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I had my mind made up that I was drilling my exhaust first thing after my purchase. However after giving it a little thought I think I will ride stock for a while before I do anything. I came from Harley's but I'm not thinking I want anything as loud as my ultra was just wanting a little as some put it a throaty sound or maybe just alittle grunt. Maybe I just want it to sound a little intimidating as it should. Who knows maybe I'm getting older and will decide that I like the quiet:shrug:
Yup, all my previous bikes had aftermarket exhaust and I did like the deep growl but after awhile it wears on you, especially on long rides. I find I enjoy the quiet now.
Me too friend! I have been shaking the ground for years. I am looking forward to installing a Klock Werks shield so I can hear the radio. For the first time ever I am leaving the exhaust and engine stock and adding lighting.
Go figure!
Me too, I do enjoy the quietness of my 6er. I find myself watching cars closer as I pull along side them on the interstate wondering if they know I'm there.
Since I got the F6B for my wife's comfort I figure I keep it nice and quiet as well, she like it that way. I still have the VTX when feel the need to be heard.
I have Cobra pipes on my F6B and they are fine for this old guy..Kept the stockers for down the road and then some...I guess I am getting too old for loud pipes and enjoy the mellow sound of the Cobras...Most HD's to me are just plain old "nauseous " and obnoxious loud noise, which most riders seem to think it makes the bike go faster!!..A good sound from V-twins is nice but most of the ones I have heard are just plain "crappy noise"...Maybe it is a HD thing?....Ride safe
I road for the first couple of months before I drilled my pipes. Put 3 1/2" holes in each pipe. The radio had to go up 2 settings. I could feel the sound in the foot pegs. Was trying to get used to the extra noise when I dicovered that I had lost 10 to 12 mpg. Bike ran fine making up the loss of back pressure. I was not good with loosing 60 + miles on a tank of gas. Covered all the holes up then put 1, 5/16" hole in each muffler. Life was good.😍
I'm on the same boat.
I must admit that I miss the sound of a V-twin, but like many have said here, I was getting tired of the very sound I've loved for so long....
I tried to remember (lol) that I traded my Street Glide for a F6B because it's so quiet AND FAST!
My GF talks to all her friends that we can actually TALK while on a motorcycle! lol
When I first rode my F6B, I didn't hear ANY exhaust sound, but after riding it for almost 5 months now, I now acutally HEAR the exhaust. yeah, I still kinda wanna have a little more sound, but I know the bike was designed by the Honda engineers in such way so it will last forever (well, almost!). The thing I love about this bike is that it is so well balanced compared to any bikes I have ever owned.
Like some mentioned, it's the first bike I've kept the stock exhaust on....
I just enjoy it as it is (for now, maybe.... I find myself looking at Bassani, Rush, Torq Master and such website more and more! lol)
I added Torq Master King Snake pipes over a year ago. Coming from the Harley world, these pipes are very mellow and not at all loud. I just think the F6B needs a small amount of attitude and the Torq Masters do the trick. No issues with hearing the radio and they do not produce the dreaded exhaust drone. They are just slightly louder than stock pipes.
Glad to know that I am not alone on this one ! That old thing just creeps up on you and WHAM, you can't get up off of the floor in 1 fluid movement and younger ladies start calling you sir. lol Had checked on some aftermarket pipes from a fellow forum member , shortly after getting the 6, asked him why he was selling them and he said he wanted to hear the radio. Gave me pause to think, ran this summer w/stock pipes, L O V E to listen to my first motorcycle w/radio and although I miss the Harley rumble, the 6 will never sound like a Harley, and I'm ok w/that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas TC
You just woke up my bugs in my head! lol
I totally agree with you about "attitude"!
I guess I'll be saving for the Torq Master (or I've been looking at Bassani)
I had Rineharts on my street glide and I LOVED the looks of the chrome pipes with the black tips. I like the tips of the Bassani better then the "extended" tips of the Rush pipes.
The bad thing is that there are not many F6B on the street for me to see and listen to the custom exhaust before making my decision......
I've never liked wearing a helmet when I ride.....
But I purchased a open face with flip up shield this morning, so I can ride through the cold winter in Phoenix (lol) comfortably....
I wouldve never thought there would be a day that I want a helmet!
I guess F6B is so fun to ride AND comfortable, it even changed my thoughts about helmets! lol
I'll be heading out to Northern AZ tomorrow for a ride and it will be pretty cold there (I heard it was 10F yesterday morning!). I'm sure my new helmet will keep me much more comfortable than without!
My ears are shot after riding loud Harleys for years. I enjoy the quietness of the F6B. Stock pipes will stay on for me. Tinnitus sucks and if I had a chance to do it over again I would have started wearing ear plugs when I was much younger and have kept the stocks pipes on all my bikes. It would have not only saved me money, but also saved my hearing.
