Street Legal Aftermarket Exhaust

I just bought a 2008 VFR with a Two Brothers carbon fiber exhaust which I will have to remove due to increased enforcement of exhaust laws here in the good 'ol state of Maine. I have a stock setup on the way, however, I would like to know if there are any "close to stock" aftermarket exhaust systems for the 6th gen that are labeled as street legal??? The stock cans are pretty heavy so just looking to lighten the load some. Thanks.

You can get some European exhausts that are certified for their market (E-legal) as being street-legal over there and are quieter than most aftemarket systems, but I dont think there's anything truly street-legal in the USA due to EPA regs.

You can always run the inserts (spuds) that some mfgrs provide like Staintune and others. That reduces the bark.

For states with mandatory yearly inspections, I know a lot of folks will reinstall their stock exhaust, go get the inspection done, return home and put the aftermarket exhaust back on again.

I've never heard one in person, but have listened to them on Youtube videos and such, and gutted 6th gen cans sound really nice and have all the right stampings and look to them for inspections... I'm not familiar with Maine's inspection process though and if they're using a dB meter they may not get you through.

Some states are stricter than others. In certain states, merely having aftermarket pipes (regardless of how "quiet" they are) is illegal and they'll bust you for it.

Veefer Madness

What is your States db requirement?

eg. Laser has a homologation card to certify that it's made to pass as is with no mods and silencers in.

The test is so many db @ 25% throttle I think.

Greg :fing02:

:fing02: Thanks.....this may be an acceptable alternative, but I'm not going to drop 1K on it until Maine gets it's act together regarding the exhaust laws. There is no db testing right now (I sure wish there was) so it is left to the discretion of the LEO/inspection mechanic on whether or not the aftermarket exhaust "produces more noise than emitted by the exhaust system originally installed on the vehicle when built." "excessive or unusual noise" Gee, if it meets EU standards than it should be good to go here!

Edmonton, Alberta has the first noise bylaw specifically pertaining to motorcycle exhaust in Canada.

1st ticket is $250

2nd ticket is $500

3rd ticket is $10,000

Yamaha R1 titanium mufflers. They weigh a lot less and are no louder than stock. Of course you will have to get someone to make a mid pipe to mod them on to the VFR but I had mine done (including the mufflers off of e-bay) for a total of $325. They look great too. I will post some pictures later tonight. :ph34r:

I think these p1x tip would be the way to go if you want something quieter. There quote is , "TBR PowerTip™ quiets the pipe about 7-8 dB with no significant reduction in horsepower." The p1 qoute is, "TBR PowerTip™ quiets the pipe about 3-4 dB with no significant reduction in horsepower." I would look at spending the small $ for the tips and see how quiet it is. I love my exhaust and that's what I would do before having to go to stock and the extra weight.

http://www.twobros.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=005-P1X

pres589

I've never heard one in person, but have listened to them on Youtube videos and such, and gutted 6th gen cans sound really nice and have all the right stampings and look to them for inspections... I'm not familiar with Maine's inspection process though and if they're using a dB meter they may not get you through.

Yep, I'm biased, but I think the full gut sounds spiffy.

That said, there are "pros:"

1. Looks perfectly legit.

2. Sounds spiffy.

3. About 5-10 pounds lighter with all the junk inside removed.

...And cons:

1. Not just a "bolt-on" job until after cutting, pulling, prying, and re-welding.

2. While not obnoxious IMHO, it's pretty obvious that something is fishy with the dB levels... :ph34r:

Downeaster

Veefer Madness

What is your States db requirement?

eg. Laser has a homologation card to certify that it's made to pass as is with no mods and silencers in.

The test is so many db @ 25% throttle I think.

Greg :fing02:

:fing02: Thanks.....this may be an acceptable alternative, but I'm not going to drop 1K on it until Maine gets it's act together regarding the exhaust laws. There is no db testing right now (I sure wish there was) so it is left to the discretion of the LEO/inspection mechanic on whether or not the aftermarket exhaust "produces more noise than emitted by the exhaust system originally installed on the vehicle when built." "excessive or unusual noise" Gee, if it meets EU standards than it should be good to go here!

