[maniak]

@marvinsanremo posted about using 2" universal baffles in the V&H Urban brawlers and I grabbed a set and did a quick test with my SPL meter... (http://www.kawasakininja1000.com/fo...-hines-urban-brawlers-baffle-alternative.html)

In short... @ idle the baffles brought the SPL down about 2-3 DB. On a 10k rpm blip there was 1 db difference (close enough to not matter)...

I've had a chance to commute with the baffles a few times and the tone is different, especially on decel...

Here's the video I did of the comparison.. Not exactly the most scientific... I just wanted to get them installed before the sun went down and figured I'd do the quick test.

Right now I am planning to keep the baffles.. I may pull them and paint them with engine paint (I don't think they are going to get hot enough to need header paint) since I have many cans lying around... I just have to decide if I can lift with the bolts sticking through the exhaust.

~Mark

 

[maniak]

Lemme try the youtube link again.. at least to make it clickable..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM1dhGRMjhs

 

[Day Trippin]

I was following that thread before. What baffles did you end up finding to fit?

 

[maniak]

I put a pic of the p/n towards the end of the video... and I got them from ebay... Here is the item I picked up... http://m.ebay.com/itm/321880557637

~Mark

 

[Day Trippin]

Thanks Mark. Just a few more questions if you don't mind. How much clearance is there around the baffles and the inside of the brawler? How much depth is there for a DB killer?

I have found some other baffles that might be better options for me. There are some adjustable ones where I could adjust it a bit. The ones you bought appear to about 1.875" OD which is just under 48mm. I found some I like in a 48mm OD size that might work better for me. I could just order the longer ones and cut to fit. There are some decent 48mm x 140mm options out there with adjustable baffles in them.

I have a set of brawlers coming but I don't have them yet and would like to get some sort of baffles/DB killers on the way so if it is too loud for my wife I have an immediate solution on hand.

 

[Day Trippin]

Here are some of the ones I was looking at in a range of sizes.

Universal Motorcycle Exhaust Muffler Baffle Killer Silencer | eBay

Here is another one with nice photos that give a bit more detail.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48x140MM-Un...540412?hash=item51d71fdc3c:g:PdUAAOSwd0BV5rU7

 

[mrphotoman]

do you not wear earplugs? The brawlers are not loud even without the baffles.

 

[maniak]

Yes, I wear ear plugs... and no, they aren't loud to me when I have my ear plugs in... At 75 mph I can barely hear the exhaust over the wind noise... That's about 5000 rpms on my bike (16t sprocket with 55 tire)..

I have ridden a few times, short distances (e.g. work to store) at sub freeway speeds and it is very loud then, especially around 3k rpms and even more so on decel...

I like them loud but I didn't want to be "that guy" with the overly loud exhaust which is why I put the $30 into the baffles.. I'm not saying I"m going to dietch the brawlers, I just figured I'd try to tame them a little..

~Mark

 

[mrphotoman]

it is not loud at any time, just louder than stock. if you didnt want a louder exhaust why did you not stick with the stock one?

 

[maniak]

it is not loud at any time, just louder than stock. if you didnt want a louder exhaust why did you not stick with the stock one?

Short answer... I wanted it loudER than stock and liked the looks...

Long answer...
@ > 10 feet I was reading 90 - 100 DB... To me that is loud without ear plugs. To you or others, it may not be loud... According to my last hearing test (this last summer) my hearing is still perfect on the left and has a slight roll off at the very top end... Apparently for someone who rides motorcycles and does competitive pistol shooting (and is north of 40) , that is rare.. Maybe my hearing is just more sensitive than yours... I don't know, I'm not you...

Also, for some reason, in my Shoei rf-1200 it seems to resonate right at 3k rpms (with no ear plugs)... again, I haven't heard anyone else mention this so who knows...

