pipes on a GL1500 trike

[0tolerance]

Hi Everybody,<br />
<br />
I was just curious if loud pipes on a goldwing trike are a good idea ? I am enjoying my trike, but would like it a bit louder to be heard when driving.<br />
<br />
I was told by the dealership most people that own goldwings dont put on loud pipes because of the engine design for smoother ride on long distances. <br />
<br />
What are your thoughts on louder pipes and how they would effect the ride at highway speeds.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your time,<br />
<br />
0tolerance

 

[jim peacock]

Proven fact,you change any of the exhuast system on a gold wing you lose horaepower and torque ,plus they sound terribile.
:no::no::no::no:

 

[Triker Mike]

A friend of mine did it to his 94 But they made him ride at the end of the pack . He took out the collector & went with de-baffeled harley mufflers.

 

[screwball]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>jim peacock</strong>
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<div class="message">Proven fact,you change any of the exhaust system on a gold wing you lose horsepower and torque <b><i><u>,plus they sound terrible.</u></i></b>:no::no::no::no:</div>

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I'll agree with this part! We put 2" Rush slip-ons on wife's Tri-Glide, and ordered the 2" ovals for her new Tri-Glide. Gives the scoot a nice rumble, not too loud, just a great sound.

 

[John Luciano]

Tri Glide ??Is that not a Harley Davidson Goldwing??? A Goldwing with loud pipes sounds like a 1967 Chevy with a bad muffler. I did have a friend install a dash controlled cut outs. My observations .OMHO a bike coming towards you with loud pipes sounds no louder than one with normal pipes . Sound does not proceed it . Now if you are worried about being tail ended good Idea . I put on brighter tail lights and a 3rd brake light with BACKOFF. . <LOL>

 

[RottieLuvr]

DON'T! Like everyone is telling you. They sound terrible and impede performance. If you like people to look at you and think "dumb", go for it.

 

[0tolerance]

Thanks everyone for your input, I was just curious if it would be worth it. Sounds like it isnt. <br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
0tolerance

 

[rmrc51]

Regarding louder pipes you might find this interesting.<br />
<br />
I don't have a Gold Wing but I do have it's cousin, a Valkyrie. I installed the Dragon Exhaust made by another Valkyrie enthusiast Ernie Shuster. <br />
<br />
I had the Cobra 6 & 6 on my trike and by far these Dragon exhausts sound much better. I have the 18" glass packs with a narrow bore and 38" stacks. These are the quietest of his selections. At idle they have a nice low muffled rumble. Give them some throttle and you hear the growl increase. You can also get 12" and 9" packs some with larger bores for a louder report, and they're all interchangeable! All you do is screw them in. No other exhaust system that I've seen has that capability.

Just an F.Y.I..

 

[jim peacock]

RMRC 51,I would like to see what your bike dynos out compared to stock?
Another thing is if you mess with the exhaust on a gold wing are any honda bike it voids the warrenty no ifs and buts about it.

 

[rmrc51]

RMRC 51,I would like to see what your bike dynos out compared to stock?
Another thing is if you mess with the exhaust on a gold wing are any honda bike it voids the warrenty no ifs and buts about it.

Lol,,. It would be interesting to see what the actual horse power is. But that's really not a concern for me as this trike has more power then I'll ever use.

That being said, my trike is a 97 so there's no warranty issue to contend with. How-ever, I can see how altering the exhaust, or for that matter, any part of a new Wing would cause warranty issues.

I always have my Valkyrie serviced at Harrisonberg Honda in VA. They've been in business for over 25 years. The first time I brought the Valk there, the service manager got a real kick out of the exhaust. He mentioned that he personally wanted to, "road test" the trike before I picked it up. He said it was a bit of an, 'extended', road test! lol.

 

[White Knight 04]

I guess I must be the only young old person here I like loud pipes have all my life !!!I a'm 67 and have a few friends that have gold-wings and the opened up the exhaust and I think they sound great... Kinda like a corvair with headers....

 

[Ol' Grey]

Definitely with you on the louder pipes, White Knight 04, but respecting that many prefer the stock pipes. Also respecting the warranty issues for those whose trikes fall under that category.

It might be worth noting that by opening up the intake with a more free-flowing air cleaner as well as opening up the pipes, then dialing it all in, can give one's bike an approx. 15% gain in HP. For example, a bike with a stock HP rating of 50 HP can bump up their HP rating by approx. 7.5 HP by modifying both air cleaner and pipes for better flow rates to achieve a new HP rating of approx. 57.5 HP.........There's plenty of dyno sheets available thru a search engine to confirm this......

 

[John Luciano]

Like stated before I got too much power now . I can pull the front wheel off the ground if I am not careful. The loud drowning sound after 50 miles or so gets on my nerves. I laugh when I see guys getting fitted for $100 ear plugs at the rally.

 

[0tolerance]

Hi All,

It does kinda sound like its a personal preference, as long as the mechanics are dialed in correctly. I have an older wing 98 so their is'nt a warranty issue to worry about.

 

[skuuter]

I still like mine Quiet, but have a Friend "Mike" here that has a great sounding/running Gold Wing with loud pipes. Having ridden it, my "seat-of-the-pants-dyno" could pick up no power loss....ThumbUp...Sounds similar to a Big Block Chevy...don't remember the brand, but could find out. His take the place of the complete rear mufflers and are bolt-on units....ThumbUp

 

[0tolerance]

Hey Skuuter I would be curious too see what kit your friend put on his wing I am still in the consideration phase but would be cool to know which kit , when you have time.

Thanks

0tolerance

 

[onevw]

Harley ultra pipes Hannigan gl1500. The bike sound just like stage II roush mustang.