So how can a Leo tell if an exhaust is OEM or aftermarket? Unless he is a mc buff who reads all the mags and remembers what the oem exhaust looks like.....

If the law (and enforcement) is this ambigeous, you may even get int trouble for gutting your OEM...

I have an Akrapovic on my 4th Gen that bears the EU homologation information, but that is for a GSXR750 :biggrin:

Weighs 1.6kg versus OEM 6+kg...

Chaz06i

I think these p1x tip would be the way to go if you want something quieter. There quote is , "TBR PowerTip™ quiets the pipe about 7-8 dB with no significant reduction in horsepower." The p1 qoute is, "TBR PowerTip™ quiets the pipe about 3-4 dB with no significant reduction in horsepower." I would look at spending the small $ for the tips and see how quiet it is. I love my exhaust and that's what I would do before having to go to stock and the extra weight.

http://www.twobros.c...ion&key=005-P1X

I bought the P1X tip on Ebay for about 25 bucks and it did make a difference. It's on all the time as I leave home early in the morning and it IS quieter. I have the Titanium VALE setup so the sound quality may differ a bit from a Carbon setup.

Muffler required; no straight pipes; no removal of baffles; no modification of exhaust system that increases noise beyond exhaust system originally installed. Ref: NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law, Article 9, Section 381

Thats for the state of NY. Sucks really. Most shops won't pass you with aftermarket pipes on. If they want to get technical they have this :

Maximum Allowable A-Weighted Sound Levels at Speed: 35 mph or less, 82 dB(A); over 35 mph, 86 dB(A), measured at, or adjusted to, a distance of fifty feet from the center of the lane in which the motorcycle is traveling. Ref: NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law, Article 10, Section 386.

Now in Maine this is what I see :

Muffler No acoustical criteria.

Maximum Sound Level No acoustical criteria.

Source is :

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/laws.asp

Noreaster

I just bought a 2008 VFR with a Two Brothers carbon fiber exhaust which I will have to remove due to increased enforcement of exhaust laws here in the good 'ol state of Maine. I have a stock setup on the way, however, I would like to know if there are any "close to stock" aftermarket exhaust systems for the 6th gen that are labeled as street legal??? The stock cans are pretty heavy so just looking to lighten the load some. Thanks.

I'm curious - what would Maine do when my F150 needs a new muffler? Would I be required to go to a Ford dealer to get one put on - or get busted for a Magnaflow or similar - or even a Midas for that matter - (it wouldn't technically be "OEM")? What about the tuner cars like the Civics with the raspy exhausts? Sounds like maybe they're just discriminating against bikes . . . FWIW on my '08 I have Remus titaniums and they have the removable spuds. I took 'em out. That opens it up a bit - though I don't know how much and in any event it's not a ton. If I knew where to get a sound test I'd check 'em out and pass it on. Fortunately Oregon doesn't even inspect bikes at all (keeping my fingers crossed).

Cogswell

I'm curious - what would Maine do when my F150 needs a new muffler? Would I be required to go to a Ford dealer to get one put on - or get busted for a Magnaflow or similar - or even a Midas for that matter - (it wouldn't technically be "OEM")? What about the tuner cars like the Civics with the raspy exhausts? Sounds like maybe they're just discriminating against bikes . . . FWIW on my '08 I have Remus titaniums and they have the removable spuds. I took 'em out. That opens it up a bit - though I don't know how much and in any event it's not a ton. If I knew where to get a sound test I'd check 'em out and pass it on. Fortunately Oregon doesn't even inspect bikes at all (keeping my fingers crossed).

Actually, it applies to all cars and trucks as well as motorcycles, but yes, there is some discrimination going on here, imo.. Anyway, will put on the stock cans until I decide on what to do.