How To Make Motorbike Exhaust Quieter

A curious thing about motorcycles is that they can be incredibly loud. The groans, bangs, and whistley sounds they make are a hallmark of the ride!

This is by design as a symbol of speed and power. You will see guys in tight clothes and leather riding powerful machines at motorcycle shows.

Unfortunately, this attention-grabbing sound does not always go away when you take your bike off the road. Some exhaust systems are designed to be louder than others.

The problem is that even though your exhaust might be quieter, people still hear it because of the sound effect! This can be annoying, especially when you are trying to go unnoticed while riding at a low volume.

How do you make your exhaust quieter? There are many ways to make your vehicle’s exhaust more quiet.

Use a plug

If you are looking to make your bike quieter, use a plug. This allows air to escape while reducing the noise of the exhaust system. A plug is usually around three feet long, so be mindful of how far you can put it in your bike’s exhaust system.

The range of a plug varies, but in some systems it can be as far down as the bottom of the tank. In these systems, it may be necessary to remove the tank to install the plug. In others, it may be easier to install from above instead of below.

Use foam or other material

If your bike requires more power to make noise, you can use some additional sound deadening materials.

Some bikes are very loud compared to others. Some are quiet! If you have a bike that is very powerful and noisy, there may be some additional material needed.

If you have a less powerful bike that is quieter than your motorcycle, you do not need the same amount of noise suppression material as if you had a big, powerful motorcycle.

Many hunting and biking organizations offer silent motorcycles for their members. You can get some help in making your own motorcycle silent by doing some of these programs!

Using something like wool or fleece instead of leather or foam provides more options in how to make the machine silent.

Buy a decibel meter

Unless you ride a really quiet motorbike, you should buy a decibel meter to make the motorcycle exhaust quieter. A decibel is a measurement in sound levels. A level of 100 is silence, and a level of 50 is half the volume of an automobile engine noise.

A decibel meter can be used on regular household appliances to measure volume. You can use this at your hardware store to purchase one for $5-10.

Know the law

Under California law, you must keep your motorcycle to a minimum of 70 mph before you need to start using an exhaust system. This is to ensure that the engine does not overheat due to loud exhaust sound.

At this speed, your brain can’t tell when it’s time to stop riding! So, make sure you have an adequate exhaust system that allows for proper cooling. You also want to make sure that the sound you are creating is legal. Many local police departments will check bikes and tell you if they are legal.

Making your bike quieter requires a lot of knowledge of electrical systems, how they work, and how to replace or fix them. If you are very good at fixing electrical problems, then by all means make your bike more quiet! But in most cases, spending some money and learning how to do it properly is the better solution.

Use a slip on muffler

When you purchase a slip on muffler, you can choose between two materials: steel or fiber. Both offer benefits when it comes to making your motorcycle exhaust quieter.

Steel has proven to be the most silent material out there. While this sounds strange, it is true! Because steel has more spaces for air to flow through, it is usually thicker than fiber ones and therefore sounds richer.

Fiber ones are actually cheaper than steel ones. Because they cost more expensively priced steel ones do not necessarily have, they are usually provided as matching braided pipes instead of a slip on muffler.

Install a true exhaust system

After you have changed to a more sophisticated exhaust system, the next step is to install it. You can buyea-pipes orda-pipes that connect to your bike’sa-mount for this.

These add-on pipes will not block the sound of the motorcycle, but you must place them where they can be operated. Most places do not offer technical assistance in installing these, so take someone else’s help for sure!

Running these adds some cash cost, as they must be purchased and installed by a mechanic. However, the savings in future repairs and maintenance are huge.

The best places to buy them are at motorcycle shops or through online suppliers, as they are usually brand new equipment that needs being transferred from the manufacturer.

Replace your exhaust pipe with a quieter one

If you ride a sportbike, change the exhaust pipe length by about a foot. Most sportbike exhausts are twelve to fourteen inches long, which is enough to get the bike up and going.

To reduce the amount of noise your bike makes while riding, add a shorter pipe. A twelve-to fourteen-inch pipe is about one foot, so adding a little bit of width will help with this.

Most touring bikes have shorter pipes than sport bikes, making this option even more necessary. If you need more volume in your exhaust sound, buy a louder engine!

If you have a cruiser or commuter bike type type of machine, take into account which tires you have and either shorten or add width to the pipe to compensate.

Modify your bike to make it quieter

If you ride a standard street bike, you may be able to make some changes to make it quieter. The first step is to determine if your bike has a muffler. A standard muffler is made of metal and installed on the motorcycle with a cable that connects to the generator that keeps it aligned as it spins the engine.

This type of muffler can be improved upon by using a nonmetallic wire or solid material placed in the muffler. The solid material reduces resistance when passing through the metal, making a smaller sound as it goes by. If you have this type of modification done, you can purchase something called a electronic noise suppressor. These prevent your bike from making any noise while in operation but restore more quietness when you want to ride at night or during summer months when traffic is heavier.

Another way to make your motorcycle quieter is to reduce wheel diameter. A large wheel gets more air than a small one, which is what pushes the bike down. This means that more air needs to be delivered into the engine, which may require buying or renting a larger wheel size kit.