Hi all and congratulations for this wonderful site !
I have a silly question about exhausts: what do you consider as being the best suitable exhaust brand for the BMW R1150R ?
Many of you are speaking of Remus, some are crazy for Laser, the rich dudes go for Akrapovic...
Do each of these brands have a really "specific" sound of their own ?
In terms of quality, assembly, SOUND....what would be the best brand for you ?
Thanks in advance for your help and opinion !
BTW, I've been searching in the site but unfortunatly some ideas are diverging...some say X is terrific, some others say it's Y or Z...I'm kind of confused event thought I know that "Truth is in the eye of the beholder"
I can only suggest that YOU may be the only person to decide what you like best. DON'T consider spending the big bucks on an exhaust with anxious expectations of power gains, it is not cost effective. That having been said:
Staintune is considered "The Gem" of cans available for the 'R'. It's fit & finish is superlative, very attractive, and expensive. It's a muffler for the discerning gentleman who doesn't want to offend the public with noise that some might find "objectionable.'
Remus is the can with the most variations from which to choose. It's a quality can, but the complete system would be the better way to go. You can have quiet, you can buy loud, or you can get a can that will allow you to switch between the two modes.
Two Brothers is on the loud side, some even suggest "raspy." If you like to live in the upper rpm's, Two Brothers might give you the noise and peakiness a Ricky Road-Racer might want. Your ears/mind may be in conflict with actual performance gains though..... still, sometimes it's good to at least sound the part. I have known people who took this can off their bike because the resulting sound "resonated" in their helmet..... they shoulda wore ear-plugs.
I would suggest that the complete Laser system is the best way to go. You lose your center-stand, you get headers and a can made to work with one another, and you void your factory warranty if/when you complete the package with Laser's chip designed to pull it all together.
I went with a Supertrapp and fashioned it to fit. I loved the way it sounded. I used the can with the CAT' sometimes...... or with a Remus "race" y-pipe. My resulting torque is the envy of this board, but horsepower gains were minimal.
You can simply take your stock muffler off the end of the CAT' and run it like that. No worries, it's still quiet, doesn't cost anything, might run better, and it no longer sounds like a sewing machine.
You should be looking to eliminate the CAT' converter for increased noise, less heat at the ankles, and percieved increases in performance.
If the Leo or Akrap' would make a BMW sound as good as a Moto Guzzi with the same cans, sign me up! But I don't even know if they make one for the R1150R......
Last edited by Pat on Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:40 am, edited 4 times in total.
There seems to be a huge choice in exhausts, with as many opinions as there are styles. What I would like is to improve (increase!) the sound while keeping the stock silencer (muffler to you guys).Is there a way of doing this? While I'm on the subject is the exhaust the same on the R1150GS as the Roadster? There's a guy advertising a used one locally at a good price.
Simon --
You can use a Y-pipe with the stock muffler to "improve" the sound of the R. The exhaust note is slightly deeper with it but also more raspy. The overall noise level increase is quite small. Remus and Sebring offer the pipes (I think they are the same) and I know that the one offered for the GS fits the R - I bought mine from someone who had it installed on his GS. The stock ones are a bit too big and you will either need to fit new ones or use some sort of spacer.
I bought an R1150R with a Leo Vince muffler, a y-style collector and no cat (and a chip). This bike pulls like a train at low revs and is only loud when the throttle is well open. The muffler (God knows what it was made to fit on) is an interesting peice of gear. You can poke a broomstick down it and it only stops when it hits the bend on the collector. Yes it does backfire loudly at times. No I don't care. The note is unique.
HD "Screaming Eagle" muffler with original catalytic converter in place. It is not a straight pipe, has a bit of a baffle in it. Was a slightly used "pull-off" at a HD dealer. Sound is deeper and a bit louder than stock, quieter than the cat without muffler.
You don't stop riding because you get old - you get old because you stop riding!
I just bought a used Laser Duotech system, and haven't even had a chance to mount it up yet. I was tempted by the Hotcam setup, but didn't want to sacrifice the centerstand. I'll post my impressions once I've got some miles on it. The guy I bought it from had it on a GS and absolutly loved it. He returned the bike to stock when he traded it in for a 1200GS...
I went the remus route because just about every BMW I see has one if not the original. I thought if it works for them why try something else. It was a resonable price and I like the carbon finish. The noise is loader with a bit more boom but it's not going to upset anybody when I ride off in the morning. The bike seesm to work a bit better in the hight reves.