 

[White Knight 04]

Harley ultra pipes Hannigan gl1500. The bike sound just like stage II roush mustang.

Nice job looks great !!

 

[JaysGone]

With m 1999 Valk I tried a few different pipe sets.
It came with a set of pipes I had no clue wha they were.
But.
As soon as I posted a picture of them on a Valk forum.
I had a ton of PMs wanting to know if Id be willing to sell them.
I did sort of eventually for a set of OEM new 14 year old take offs.
I found the stock setup while quiet.
The best for me.

Day I brought it home.

Finished and sold, now someplace in Norway

 

[cscsonny]

A friend of mine recently had GL1800 converted to a CSC kit.They don't use motorcycle mufflers anymore,some type of car mufflers.It has a very pleasing rumble that when you are close to it puts a smile on your fave that the sound is comming from a Gold Wing.

 

[Tip Schwartzbeck]

I have a '91 trike ,The pre muffler has been removed and straight pipes are connected to 2012 stock Harley mufflers.
I cannot tell any loss of power and a recent trip of 1300 interstate miles gave us 40 mpg.
Wife and I both like the sound!!
Tip

 

[Pegasus1300]

I have a 90SE with a TriKing conversion.They also use regular exhaust tubing from the stock Goldwing pipes and end in some kind of car short muffler,very close in sound to the stock Goldwing.I have been thinking of putting a set of either Cherry Bombs or Thrushs on it. Cscsonny do you know or can you find out what mufflers were used in your conversion?

 

[tbear]

Gaining HP is good but Torgue is what a Triker needs ! remember, torgue moves mass and HP just keeps it up there.................

 

[Cam]

Have a 1500 trike DFT Kit and when i was installing it and moving it around in my garage. i fired it up with no pipes just the collecter box on it sounded good to me.. i gave DFT a call had them send me two pieces of stainless steel pipe cut to 22" welded two chrome tips on them and it sounds like a mustang with a performance exhaust when u open it up.. and when ur cruising u dont hear them only when u get on it it has a mellow tone to it.. and i have the stock pipes that was sent to DFT and cut to fit so i have them when i want to go back to Hush mod... as for gas milage dont see any diffrents and for power i run 16"wheels with the tallest rubber i could fit under the fenders the power is there. now when i run the interstate highways my tach is running around 2900 to 3000. instead of 3600 to 3800 at 70 +MPH... so im very happy with my set up and the pipes ... but its all about personel perfernce...

and i have a K&N air filter installed in it to... been running the straight pipes for 2yrs now with no problems at all simple love it...

 

[SMSgt]

I have an 06 GL1800 with a Roadsmith. I took it to the local muffler shop and took the stock mufflers off and put on 2 1/2 inch straight pipes and chrome slash cut tips on it. I just had the pipes clamped on the extensions that RS put on. The bike sounds like a Porsche and runs like a scalded dog. I've done a 7000 mile coast to coast trip and have no complaints at all. And the best part of it is it only cost me $100.00. No more 100 MPH sewing machine for me now. Warranty I don't got no stinking warranty.<img src="images/smilies/trike 1 smilie.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Trike1" class="inlineimg" />

 

[scribe5]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>0tolerance</strong>
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<div class="message">Hi Everybody,<br />
<br />
I was just curious if loud pipes on a goldwing trike are a good idea ? I am enjoying my trike, but would like it a bit louder to be heard when driving.<br />
<br />
I was told by the dealership most people that own goldwings dont put on loud pipes because of the engine design for smoother ride on long distances. <br />
<br />
What are your thoughts on louder pipes and how they would effect the ride at highway speeds.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your time,<br />
<br />
0tolerance</div>

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</div> I have an 1800 trike and like the quiet pipes for anything over 40-50 miles. I also own a VTX 1800 with pretty loud Vance and Hines pipes and the noise does get tiring after a while. It sounds great when you first start.<img src="images/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" class="inlineimg" /> If the trike had just a hint of rumble, that would be nice...but quiet is good also. <img src="images/smilies/sleepy.gif" border="0" alt="" title="sleepy" class="inlineimg" />

 

[rmrc51]

This is an interesting thread that has been brought back.

I had originally posted on here when I still had my Valkyrie (wish I still had her, but that's another story,,,.) At present I have an 1800 Wing with a Roadsmith and I'd also like her to have just a 'slight' bit of a mellow tone (rumble). From what I've read here and on other forums, there really doesn't seem to be a tried and true modification to get that slightly deeper exhaust note. Keep the suggestions coming. ThumbUp

Now speaking about louder pipes, take a look at the new setup Cobra is coming out with at some point this October. Also,, take a look at the price!:xzqxz:

Cobra 6-Into-6 Slip On Muffler for Goldwing F6B - Honda Gold Wing Parts & Accessories by WingStuff.com

 

[Konrad]

I tend to think of loud pipes as "noise pollution" - and probably the reason so many riders use ear plugs. If those pipes are loud enough for you to wear plugs, think what they are doing to everyone else's ears. Sure, I hear the common slogan "Loud Pipes Save Lives!" but I have yet to see a single study that confirms that misbelief. What loud pipes really do is irritate everyone else around you. My testosterone level is just fine, thank you.<br />
<br />
End of rant - just had to get off my chest. And out of my ears.

 

[SMSgt]

My straight pipes aren't all that loud just right for me. As for ear plugs I wear them when I'm wearing my half helmet the wind noise is what is deafening. I love to listen to the sound of the engine, any engine.

 

[bustedwing]

I agree with Conrad, I have ridden behind people with loud pipes and had to stay there for at least an hour due to being in formation. I always end up with a headache. I love a bike that sounds good, but just loud isn't sounding good. Of course to the person on the loud bike it sounds good.