New Scura owner :) need a better exhaust

[scura_73]

Hello.. I have just recently become the owner of a v11 sport scura (it was love at first sight lol) - I must say it is the best bike I have ever had.. just a really soulful riding experience..

 

The bike currently has the stock carbon exhausts, which are beautiful to look at - but I'm looking for that american muscle car sound..plus the bike feels like it needs a freeflowing exhaust.. I have heard the quat-d exhaust is the best for this? I am based in uk - does anyone know the best place to get these from? or maybe alternatives that i have not thought of..

 

Sorry, if this question has been asked before - but any slightly relevant posts seem to be very old.

 

thanks for any help

[macguzzi]

Lots of exhuast threads if you use the search, you can also add yourself to the scura register. checkout flickr there are pictures of my own scura

[Skeeve]

The bike currently has the stock carbon exhausts, which are beautiful to look at - but I'm looking for that american muscle car sound..plus the bike feels like it needs a freeflowing exhaust..

 

Sorry, if this question has been asked before - but any slightly relevant posts seem to be very old.

 

Relevant posts are old because Guzzi hasn't produced any new spineys for almost 5 years now...

 

The stock "carbon" exhausts are CF sleeves [instead of the poorly anodized black or natural aluminum sleeves] on the standard heavy guage stainless E3 rated stock cans that came on all of the Sport derivatives from 2000 forward. Look up my contributions to the thread on modifying the stock cans for pix of the insides.

 

Condensed version of the thread search:

 

Aftermarket cans will save you wt. [the Aussie Staintunes weigh approx. 1/2 the stockers: the stock cans weigh out at approx. 10# (4.5kg) each; the Staintunes are 5.5# (2.5kg) apiece.], and of course, will offer higher noise & flow rates. Of course, the tradeoff is longevity: no aftermarket system will last as long in regular use as the heavyweight stocker...

 

Modifying the stock cans extensively is pretty much a non-starter unless you can do the cutting & TIG welding yourself: there's just not enough performance to be derived from the hassle to justify the expense of paying someone else to have it done. Truly a project for the hobbyist "because I can..." mentality. The best option for the stock cans is to remove the beauty cover at the exhaust tip [that camoflages exactly how small the actual exhaust pipe diameter is!], and using a fairly small drill bit [1/4" or 6mm], wiffleball the end of the can concealed by the beauty cover, and then replace said cover. This will net you a slight decrease in exhaust back pressure & increase in "music" w/o becoming completely obnoxious, but won't significantly increase the exhaust flow.

 

Before you go getting new cans, remember that you can't make significant changes to the exhaust system w/o updating the ECU to those changes; the V11 spine frames run their EFI in open-loop mode. That's a whole other thread search [which is left to the reader to perform. ]

[WellWellWell]

Scura 73, to make it simple: You can't go wrong with the Mistrals. They have a low, deep wonderful sound, not too loud to be offensive but very pleasing. I've had lots of people comment favorably on mine, on a Ballabio. Plus they save weight and flow better. There's a link to Mistrals at top.

[tikkanen]

Scura 73, to make it simple: You can't go wrong with the Mistrals. They have a low, deep wonderful sound, not too loud to be offensive but very pleasing. I've had lots of people comment favorably on mine, on a Ballabio. Plus they save weight and flow better. There's a link to Mistrals at top.

 

 

Hi scura_73

 

Echo all what WWW says. Never fancied the Quat-D as it has a rasp, steely sound whereas the Mistrals sound like a grizzly in heat. We're talking serious growl here; not noise. A set of Mistrals paired with a x-over and K&N filtres should do the trick. If you can get your bike dynoed it all sums up and you'll be a very happy camper.

 

Best of luck

Søren

[scura_73]

Thank you very much for the replies - they are extremely useful..

[macguzzi]

Just ask others on this site what Mivv xcones sound like, the overrun is wow

[moscowphil]

I've put round carbon mistrals on my Scura. They look great (similar to the originals but less bulky) and sound even better. But I did have to fork out for a power commander to make it run properly - the change of exhaust led to a loss of torque at low revs until I installed the PC

[savagehenry]

The bike currently has the stock carbon exhausts, which are beautiful to look at - but I'm looking for that american muscle car sound..

thanks for any help

Another option that is exactly what you are looking for is the FBF CF Slip Ons (made by Giannelli) and Cross Over. I say this because one of my friends heard me coming before he saw my bike for the first time. He has over 30 years of experience with all kinds of "mur-kin hot rods" and said/still says I sound like a Chevy big block when I'm coming down the road. Also, I've had other riders, and non riders tell me how "beautiful your bike sounds". Hell, even the Harley guys admit it! It truly is yet another thing I like about the 90 degree trans mounted air cooled twin...the glorious sound...I'd explain it as "Roarty, mixed with Basso Profundo" ...and welcome to the "Darkness Bike Brotherhood" S.H.

[mznyc]

Gen-u-ine Mo-to Guzzi Ti's.5K is heaven and I have always have had stock pipes on my bikes,If you can find a set grab em as there becoming very rare.

Oops wrong cans,

[guzzipete]

A lot of people seem to go for the Mistrals (

)

 

... though the ones in this vid sound tame compared to my Staintunes (even with the baffles in)!

 

Another favourite (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWB1f3bWrO8)

[guzzipete]

Aftermarket cans will save you wt. [the Aussie Staintunes weigh approx. 1/2 the stockers: the stock cans weigh out at approx. 10# (4.5kg) each; the Staintunes are 5.5# (2.5kg) apiece.], and of course, will offer higher noise & flow rates. Of course, the tradeoff is longevity: no aftermarket system will last as long in regular use as the heavyweight stocker...

 

According to Staintune the meticulous hand welds, hand polishing, the use of stainless steel and a packing material that never blows out or needs servicing, gives them a huge advantage over all others. There was a most interesting quote from one of the largest exhaust manufacturers at a recent trade show, "I wish we could do that to our systems, but it's just too time consuming". It's not what they could be doing that is of interest, it's what they don't do that makes STAINTUNE an instantly superior product. The effort alone it takes to polish raw stainless steel to a jewellers grade finish, in no less than a seven stage process, is testament to the lengths STAINTUNE goes to set itself apart from the rest. The materials used have the potential to outlast the expected life of the vehicle.

 

Fair enough that sounds like the usual factory fluff, but looking at the quality of the workmanship I don't doubt it to be true.

 

Before you go getting new cans, remember that you can't make significant changes to the exhaust system w/o updating the ECU to those changes; the V11 spine frames run their EFI in open-loop mode. That's a whole other thread search [which is left to the reader to perform. ]

 

Staintune guarantee that all of their exhausts do not require modifications to the bike in any manner, such as jetting, chipping or any other change at all. I can certify that this statement was correct in relation to my '02 V11 sport.

[Skeeve]

According to Staintune the meticulous hand welds, hand polishing, the use of stainless steel and a packing material that never blows out or needs servicing, gives them a huge advantage over all others. There was a most interesting quote from one of the largest exhaust manufacturers at a recent trade show, "I wish we could do that to our systems, but it's just too time consuming". It's not what they could be doing that is of interest, it's what they don't do that makes STAINTUNE an instantly superior product. The effort alone it takes to polish raw stainless steel to a jewellers grade finish, in no less than a seven stage process, is testament to the lengths STAINTUNE goes to set itself apart from the rest. The materials used have the potential to outlast the expected life of the vehicle.

 

Fair enough that sounds like the usual factory fluff, but looking at the quality of the workmanship I don't doubt it to be true.

 

 

Staintune guarantee that all of their exhausts do not require modifications to the bike in any manner, such as jetting, chipping or any other change at all. I can certify that this statement was correct in relation to my '02 V11 sport.

