3 replies to this topic

[dark_bike]

Hi all,

I bought a pair of Guzzi titanium cans on the cheap that are a bit dented (already found a thread on how to get them sorted) but as I want to use them on the public road I'll need a pair of db eaters (they are race cans) and also the connection pipes to fit them in the first place.
I'm a complete newby in this matter so any advice is welcome...

I imagine that the fact that the right silencer is off-set makes it difficult to use parts of other bikes....

[Skeeve]

Hi all,

I bought a pair of Guzzi titanium cans on the cheap that are a bit dented (already found a thread on how to get them sorted) but as I want to use them on the public road I'll need a pair of db eaters (they are race cans) and also the connection pipes to fit them in the first place.
I'm a complete newby in this matter so any advice is welcome...

I imagine that the fact that the right silencer is off-set makes it difficult to use parts of other bikes....

Do they do noise testing where you live? 'Cause otherwise the best approach is to keep your stock cans in the (rare) eventuality that you get a fixit ticket and swap those on to satisfy The Man & bounce back to the Ti pipes after satisfying the court that the pipes are stock.




EDIT: just realized you're in Germany; I've heard that the TUV is pretty dang restrictive, so all bets are off. Don't they say "No mods of any sort" or something like that? I've heard you can get a ticket just for replacing tires w/ something other than stock fitment!

[dark_bike]

EDIT: just realized you're in Germany; I've heard that the TUV is pretty dang restrictive, so all bets are off. Don't they say "No mods of any sort" or something like that? I've heard you can get a ticket just for replacing tires w/ something other than stock fitment!

hardly anything is ever easy in Germany and I found out that just fitting dB eaters isnt going to do to get them approved. I bought the cans on ebay but neither in the description nor on the pics it was clear they were slip-ons or for race use only. I've only ever seen road legal Ti cans so it simply didnt occur to me to ask (what do I know...) with a bit of luck the seller may be persuaded to take them back.

as for german regulations, you can mod your bike but you have to have every modification approved, even if you did it with parts that are CE approved. the issue of tyres is a bit complicated. My bike had Metzeler Roadtecs on that didnt exist when the bike was first made in '02. they are specified for this bike by Metzeler so now it says in the reg document that only tyres that have been approved by the manufacturer for this model are allowed. back in the old days ie last year it would have said exactly what the type and dimensions were. if I then would have wanted to fit different tyres (because eg this model went out of production I had to get a piece of paper from the tyre supplier saying that it was all ok.
also it isnt allowed to have front and rear tyres of different specs, so if only the rear tyre is own but this particular model isnt available anymore you had to buy 2 new tyres even if the front one was still ok. Are you still with me?

There are loads of data on a German registration document and most of it is totally pointless. I spent an hour and a half getting the bike tested, of which the actual testing took less than 15 minutes. the rest was just bureaucratic blah blah blah...

(Im now warming to my topic so hold on)
Then you have to get a registration document and plates. In a large town like Cologne this can easily take 4-5 hours.
once you're at the desk and have handed over your docs and ID you get a slip of paper and you can go out to have a plate made. this you present at the desk, it gets a couple of stickers on it and you're done.
not surprisingly a whole business has sprung up of services who do it for you (if you have several registrations to make you go to a different desk where things move much much quicker...)

[VA Sean]

hardly anything is ever easy in Germany and I found out that just fitting dB eaters isnt going to do to get them approved. I bought the cans on ebay but neither in the description nor on the pics it was clear they were slip-ons or for race use only. I've only ever seen road legal Ti cans so it simply didnt occur to me to ask (what do I know...) with a bit of luck the seller may be persuaded to take them back.

as for german regulations, you can mod your bike but you have to have every modification approved, even if you did it with parts that are CE approved. the issue of tyres is a bit complicated. My bike had Metzeler Roadtecs on that didnt exist when the bike was first made in '02. they are specified for this bike by Metzeler so now it says in the reg document that only tyres that have been approved by the manufacturer for this model are allowed. back in the old days ie last year it would have said exactly what the type and dimensions were. if I then would have wanted to fit different tyres (because eg this model went out of production I had to get a piece of paper from the tyre supplier saying that it was all ok.
also it isnt allowed to have front and rear tyres of different specs, so if only the rear tyre is own but this particular model isnt available anymore you had to buy 2 new tyres even if the front one was still ok. Are you still with me?

There are loads of data on a German registration document and most of it is totally pointless. I spent an hour and a half getting the bike tested, of which the actual testing took less than 15 minutes. the rest was just bureaucratic blah blah blah...

(Im now warming to my topic so hold on)
Then you have to get a registration document and plates. In a large town like Cologne this can easily take 4-5 hours.
once you're at the desk and have handed over your docs and ID you get a slip of paper and you can go out to have a plate made. this you present at the desk, it gets a couple of stickers on it and you're done.
not surprisingly a whole business has sprung up of services who do it for you (if you have several registrations to make you go to a different desk where things move much much quicker...)

Tough predicament you are in.
I will say, however, that the "for off road use only" mark on the Ti can is written in a very obscure place, not facing the casual (or even suspicious) observer, and you (or the person looking for it) will only find it if you know exactly where to look. Otherwise, these cans have the factory stamp on the outside, so I can't imagine anyone would think of these things as being aftermarket (illegal) accessories. I would also be shocked if there is much of a db change with these pipes over stock, especially anywhere under 4,000 RPM.

good luck!