Remus Revolution in Stainless steel, came with the bike. My previous bike (Aprilia RSV1000 Mille) had a Titanium racing can fitted, which was, just a can, no baffles, no internals, nothing inside at all and was noisy, very very noisy, saved my life on serveral occasions officer, honest I swear they could hear me coming a mile away even with their windows wound up . The point is the Mille had a deep deep bass boom to it's exhaust note, it never sounded as if it was being taken near the red line even though the bike revved higher than the 50R. The Remus on the BM doesn't have the deep boom, more a rasp, taking into the fact the can is a lot smaller on the BM, the baffles in the Remus and the bang sequence of the engines, it still leaves a bit wanting IMHO. Matter of opinion.
So far:TS125,TS250,GS550,GS550,CB750, GPZ1100, CB600 Hornet, RSV1000
Now: R1150R DRZ400S
Remus Carbon Silencer fitted this week and went for first run today. It has a removable baffle, which I have removed. The carbon goes well with the black bike. The part number was for a 1150GSA but fitted the R with ease.
Has a good sound, a lot lighter than stock can and a bargan at £160 off eBay and only 2 months old - looks like new with no marks.
Allan
2003 R1150R Twin Spark, (Black - the fastest colour)
Based on posts here, and the fact that I am going to full size system cases on both sides, I decided to can the can.
I have had the can off for two weeks or so, but am not quite happy with the increased dB's. I also think being Canless in Colorado affects torque and MPG adversely as well.
So...
I am going to try and find a happy medium, putting a resonator tip on the cat stub to change the sound and still allow full cases. Not an original idea, someone else here has done it with a Hedman tip.
I decided to go with one of these... (Pacesetter MONZA Big Bore)
I could only find a 2" version, so I have made an machined adaptor ring. I also plan to minimize potential problems by adding a stiff bracket between the new T-bolt band clamp and the frame (the rear shock adjuster mount look promising atm).
Just some food for thought.....
2005 R1150R -- Granite Grey Metallic
Lifetime Member #566
When I removed my can I ran the bike with just the cat and it ran okay, I was thinking of making up a stubby slash pipe and this will be a good winter project.
I like your soloution, keep us posted
Allan
2003 R1150R Twin Spark, (Black - the fastest colour)
It is certainly nice to ride a bike with a good note - it is also nice to hear the induction noise on a stock R1150R.
So - because I like to keep all my standard bits 'just in case', I managed to get a cat that had been removed from another R1150R. I very carefully sliced open the seam on the cat with one of those neat extra thin cutting discs and lifted off the lid. It already has a nice 2 into one where the oxygen sensor fits so I cut off the converter part and fabricated a reduction cone to reduce the pipe size to that of the outlet pipe. Then add a smooth curve and weld to the existing outlet still conected to the lower half of the cat body (it's all in how you slice it up). Because it is stainless steel it is necessary to use stainless welding rods. Then - drill a million holes in the internal pipework, pack it with fibreglass matting and weld the sucker back together. Walking around the bike it looks completely stock with NO welds where they shouldn't be.
How does it sound with the stock muffler fitted? Well initially I was disappointed with how quiet it is. Not much louder than stock - but - under throttle there is a deep growl from the cat body in companion with the induction noise. I like it but am still considering fitting a different muffler or looking for a stock muffler I can liberate. Isn't playing with bikes fun!
Paul Mihalka wrote:HD "Screaming Eagle" muffler with original catalytic converter in place. It is not a straight pipe, has a bit of a baffle in it. Was a slightly used "pull-off" at a HD dealer. Sound is deeper and a bit louder than stock, quieter than the cat without muffler.
How well did the H-D muffler fit the pipe? How does it look? Any pics? I've been thinking of trying this myself.
I've used H-D take-offs on a Kawasaki twin and a Suzuki four-banger. They worked great and sounded better than stock, and I didn't have to re-jet. The beauty of it is that Harley dealers throw them away, because most of their customers want the louder ones.
TBR (Two Brothers Racing) oval, light and durable, good performance.
Also tried a 4" round SS Supertrap for a Buell, well made, larger internal volume, adjustable, but heavier....had to get an adapter to fit the 2.25" in on the can.
Like others have mentioned it is a matter of preference....and sound....
Member #312
06 Suzuki Burgman 650 "state of flux"
79 CBX
I swear they could hear me coming a mile away even with their windows wound up 
. The point is the Mille had a deep deep bass boom to it's exhaust note, it never sounded as if it was being taken near the red line even though the bike revved higher than the 50R. The Remus on the BM doesn't have the deep boom, more a rasp, taking into the fact the can is a lot smaller on the BM, the baffles in the Remus and the bang sequence of the engines, it still leaves a bit wanting IMHO. Matter of opinion.
