Sorry - but these quiet pipes SUCK!

[Revlimiter Racing]

Before I go any further let me say this - I could care less about the sound issue. I dont care if my bike is loud as hell or whisper quiet - what I DO care about is how the bike runs and I am pissed off right now with this DB level rule.

In order to comply we just bought 3 FMF quiet core pipes for our team bikes. 05 CRF450, 04 CRF450 and an 05 CRF250X converted to a CRF250 w/electric start pretty much.

The 450's already had a full Factory 4 system with powerbomb header and were fast as hell. We put the new mufflers on the bikes and they just stall any time you let off the gas.

The 250 had a stock header and Factory 4 Canister but with this pipe simply wont run at all. We spent 6 hours with a decent mechanic trying to get it to work and are still SOL. The bike just fouls plugs now. We put a powerbomb header on it to help with the power loss of the quiet core pipe and we have done everything we can think of and that FMF recommends with the same results - the bike either just stalls as soon as you put the choke back in or fouls the plugs. For those who dont know these plugs are NOT cheap either!

I am dumbfounded so if anyone has tips - PLEASE let me know. What we are doing right now and think it might work is returning the bikes to their previous configurations and adding the quiet core inserts to all of them hoping they make the 99db limit.

-Shane

 

[Danman]

Spend some dough to get a good tuner on a dyno and get a good baseline. Then you can adjust for changes later (hot, cold, or altitude). Just like any tune you can just put the pipe on and expect it to work right the first time. It might take some tinkering and time to get a good setup.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Check your jetting. If you didn't change your jets (lean it out, I think) then it will run quite rich if they were jetted for the factory 4. Honestly, you should start to care about the sound issue as it is closing riding areas. There's been one riding area (first one open in the spring) that has now been permanently closed. It wasn't great, but it let us start riding about two weeks earlier than the other riding areas were open. Due to loud bikes it is now closed. This is happening all across North America, so it should bring you some concern.

 

[Revlimiter Racing]

Well - let me rephrase the wording on the quiet pipe issue. Its not that I dont care about the sound closing riding areas - I do!! That is why we are doing this. What I meant to say was that I dont care what pipe I run, I dont care if it is quiet or noisy as long as the bike runs well.

I think this sound law is absurd to say the least but that is just my opinion. I hear Harleys drive through town that are WAY louder than our thumpers! I see 2 strokes spew out way more air pollution than a 4 stroke ever could. It just kills me when they constantly make life difficult for people. If you dont like the noise of dirtbikes - DON'T LIVE NEAR A DIRT BIKE PARK!!! HELLO!!!!

Anyway - back to the issue at hand - I did mention earlier that we have rejetted and spent hours upon hours trying to get the bikes to run like they did with the other pipes on them but without luck. I have not taken the dyno route since it is VERy pricey and there is no-one within 100 miles from me that do that......especially for 3 bikes!

I am starting to find that there might be different manufacturers out there that make a pipe that will work better and switch back and forth without changing the entire pipe. The White Bros E Series for example sounds like it might do the trick?? We'll see.

-Shane

 

[highmileage]

I hear Harleys drive through town that are WAY louder than our thumpers! If you dont like the noise of dirtbikes - DON'T LIVE NEAR A DIRT BIKE PARK!!! HELLO!!!!-Shane

Shane, I think both of these comments are totally accurate. The problem with your statement is that I am very sure that with this attitude you will get exactly what you want. If there is someone within 100 miles of a riding area we won't have it any longer.

Because a bunch of street bike owners are irresponsible idiots that run obnoxious pipes will cause them to be regulated...(Just watch)...don't believe that we should have that same attitude. It really sucks that you will have to run with 1-2 less horsepower on your precious little jems. Be thankful that you are still legally able to ride them.

Bikes with quiet exhausts do perform well...when designed to work with your motor package and when tuned properly.

 

[James]

I see 2 strokes spew out way more air pollution than a 4 stroke ever could. It just kills me when they constantly make life difficult for people. If you dont like the noise of dirtbikes - DON'T LIVE NEAR A DIRT BIKE PARK!!! HELLO!!!!

On the two stroke thing, GIVE ME A BREAK. Don't rationalize your problems by creating them for somebody else. Two stroke pollution is mostly solved by jetting, much like your sound problem it would seem.

As far as people not living near a dirt bike park, it will become increasingly difficult to have a riding area without anyone living near it. I guess that means we will all have to get used to quiet pipes. Good luck with yours :cool: