Considering a New exhaust with just a bit more rumble - any suggestions?

[Deaconmike]

Good morning. I’m considering replacing the exhaust on my 2018 RT. I’d like something with some rumble but not too loud. My wife likes it quiet but I would like to hear some rumble, only not loud enough to bother her. A slip on version would be perfect. I don’t want to replace the cat. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

[Peter Aawen]

Good morning. I’m considering replacing the exhaust on my 2018 RT. I’d like something with some rumble but not too loud. My wife likes it quiet but I would like to hear some rumble, only not loud enough to bother her. A slip on version would be perfect. I don’t want to replace the cat. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

I appreciate that you don't want to replace the cat, but that would probably be the easiest & surest way to achieve some more rumble/a deeper sound without ending up with too much noise!

Almost any slip-on will increase the noise at least 'a fair bit', if not 'A WHOLE LOT' - and if your wife doesn't want any more noise....

But fitting a Cat Eliminator while keeping the OE Muffler will change the noise output only a (very?) small amount, while making the noise a bit deeper & more of a rumble as well as reducing the heat output under the Spyder, improving your mpg, & probably freeing the revs up a little thru the mid-rev range, albeit possibly at the cost of a tiny drop off of torque at WOT....IF you can actually detect it!

Talk to Lamonster's Garage or even RLS Exhausts, a sponsor here about Cat Eliminators - you can get some pretty good baffled Cat Eliminators that'll do wonders for how your Spyder sounds without increasing the total noise much at all!

Just Sayin' . There's generally more'n one way to skin a cat; and sometimes what you might think is the obvious/easiest way isn't necessarily &/or isn't the best way of getting that particular cat skun!

[Bartender]

I installed a RLS Torpedo Series Exhaust on my 2019 RTL and left the catalytic converter intact. I like the sound which isn't obnoxious. It's a triple so don't expect to ever have it make a "potato potato" sound but it does have a great added sound and the guy at RLS is fantastic to work with. Good quality product and about a 15 minute install.

[fatboy]

rls cat delete and stock can works really well

[RICZ]

Call Ricky at RLS Exhaust. He makes what he sells and can tell you what you need for what result.

[UtahPete]

Get a recording of a Harley and play it through your speakers...?

[2dogs]

Went with Lamonster's cat delete first. Not loud and not much difference. Then I put the baffle in the cat delete, as I thought I lost a little bottom end, (as if anyone would actually notice that). Then I went with the Two Brothers slip-on. WHOH! That was a really BIG step! Way too much noise and "0" increase in power. Anyone could hear you coming and going, even the cops. Took the Two Brothers off and went with the Monster stage 2 ECU modification. WOW! I think it's better to not bring so much notice to yourself with just a loud sound. It's more impressive to be quiet and carry a BIG stick, if you get my drift. Good luck, hope this info helps.

[redrazor]

I installed a RLS Torpedo Series Exhaust on my 2019 RTL and left the catalytic converter intact. I like the sound which isn't obnoxious. It's a triple so don't expect to ever have it make a "potato potato" sound but it does have a great added sound and the guy at RLS is fantastic to work with. Good quality product and about a 15 minute install.

Same here on our 2014 RTL! Great sound and at least 12 or more pounds less weight without the Giant Pontoon hanging off the right side!! Go (RLS) TOPEDO

[FrogmanDave]

Gotta love the old timers on here. You tell them what you 'don't want to do' and they tell you to do it anyway.

[Peter Aawen]

Gotta love the old timers on here. You tell them what you 'don't want to do' and they tell you to do it anyway.

But they are still at least trying to help Dave, cos the reality is, if this is what he wants to do:

Good morning. I’m considering replacing the exhaust on my 2018 RT. I’d like something with some rumble but not too loud. My wife likes it quiet but I would like to hear some rumble, only not loud enough to bother her. A slip on version would be perfect. I don’t want to replace the cat. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

Then a slip on version probably WON'T be perfect, but a Cat Delete is the only real way to do JUST that! . Any thing else - ie. a slip-on, even one from RLS (as great as they might sound) will involve a fairly noticeable increase in noise!! Is it going to be too much for Mike's wife but the decibel meters don't lie!

Sometimes, the answer to a question raised might not be what the OP wants to hear, but those 'old timers on here' who've tried it (often more than just the once ) KNOW from their hard earned experience that it's still gonna be the answer.... and they are kindly offering that insight in an attempt to help the OP arrive at a workable solution & maybe even save a bit of time & $$ thru not making the same mistakes they made & then hadta fix.

[FrogmanDave]

But they are still at least trying to help Dave, cos the reality is, if this is what he wants to do:



Then a slip on version probably WON'T be perfect, but a Cat Delete is the only real way to do JUST that! . Any thing else - ie. a slip-on, even one from RLS (as great as they might sound) will involve a fairly noticeable increase in noise!! Is it going to be too much for Mike's wife but the decibel meters don't lie!

Sometimes, the answer to a question raised might not be what the OP wants to hear, but those 'old timers on here' who've tried it (often more than just the once ) KNOW from their hard earned experience that it's still gonna be the answer.... and they are kindly offering that insight in an attempt to help the OP arrive at a workable solution & maybe even save a bit of time & $$ thru not making the same mistakes they made & then hadta fix.

Fair enough. Point taken.

Apologies to Deaconmike for the thread hijack.

[Drwerner]

FWIW, I did the RLS powder coated cat delete (easy install) and a Power Commander tune by Louis at Dynojet. 21 RTL runs great, isn't too loud, produces a bit less heat, lost a little weight and sounds enough different from stock to be cool but not so loud that you can't talk to a pillion

[Peacekeeper6]

LOVE my RLS cat delete and Two Brothers Racing exhaust.

But that combination might be a bit loud for your application ....

[Quickdraw]

I'm not sure if a cat delete in NY State is legal or not, so instead, I just installed the RLS Crusher series. It definitely is louder. I haven't had the chance to ride it yet so I don't know how loud it will be. I just hope I didn't waste the money on the new exhaust. I just wanted a little more sound is all.

[ollicat]

I'm not sure if a cat delete in NY State is legal or not, so instead, I just installed the RLS Crusher series. It definitely is louder. I haven't had the chance to ride it yet so I don't know how loud it will be. I just hope I didn't waste the money on the new exhaust. I just wanted a little more sound is all.

Keep us posted on this. I was also looking at the RLS Crusher and am anxious to hear your review.

[Piratezz]

Martin the vlogger, has some great video's on you tube, for exhaust sounds, and do and don'ts...
After some trail and error, I run a stock exhaust, on a rls catdelete, with baffle, and this is for me just perfect, I have an acropovic exhaust, that I put on, when I am feeling a bit naughty...

But after all advice, it's what you like, your bike your sound... only thing we can tell are our own experiences with exhausts, and cat delete's

[Quickdraw]

Keep us posted on this. I was also looking at the RLS Crusher and am anxious to hear your review.

If you like a loud bike, it's for you. I mean, it's not real loud, but to be honest, it's too loud for my liking. I think I'm going back to the stock exhaust. But if you want to buy it from me, I'll sell it to you and pay to ship it. I'll give you a small discount since I used it for a 45 mile ride.

[Revalden]

I put on a RLS cat delete with a resonator. I had Ricky make a 90 degree elbow from his cat delete, outboard to where the original muffler was. Then I bought a Chinese version of the Akrophic for $45.00(Wish.com) and it sounds great. Even if it doesn't last a long time (2 yrs now) I can spare another $45.00. I've had a few people ask me how/what it is. Not real loud and has a nice rumble on deceleration.

[DGoebel]

I'm not sure if a cat delete in NY State is legal or not, so instead, I just installed the RLS Crusher series. It definitely is louder. I haven't had the chance to ride it yet so I don't know how loud it will be. I just hope I didn't waste the money on the new exhaust. I just wanted a little more sound is all.

Now you gotta change your sig and avatar pic. Show us the new look too!

[DGoebel]

Just curious if anyone has opened up and or modified their stock secondary muffler (you know, the visible part)? And what did you think of it?

[Peter Aawen]

Just curious if anyone has opened up and or modified their stock secondary muffler (you know, the visible part)? And what did you think of it?

Admittedly, my Spyder's juuust a little older'n yours David, but I have cut the end off my muffler & one other (or was it 2?? - I'll hafta check the shed, cos I don't think I ever finished the 3rd one... ) of a similar vintage, gutting what was effectively the last 2/3rds of their innards, and buttoned them all back up again. . It actually worked pretty well in the end; there's no measureable power loss & it frees up the mid range a whole bunch; plus, it does make for a pretty significant weight saving (especially with doing a cat delete too! ) and the sound output is improved somewhat in 'quality' too, but not so much 'noise', if that makes sense - teamed with a cat delete, once gutted they make a fairly guttural throaty rumble, and that's from the V-Twin engines! But as to it being worthwhile, I don't really think I'd bother doing it again - there's just too many really good value offerings from our sponsors here that there's just no point!

The insides of these OE mufflers are really a pain to strip out - there's basically two pipes snaking back thru the guts from the outlet end; and the inside's broken into three sections by fibre filled dividers/bulkheads with those 2 pipes starting & stopping in each in order to make it work as a muffler. So while once you've got all the covers & trim bits off the outside, it's fairly easy to see where you need to cut the terminating end off, it's a bloody pain to actually get the internals out because of the 2 stupid little pipes going thru each bulkhead & the bulkheads as well as the walls & ends being fibre packed too!! . The very first third on the muffler's engine end has the larger diameter engine side pipe entering from the engine, while the dividing panel/bulkhead for that section at the other end of it has the first 2 pipes taking gasses out on their way to exiting; then the next third has those 2 pipes coming in one side & another pair going out the other side; with a similar arrangement for the last compartment; and there's no real easy way of getting those bloody dividing panels/bulkheads out without either cutting the whole canister in halves (thru the double & fibre packed walls! ) or using a loooong cold chisel to cut & drive the bugga's out!!!

And looking back on it now, while trying was an interesting exercise that ended with a reasonable result, it really just isn't worth it!! . For each one I did, I coulda bought the most expensive replacement option out there and saved myself a fair few hours of painful effort & a few pints of leaked claret coloured bodily fluid, avoided scaring the Child Bride into leaving to spend the week at her sister's, and also saved all the kids in the surrounding few square miles from being exposed to numerous new & colourfully descriptive 'expletive deleted' words that they'd never before heard, and we ALL woulda been better off!

So while I like the result, it's not something I'd seriously suggest doing.... . Juuust Sayin'

[DGoebel]

That's the answer then, not what I wanted, but what I expected. I sure wish I could've just transferred my '13's Akrapovic to my '18...

[C. Lee]

Well I installed Lamonsters cat delete and muffler and that was way too much noise for me. I put the stock muffler back on and wife didn't notice any difference but the exhaust fumes were unbearable for us. So I put the cat back on with Lamonsters muffler and got more sound and the wife still didn't notice. Side by side comparison with my brothers 22 RTL and she could tell, but only right next to each other. Hope this helps. Chris