How to silence the stock exhaust ST1200

[SuperPig]

Good day,
I have just bought a marvelous Super Tenere 2016ZE with stock exhaust.
I would like to ask how would you recommend to modify the stock exhaust to reduce the ammount of exhaust noise as much as possible. I have issues with my hearing and a quieter exhaust would allow me to enjoy longer rides.

Cannyou recommend components that i can order and install or are there any modifications i can make to the stock exhaust to have it a bit more quiet?

Thank you in advance for your advice

 

[WJBertrand]

You will need to buy an electric bike to get much quieter than the Tenere's stock exhaust! Have you tried ear plugs?

 

[SuperPig]

The exhaust is looks stock but i cant say it is quieter than other bikes i ve owned - it seems pretty loud to me. I dont have another similar bike to compare sound levels. I will try and open it up and see if the prev owner has removed any components making it louder.

I have good earplugs and i am looking to see if there s anyting that can be done about the sound at the source.

Much apreciated if anyone knows something i can order that fits the stock exhaust.

Regards

 

[RCinNC]

If you post a video clip of the bike while it's running, I'd imagine a lot of the members here could tell you whether or not the exhaust had been modified, based on its sound. If it hasn't been modified, I don't think I've ever heard of any mods that would make a stock exhaust quieter than it is from the factory. The desire to tinker with an exhaust system doesn't usually run in that direction.

 

[Sierra1]

. . . . I have issues with my hearing and a quieter exhaust would allow me to enjoy longer rides. . . .

It's been my experience that the wind noise overrides the exhaust note on the highway; 45mph I've been told on more than one occasion by pedestrians that it is a very quiet bike. You also might want to add some speakers for music. With my SENA, I never hear the exhaust.

 

[Jlq1969]

Good day,
I have just bought a marvelous Super Tenere 2016ZE with stock exhaust.
I would like to ask how would you recommend to modify the stock exhaust to reduce the ammount of exhaust noise as much as possible. I have issues with my hearing and a quieter exhaust would allow me to enjoy longer rides.

Cannyou recommend components that i can order and install or are there any modifications i can make to the stock exhaust to have it a bit more quiet?

Thank you in advance for your advice

Maybe the previous owner removed the dbkiller

 

[Highwayman]

It's been my experience that the wind noise overrides the exhaust note on the highway; 45mph I've been told on more than one occasion by pedestrians that it is a very quiet bike. You also might want to add some speakers for music. With my SENA, I never hear the exhaust.

This. If it is actually OEM, there is no way a stock exhaust S10 is louder then wind noise at speed and at that point exhaust note is irrelevant. The only bike I've had that makes less noise is my 200cc Van Van.

 

[Cycledude]

If you want quiet Dump the Tenere and buy a Goldwing.
But I do suspect the previous owner of your Tenere probably somehow modified the exhaust making it louder.

 

[WJBertrand]

Can you post a photo so we can confirm that the muffler is the OEM one, at least externally? I don’t think the OEM muffler has an easily removable DB killer or silencer that might have been removed.

 

[SuperPig]

Thank you for your suggestions everyone.

I made a recording of the cold engine running to give you an idea on the look and sound of the exhaust i bought the bike with. Headphones will provide a more accurate listening experience.

Curious to hear your thoughts if this is the stock sound

 

[Jlq1969]

Thank you for your suggestions everyone.

I made a recording of the cold engine running to give you an idea on the look and sound of the exhaust i bought the bike with. Headphones will provide a more accurate listening experience.

Curious to hear your thoughts if this is the stock sound

This seems to be the normal sound of the S10...but rule out the removal of the dbkiller (removing the plastic cover from the muffler and then removing the dbkiller to see.. "if your model allows it)...and then rule out the removal of the cat (if the Exhaust pipe is thickened under the bike, tap it, if it sounds hollow it is because the cat is empty…If the pipe is not thickened...the cat may have been removed or be an arrow…..either of these two things (dbkiller/cat), will make the sound louder than the factory one.
Pd: watching the video, I can see “the cat”…just hit it to see if it sounds empty

 

[gapmtn1]

Good day,
I have just bought a marvelous Super Tenere 2016ZE with stock exhaust.
I would like to ask how would you recommend to modify the stock exhaust to reduce the ammount of exhaust noise as much as possible. I have issues with my hearing and a quieter exhaust would allow me to enjoy longer rides.

I like quiet bikes as well... and agree with the group; this bike is fairly quiet. Don't we have other members from NL? Maybe meet up with them and compare / confirm you are stock or there isn't some other issue?

 

[scott123007]

Any quieter and ALL you'll hear is the engine rattling. LOL

 

[RCinNC]

This will probably become a pretty common refrain on this thread, but it sounds pretty normal to me also.

 

[Sierra1]

Any quieter and ALL you'll hear is the engine rattling. LOL

The engine was all that I was hearing as the camera came to the side. And it's all that I hear when sitting on it at idle.

 

[EricV]

As others suggested, remove the end cap. It's just a few bolts. Some people used to drill some extra holes to increase exhaust tone/noise. Take a picture and share that here please.
Here are some pics from this forum that shows what you will find when you take it apart. (credit to @Jlq1969 in the thread HERE.)

If the flat plate with the pipe coming out has holes, they have been added. If the mesh 'can' past the flat plate with the curved pipe is missing, it has been removed and that could also cause more noise. (US parts diagrams do not show that as a separate part, so I'm uncertain if it can be purchased from Yamaha elsewhere.) The mesh is a spark arrestor. You may have enough room to wrap that with exhaust packing and this may impact the noise level to reduce it some more. Note that the stock muffler is a mechanical baffle, so has no existing packing to wear out or be replaced.

Another modification that can create more noise is replacing the header with an aftermarket one. the most common is Arrow. If your header pipes look like the pic below, (note the springs, the OEM header is all one piece), that is an expensive part that someone else will happily buy or swap for the stock header. If that's on your bike, returning to stock will reduce noise a little. The pulses will be softer.

It's unusual to ask your question, making the exhaust quieter, but not unheard of. The stock exhaust is heavy, compared to aftermarket mufflers and no aftermarket muffler is going to be quieter. However, if memory serves, some other OEM mufflers are quieter than the Super Tenere's. I have a distant memory of someone installing a slip on muffler from a similar displacement sport touring or touring motorcycle, possibly a BMW RT. I will post the thread link if I can locate it.

 

[SuperPig]

Checked the cat, looks like its untouched and the original unaltered header is installed, not an aftermarket unit.
Ill take the muffler apart next weekend for inspection and i will report back.
This is a great community, thank you for the insightful suggestions