As to why I got the urban brawlers....I knew I was getting louder exhaust and more importantly, I liked the looks of it... I figured if I can quiet it down a bit for $30 that I would... It isn't like it made it like stock exhaust, it just quieted it down a bit at idle, and to my ears, at 5k rpms...

As an anecdote as to how loud these are... My neighbor can hear me when I get off the dirt road and onto the 2 lane blacktop. He can tell when I'm late for work (more spirited acceleration)... When he can hear me I'm about 2 miles away...

Oh yea, according to this thread on another forum, the Urban brawlers are pretty much the loudest without inserts... dB Sound Levels for Popular Exhausts - Kawasaki Z1000 Forum: Kawasaki Z1000 Motorcycle Forums

~Mark

 

[mrphotoman]

I do not find them to be significantly louder at all. my two bros on my other bike on the other hand is loud as **** but the ninja, nah not at all. maybe put your stock cans back on and drill a few holes in them to get about 5% louder than stock.

 

[maniak]

I can't explain why you can't hear the difference.... I can definitely tell the urban brawlers are louder.... I couldn't even hear my stock exhaust with my ear plugs in...

If I get bored some weekend, maybe I'll throw on the factory pipes again and check them with the spl meter but I'm in no rush to do that.. I have a lot of other vehicle stuff I need to get done...

~Mark

 

[BrokeSolid]

I want to try and run them cat-less. I have some ideas in my head to try and get them tame enough to do this. was thinking even maybe trying 3 killers per side with one in the main pipe. just thinking out loud. not out of warranty yet, will wait till then to do full exhaust.

 

[Day Trippin]

Since there are other inserts for DB killers than the factory ones, and some of them are "tunable". That might be an option. Be careful about one in the main pipe as it might cause too much restriction.

I plan on trying some of the longer DB killers to see how they work. They are tunable (meaning I can move where the restrictor plate is relative to the outlet) and I can see how that impacts the sound/performance. If they are too long, I can just trim to fit. I'll start with the 140mm one and see how they work out.

I don't really want a super loud exhaust. I just want to save a fair amount of weigh on the bike. It will help offset the weight of the factory bags a bit.

 

[javarob]

Since there are other inserts for DB killers than the factory ones, and some of them are "tunable". That might be an option. Be careful about one in the main pipe as it might cause too much restriction.

I plan on trying some of the longer DB killers to see how they work. They are tunable (meaning I can move where the restrictor plate is relative to the outlet) and I can see how that impacts the sound/performance. If they are too long, I can just trim to fit. I'll start with the 140mm one and see how they work out.

I don't really want a super loud exhaust. I just want to save a fair amount of weigh on the bike. It will help offset the weight of the factory bags a bit.

Sorry if this was answered elsewhere and sorry if this is off topic, but do the brawlers allow you to use regular size spools in the rear?

If you discover a combination of db killer's that tame them without hurting performance, I sure would like to know what you did. I am going to get the brawlers and I am not too worried about the sound with stock headers etc., but I know I won't like how loud it is with the Acropovic headers I plan to get.

 

[Day Trippin]

Yes, you can use normal size spools in the back.

I just put in the db killers but no chance to test them yet. They are adjustable ones so I'll play with them a bit to see how much they quiet them at max and see if I can feel any performance difference.

 

[Lag 4]

Has any one tried this?

Universal motorbike Exhaust Can Muffler Insert Baffle DB Killer Silencer 48mm | eBay

 

[Lag 4]

It wont accept an image or attachment,,,,,, but they are 140mm long by 48mm at the exit 6mm of play in the adjustment,,. For the money not a bad value rather then $200 for V&H,,.

 

[rcannon409]

WOW! Mr big spender......2 for under 10.00? Well, slightly over as we have to pay shipping...

Id be willing to try them. If they had 52mm, Id order some.

 

[Mark59]

Lag the brawlers arent that bad without db killers, i ended up pulling mine out after a couple of months and actually like the sound a whole lot better.