1st ride. have few ?'s

[BA80]

Loud and fair is. Open pipes will absolutely kill your top end.

My bike even with the Mac mufflers gets real lean and I can hear the pre-ignition at around 110. That's why I think I should have gone 2 sizes instead of one. But, I don't see those kinds of speeds much so I'm good.

With no back pressure it would be more noticeable even at cruising speeds I believe. But then, you probably couldn't hear it melting the pistons with open pipes.

[TopCatGr58]

I want loud and run good. Is that attainable?

Hey Hammer,

Here's where you're about to loose support from many of us! Open headers LOUD is just ridiculous... it annoys all riders/drivers around you...does NOT help you be any safer/heard by cagers in front of you, and causes permanent premature hearing loss, as well as making it hard to tune the bike/engine for good performance across the rpm range. Folks have used straight pipes that extend to near the rear wheel, weld washers into the ends for "some" backpressure and can get some backpressure to help in tuning.

Good luck on your project, hope you are able to get the sound and performance you want.

T.C.

[cajun31]

mrh2

I had an xs650 I bought new and I too wanted loud and put straight pipes on it. As Greg stated it ran badly. Was loud but without the back pressure provided by the stock pipes I actually lost power. I too would not recommend open pipes on these bikes. That was and is the difference between these bikes and Harleys. There are after market pipes that are louder then stock. By the way what are the pipes you now have on the bike?

[mrhammer2u]

Cajun,
I have the mac 4 into 2 turn out system and its same volume as stock.

TopCat,
I'm new and not a "purist". I'm inquizitive and trying to find my way to what I want....whatever that may be. If I've lost your support so be it. I'm grateful for the advice all others are willing to give.

My bike is not stock. I want to make it custom to reflect me.....like any piece of art.

[mrhammer2u]

And ive never been annoyed by a rider with loud pipes. I love it. Your blanket statement is your opinion.

[BA80]

Cajun,
I have the mac 4 into 2 turn out system and its same volume as stock.

TopCat,
I'm new and not a "purist". I'm inquizitive and trying to find my way to what I want....whatever that may be. If I've lost your support so be it. I'm grateful for the advice all others are willing to give.

My bike is not stock. I want to make it custom to reflect me.....like any piece of art.

And ive never been annoyed by a rider with loud pipes. I love it. Your blanket statement is your opinion.

I have a Mac w/turnouts on my SG. It ain't the same as stock. Not even close.

I thought I wanted loud pipes when I first got my bike too. But, after riding it a while and my ears hurting (not to mention the poor performance) I had a change of heart. The turnouts are plenty loud and not nearly as offensive to my fellow riders.

These bikes were over engineered from the beginning and are pretty much as good as they get stock. And, actually quite good looking. TC isn't knocking you, simply saying that it's pretty hard to improve on something that's pretty near perfect out of the box.

Reliable and fast......and, nearly 40 years old. Show me something that can hold a candle to it.

[cajun31]

What you have on the bike is about all that is available anymore. You could go with a 4 into 1 mac system. I don't have any personal experience with them. They may be louder. My Kerker 4 into 1 is louder then my stock 4 into 2 system was. Not Harley loud mind you. Here is a link to a thread over on the UK xs11 site. They did a good job of compiling all the exhaust systems for these bikes. Mind you many of them are no longer available. http://xs1100.com/forum/index.php?topic=5436.0

[mrhammer2u]

BA....thanks for your kind wording.

Cajun,
I feel the stock exhaust was actually louder than the MAC 4 into 2 with turnouts.

BIke is awesome nonetheless!

[BA80]

Here is a good pic of a properly jetted XS. This is my SF (sold now) with a brand new Mac 4 into 1 after a 1000 mile trip from OK to WI.

See the nice tan color of the pipes?

That bike was crazy fast. The Mac muffler on that system sounded a little funny though, kind of a groaning sound at a certain RPM. Packed some pipe wrap around the baffle and improved it but still kinda weird.

That bike was jetted the same as my SG with the 4 into 2 turnout. 1 up on both the mains and the pilots.

[James England]

And ive never been annoyed by a rider with loud pipes. I love it. Your blanket statement is your opinion.

it's a lot of people's opinion. Loud pipes are just stupid...they make the bike run badly, wake people up, annoy neighbours, cause a disturbance and are anti-social. Totally pointless. If you want all that and "love it", you'd be better off buying a Harley instead of doing that to an XS1100.. Then you can ride around with poor performance, sounding like a helicopter.....but still sounding 'badass'

[IanDMacDonald]

I feel the stock exhaust was actually louder than the MAC 4 into 2 with turnouts!

Unless your stock system was in bad shape, your Mac system should have quite a throaty sound compared to your stockers. Trust me, you do not want to go down the straight-pipe/open headers path. We have a fellow member whom pursued that goal, did so, and the bike could never be tuned right, and it rode like poo. He ended-up asking me for my Mac system cuz it was too loud, and neighbors complained about the noise. Don't throw-away money on your new pipes. Tune it accordingly, ride it, be safe and have fun. Or, u can be like Harley owners and make it a garage queen

[James England]

Or, u can be like Harley owners and make it a garage queen

One step up is, of course, a trailer queen, taken around to shows. Then at least they get to see a road now and then....

[rdmcguy]

two more cents

Thought I would join in the fun!!
I have never been of the mindset that loud pipes save lives..,loud for the sake of performance gains is a different story.
Both of my jt1 minis two of my rd 350's one of my maxim 650's my yz 450 and three of my 11oo's have aftermarket pipes on them .
The two strokes in particular DEFINITELY have noticeable power gains,some at lower rpms some in the midrange some on top end and some across the board.
Not wanting to spend the money on dyno runs to prove or disprove any performance gains I will say that on my 11's (one with a Kerker,one with an unknown stainless system yet another ...El Toro with open pipes)The power characteristics DO change in relation to rpm and where these bikes "come on the pipe"I can tell where I am rpm's wise by the sound,
Misc. female passengers have described it from a purring to a growl.
I have no need or desire to offend so I try to be mindful of those around me.
It's not that difficult to shift up a gear and quietly (somewhat)go about my business. But when no one else is around is a different story.
I will add that El Toro with open pipes does NOT run as well as it could,
However, that is the personality of that bike...A nasty mean snarling bull.

[madmax-im]

on my XJ I never liked the sound coming from a MAC 4to1 and yes I could hear it...LOL The Kerker I had on later was awesome...gave me all the sound I ever needed and wanted plus it wasnt lacking in the performance arena either. It was loud but not obnoxious unless i really let it loose...but I could put around relatively quietly if I desired...kinda the best of both worlds

[cajun31]

Greg

What kind of air filter were you using with that bike that you went 1 up on the pilots and mains?