Now you've begun to stereotype yourself by sounding like what some would consider the typical BMW rider; a condescending, self-proclaimed sophisticate who believes himself a superior being operating a superior machine. This not only does a disservice to every decent BMW operator, but makes for a rather boring, uninteresting case study.

Being a former BMW rider myself, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed.

 

My friend, that loud noisy sound has always been music to my hears,
it resonates on my soul, so i sold my non harley bikes
and bought me a new ultra classic.

Why do we question others choices so much on this website?

 

Because the noise is the only thing they have to make the bike "feel" fast and to try and get people to look at them.

 

****ty weather causes crabbyness because of the lack of riding and we need to blow off steam. haha or boredom which ever you like

 

Beem me up scotty,nothing but noisy hardcore harley owners here.i can't stand the noise................lol

 

Dude, you're from Pittsfield and you're throwing around this kind of attitude? In the rest of MA, Pittsfield is looked at as the hillbillies and
"good-old-boys". Good grief, did you just get internet in the trailer park this week?

 

hey...don't forget plastic model glue!!!!!

ps....wife loves her loud bike and makes fun of me cause hers sounds better!

ps...for a quiet bike, here ya go

 

The answer to your question is quite simple. It is a matter of preference. I like my pipes to be a little louder. It is my preference. On a mechanical level a high flow air filter and pipes will give you a slight increase in power but it will also decrease the heat produced by the engine with a proper tune. Pretty simple right? As far as your choices of bikes great. All nice bikes.

As for your assessment of the civility and intelligence of the people on this forum and how we fit in to all the stereotypes that you have previously mentioned I think you have missed it. I think there is a diverse group of people here that are all very willing to answer a question that is put on the forum. Your "question" was a little different though. You come off as someone who clearly thinks himself above all the members of this forum. Your "question" also comes off as more of an opportunity to tell all the people that choose loud pipes that they are all wrong and it is because of them that there are so many states trying to pass laws that make it so that only stock pipes can be used. You don't mention the fact that pretty much all makes of bike have aftermarket pipes available. 99% of those will make the bike louder. Your use of backhanded complements is , I am sure , greatly appreciated too. To put it bluntly you are coming off as an a$$hole. Do any of us care that you drive a BMW? No. Is everyone flaming you because of that? No. You are getting flamed because the manner in which you asked the question comes off as some stuffed shirt jerk who thinks he is better that any of the "good old boys" he asked the question to. You also seem to have an agenda of telling us all how superior you BMW is to your Harley. Again do any of us here care? No. I really don't care what you ride. I ride a Harley because that is my preference. There is more to it than just that but you clearly wouldn't get that. I agree with the previous posts that this is not the forum for you. Maybe Mensa has a motorcycle forum because clearly us "good old boys" couldn't possible have anything of value to contribute to a person with such a vastly superior intellect.

 

If you're not gaining performance with an aftermarket exhaust,,,,,,,
YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT!

"Racket"???? "Even louder"???? Do you really think the stock pipes are loud?

You can't be doing it right because you don't even think it's possible to propel a mere 800lbs fast enough to blow those kerosene rags off of your ankles.

 

I'm not sure WHAT "HIEROGLYPHS" are confusing you.... so I'll put this into simple English.

YOU bought a 1997 model year motorcycle, that had 18,000 miles on the odometer. I was granting leeway regarding total years on the motorcycle by calling it an eleven year old bike
18,000 miles divided by 11 years, is a yearly average of 1636.3 miles a year.(divided by 12 years =1500)

What that tells me is it was a bike that wasn't ridden much. There's no shame in having a bike that you ride rarely. There are many reasons, and they are all valid.

Many people put loud pipes on their bike (why? I don't know, I guess they think it's cool). Those who ride short distances, and for short duration, seem to like their loud pipes. Most people who spend a great deal of time and distance on their bikes seem to prefer quite bikes. I know when riding behind a bike with loud pipes I become more tired.

Most of my friends ride 10-35 thousand miles a year, and they often spend days riding. None of them have loud pipes, those who at one time or another succumbed to the temptation of loud pipes, soon replaced the after market pipes for OEM.. What is music to some, may become wearisome noise after continuous exposure.

You purchased a motorcycle, it was a used bike, the previous owned modified the bike to suit him. Now you are faced with a dilemma, Shall you sell the bike because it is "noisy" or shall you replace the aftermarket exhaust with OEM. You will likely find that you may have to adjust the ECM, or re-jet the carb, but I'm sure your good friend the dealer will help steer you in the right direction. Actually, he likely has a pile of stock pipes in his back room, and will let you have then at a very reasonable price.