As I get older things become much clearer. I have always loved the sound of power-----or I thought. A lot of stuff is in your/our heads. I don't think I have ever owned a bike this powerful or with so much torque. Does it take noise to justify that to onlookers????? If it is a Harley the answer is YES. This ain't a Harley, therefore the answer is no.
FLY STEALTH
I give years of working the flight line credit for my Tinnitus. I did start wearing ear plugs when I started where a half shell. I have had some extremely loud bikes but I think the wind noise permitted by a half shell does more damage than the loud pipes.Quote:
Originally Posted by XKnight
I recently had my hearing checked and my Dr. suggested ear plugs regardless of pipes...He is also a long time rider and says he has gathered a lot of data than indicates wind noise and other sounds coming from the highway are far more damaging to ones ears than loud pipes, as a lot of the noise from pipes is behind the riders ears to a point....This is the second Dr. that has told me the same thing, that wind noise can cause far more damage to hearing than loud pipes, especially if you ride on the super-slab without a windshield, helmet or something to diminish wind noise.....No opinion, just repeating what I was told......My Dad never rode a motorcycle in his life, but his hearing went bad in his 70's from jet engines taking off and landing on the Naval base he worked on in California for over 20 years....Go figure....Quote:
Originally Posted by BadDawg
I find myself wearing ear protection with my full face, I feel less fatigued after a long ride.
And I still have my stock pipes on my bike as well. My wife asked me if it was safe to ride with ear plugs?
I can still hear pretty much what's around me with no problems.
Stock pipes are good . No needs to upset the neighbors and on the road sound of wind is just enough . Gambling with costly pipes + tuning vs. questionable effect is not worth the effort .
Me Too !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Silence is indeed golden.
Last two H-D's made enough noise for a lifetime. Loving my stock pipes on the 6.
After years of noise with Harley, I appreciate the silence of the F6. *The police did not look at me anymore. Almost sorry. But I hear the radio at low volume.
I no longer want to change parts as when I was on the harley
I actually got sick of the wind noise from a half helmet this summer and went back to my full-face. When it's hot I enjoy the shorty windshield, but riding 70 on the highway for any period of time without a full face really started grinding my ears.
I like the choppy sound of a V-twin but I also remember getting sick of that quick. I think I'm getting too damned old my darned self :icon_biggrin:
On getting older.....
I very quietly confided to my best friend that I was having an affair.
She turned to me and asked, 'Are you having it catered'?
Just before the funeral services, the undertaker
Came up to the very elderly widow and asked,
'How old was your husband?'
'96,' she replied: 'Two years younger than me'
'So you're 98,' the undertaker commented.
She responded, 'Not hardly worth going home, is it?'
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman:
'And what do you think is the best thing
About being 104?' the reporter asked.
She simply replied,
'No peer pressure.'
For Steve 0080 and other Florida riders:
I've sure gotten old!
I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement,
New knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes
I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine,
Take 40 different medications that
Make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.
Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation;
Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.
Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92.
Have lost all my friends. But, thank God,
I still have my Florida driver's license.
An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and
Told her preacher she had two final requests.
First, she wanted to be cremated, and second,
She wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart.
'Wal-Mart?' the preacher exclaimed. 'Why Wal-Mart?'
'Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week.'
My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Know how to prevent sagging?
Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.
It's scary when you start making the same noises
As your coffee maker.
These days about half the stuff
In my shopping cart says,
'For fast relief.'
THE SENILITY PRAYER:
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference.
Wind noise, loud pipes, rock concerts, playing in a band, shooting guns, has all added up over the years to cause me hearing problems now. I figure if I can hear the pipes over the wind noise on the highway then it's going to cause hearing damage eventually. Any prolonged sound exposure over 85 decibels will eventually cause hearing damage. Most aftermarket Harley pipes are well over 85 decibels.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadDawg
I don't know...but, when I bought my F6B in July.... I had put 52,000 miles in a VTX 1300 over the last 4 summer riding seasons and it had loud Cobra drag pipes on it for all 52 K......:yikes:
I found the stock F6 mufflers too quiet...:shhh:I like to hear the engine at all speeds...:icon_biggrin:and I liked the look and low drone of the Cobra 6 into 6 mufflers....:yes:
I put them on before I had 500 miles on the bike and I love them...:icon_razz:.not loud and I can hear this honey purrr and any speed....but, at 65, I liked the quieter ride:yes:
Four things are guaranteed in Life.....Birth, Change, Taxes and Death !
Never thought I would But really like the stock pipes....to many years of loud pipes....Really like listen to the tunes going down the road....I used to tell my riding buddy Id hear the radio on his Gold Wing before I'd see him....He tells me that now......
Same boat and have been wearing ear plugs for the past few years , but with the F6B if I'm just riding locaally and keeping it under 50 even with the vance & hines pipes the bike is pretty quite for my ears but thats with the wing wind screen.Quote:
Originally Posted by XKnight
I still have the loud bikes , no harleys just Vmax's with UFO dragstars will do the job .