ZTechnik exhaust on 1150R-how loud?

[kantuckid]

I have a used system in mind for my 1150R and want better sound, not more. It comes with the cat eliminator pipes so it could be used with the OEM muffler too. Your opinions please & thanks!

[llahbocaj]

I have a used system in mind for my 1150R and want better sound, not more. It comes with the cat eliminator pipes so it could be used with the OEM muffler too. Your opinions please & thanks!

I have a ztechnik titanium can and y-pipe on my R, picked up used from someone who pulled it off their GS when selling off the goodies before selling the bike.

The ztechnik sound is better...and louder. Those are hard terms to quantify but let's start with louder: it's not dirtbike w/ no baffles loud, nor is it harley screaming eagle, or flip flops sportbike loud. I'm not saying that it sounds "like a triumph" but I would call it as loud as a triumph. As for the quality of the sound? It sounds more like a motorcycle and less like a sewing machine / chick farts.

I bought mine because I wanted to get the cat out from under the transmission to get rid of the heat sitting under there. The advertised HP gains are a little exaggerated. The best way of describing it is that when accelerating between say 3k and 6k the revs get there quicker. It is significantly lighter but saving 10-15lbs in muffler could easily be offset by loosing 10-15lbs off the rider.

If you're looking for a different sound out of the bike you should search through the forum here for any of the threads about taking off your stock muffler and putting a stainless steel exhaust tip on the output of the cat. I ran with the exhaust tip setup for about 15k miles and it was just fine. The city I live in has begun a seemingly city-wide crackdown on motorcyclists (picture motorcycle checkpoints where they just pull every bike they see to inspect bike and paperwork) so I put the OEM back on just in case, then went to the ztechnik about 6k ago.

If you haven't tried it, for the $10 investment definitely try the exhaust tip before you drop the money on the ztechnik if a different sound is all you want.

edit: I forgot to mention...I believe that the pipe diameters of the stock muffler and the ztechnik are different so you can't use a ztechnik y-pipe with the stock muffler. This is just what I read, I never took the time to look at it, just pulled the old one off and put the new one on. Might want to do a little research but I believe the stock stuff is 1.5" and the ztechnik is 2".

[kantuckid]

I read that someone used the oem muffler with the cat replacement pipes and no mention of a diameter change... Also, I have read the threads using various exhaust arrangements .

[llahbocaj]

I read that someone used the oem muffler with the cat replacement pipes and no mention of a diameter change... Also, I have read the threads using various exhaust arrangements .

You might want to look around for a remus y-pipe, it might be the y-pipe that was used with the oem can if not the ztechnik.

[Oilhead]

The ztechnik sound is better...and louder. Those are hard terms to quantify but let's start with louder: it's not dirtbike w/ no baffles loud, nor is it harley screaming eagle, or flip flops sportbike loud. I'm not saying that it sounds "like a triumph" but I would call it as loud as a triumph.

The loudness between a straight pipe V-Twin and a inline-four sports bike cannot even be compared on the street. First of all, sportbike riders are not going to fit straight pipes on their bikes. They are not that loud at regular RPMs. They only get really loud at warpspeed rpms.
Also what do you mean sound "like a triumph"?

By the way, I have never seen a sportbike rider riding their bike in flip flops. I have only seen one rider riding in a flip flop that I can ever recall......and it was on a R1100GS.

[boxermania]

In addition to llahbocaj excellent post.....generally a Y pipe and aftermarket can wil show 3hp + on the dyno, mostly on the high rpm ranges, throttle action will be crispier and the engine will pull stronger.

The pipe size on the R is 1.750".....

[Oilhead]

generally a Y pipe and aftermarket can wil show 3hp + on the dyno, mostly on the high rpm ranges, throttle action will be crispier and the engine will pull stronger.

The power gain is mostly from the removal of the cat I presume?

[sweatmark]

My Ztechnik titanium system is louder than OE muffler removal, but not obnoxious.

I don't think the resulting "exhaust note" is all that flattering.

Only real reason for making the change is weight loss - and it's worth it.

[boxermania]

Oilhead wrote
The power gain is mostly from the removal of the cat I presume?

Your assumption is correct as the cat is the most restrictive component on the exhaust....there is a little restriction at the can, but not much compared with the cat. I always wondered what will the engine sound like with the Y pipe and the stock can.......never tried it.......

[Oilhead]

Oilhead wrote
The power gain is mostly from the removal of the cat I presume?

Your assumption is correct as the cat is the most restrictive component on the exhaust....there is a little restriction at the can, but not much compared with the cat. I always wondered what will the engine sound like with the Y pipe and the stock can.......never tried it.......

The stock muffler must be quite efficient as I personally did not really notice any peformance increase after I took off the muffler and left on the cat.

From my experiences in the past, when you put a cat eliminator with the stock exhaust, you usually get a very throaty sound. The dB level isn't much different from the no muffler with the cat combo but it will be quite a bit throatier. I currently have the cat eliminator with the stock muffler on my Hypermotard.
Another thing I noticed that when you remove the cat from a bike/car, the exhaust smells pretty bad. Far worse than a bike that came without a cat to begin with.