 

O.K., I should have qualified my comment that Staintunes are the exception to the rule. No qualification needed on the comment that they won't outlast the stockers tho': as high quality as they are, outlasting the vehicle or no, the Staintunes just aren't built like the tanks that the stock Guzzi cans are [& thank goodness, or there wouldn't be any point to them! Can't be lighter w/o using lighter components...]

 

Staintune still doesn't answer their email tho'... No crisis there, either: I'll just have to fab up my own heel guards to replace the one that got lost.

 

It is a shame I'm going to have to destroy all that lovely polishing work by getting them bead-blasted tho': it's a much more sustainable finish for a real-world, non-"show" bike.

[GuzziMoto]

Exhausts are very much a personal preference thing beyond the aspect of performance. Pure race pipes aside it really comes down to taste, whether its finish (polished cans or matte black), sound (hard and raw or low and rumbly), or style (oval, round, or under bike Quat-D).

Before you can figure out which are the right pipes for you, you must figure out what you want from them. The following is my opinions based on my experiences.

If you want a real muscle car sound from a V11 the only pipe I've heard that comes close is the Quat-D. None of the 2 into 2 slip-ons are capable of sounding that way due to the design. A few get close, but none are there. A proper two into one would really do the trick but finding one is another matter. Replacing the stock cross-over is the next best thing. It is suprising how much difference this can make on the sound of the bike. The Ferracci version has had a lot of issues with cracking and their customer support for people with cracked Ferracci cross-overs has been pathetic. Stuchi would be my choice. StainTunes are nicely made but I hate pipes that require that much effort (cleaning). Bead blasting them would help but then you are wasting a good part of what you paid extra for. The Guzzi performace mufflers (latter ones are Ti but there are atleast one set out there that are not) are my favorite slip-on. The set I have (not Ti) used stainless steel wool as a first layer around the baffle under the normal packing. This prevented the packing from blowing out but it does result in a slightly harder edge sound. In todays day and age you can find just about any combination of bike and mufflers posted on the internet to listen to. In the old days you payed your money and took your chances.

[guzzipete]

...the Staintunes just aren't built like the tanks that the stock Guzzi cans are [& thank goodness, or there wouldn't be any point to them! Can't be lighter w/o using lighter components...]

 

The only "point" to any standard component on a motorcycle is that it performs a given function at a given economic cost. Cost of development, cost of manufacture, and cost expressed as a percentage of the total value of the machine.

 

I'd dare say the bean counters at Guzzi know full well that most customers will end up swapping out the exhaust anyway (as others here have said it is a very personal choice), so why spend any more than is minimally necessary in developing and manufacturing the component?

 

Your stock exhaust is built like a "tank" simply because it is cheaper, quicker, and requires less effort and accuracy to do so. It's obvious from the woeful noise and weight that all Guzzi is concerned about is that it meets EPA and DOT requirements. Like I said, given function, given economic cost. It does it's job, that's all that matters - to the lay person - but we're enthusiasts here, aren't we?!

 

I'm perplexed that you've suggested that part longevity is determined by the weight of the materials used. Lets look at mild steel vs titanium.

 

In strength of any type including tensile, and hardness, steel wins by a long shot, but in resistance to temperature (very high melt point gives titanium a high ceiling of 'temper'), tolerance of vibration, certain types of torsion stress, strength to weight, and corrosion resistance, titanium wins.

 

With regard to stainless steel, AISI Type 304 stainless steel to be exact, this type of steel provides for an exhaust that is stronger and more heat resistant than the stock one, while also being considerably lighter.

 

Simplistically, the gross mass of a component has nothing to do with how long it will last, other than the fact that added weight in any form ultimately results poorer fuel consumption, poorer performance, and greater stress on frame and suspension components.

 

Staintune still doesn't answer their email tho'...

 

Which email address are you using?