Performance gains without the noise?

I've been hearing about the lobbying and laws in place in California to crack down on noisy motorcycles. I imagine the main culrpits are the Harley guys, and some sportbikes that need to be loud cause they want the attention. I did a little bit of looking around and it looks like it's a nationwide battle and many states may be forced into quieter exhaust systems in the future. Here are a couple links to some "Noise-off" information:

One is specific to California, the other just about motorcycles.

NoiseOFF - The Coalition Against Noise Pollution - California

NoiseOFF - The Coalition Against Noise Pollution - Motorcycles

So, I know that many of us like the sound an aftermarket exhaust makes, but if you could get performance gains from an exhaust system without the noise, would you do it?

 

Only if there was laws in place forbidding louder exsaust systems.. I want an exsaust system for preformance gains.. but the sound is also a huge factor in my buying decision. I want my bike to sound good, mean, tough... the same reason I would put flowmasters on my mustang 5.0.

I agree that there are bikes out there that are too loud. But in the few seconds that it takes them to roll by me.. it does not bother me too much. I think that there are just to many panzies in this world that get up tight about every little thing.

 

I do like the sound of of a VFR with aftermarket exhaust. A bike doesn't have to be loud to sound good; your new S-Tunes are a great example of that, Chick. As a person who lives in a neighborhood with two obnoxious Harleys that are known to set off car alarms at 6am, I can, without feeling like a "panzie", say that something should be done about motorcycles that fall into this catergorie. The only thing that I find more obnoxious are the generalizations being made regarding future noise pollution laws. In Kentucky, they've gone so overboard as to contemplate making illegal any motorcycle exhaust that can be heard at fifty feet. It's too bad that a few sportbikers and hoards of Harley riders are ruining it for the vast majority of us in the middle.

 

I do not think any of the pipes for the gen 6 is very loud at all, surprisingly quite for the ones I have seen, mine included. Vfrchuck has the loudest by far in the group and his is gutted stock. Now my gen 2 is surely one that is what people are bitching aboot but if your looking at a mod to your bike I think your OK to get crazy.

 

Tough question.

I certainly would upgrade for performance regardless of the noise, no doubt. The cruiser's creed "loud pipes save lives" is pure BS and is said like some justification to piss people off.

On the other hand, I sure do like the purr of the Suzuki V-Twin in my SV650, with a yosh pipe. It sounds throaty and a little mean - just how a motorcycle should, IMHO. Puts a smile on my face every time.