Hitchcocks Forum

Hi - I have just fitted the english made exhaust and rejetted the original carb. No problems and a worthwhile improvement in uphill stomp (its a 350 so that's a relative term). I kept the baffle in but still find the exhaust pretty loud. My question is this - will the MOT man think the same or do these things pass OK. Thanks. PS - First alteration to my 5 year old bike - is this a record?

I found it was comments from my neighbours that made me re-fit the original silencer. There are however a selection of baffles available on fleabay, up to about 12 inches long, for about a tenner. It might be worthwhile trying one of those because the silly little one that comes with the short silencer makes not one jot of difference whether its fitted or not.

Should be no problem at all. since 2005 its no longer a requirment to have a :BS: mark on the system but it must be securly fitted and have no obvious leaks. In other words dont take the micky. The slight increase in loudness will be at the descrection of the tester. There must be hundreds (dozens)of enfields out there with loudners fitted. My local tester loves the sound and relishes starting the bike to check the headlight aiming and function. regards gwilly

I fitted our hosts short "Universal Silencer" to my 350 Classic last year.
I later took the bike for an MOT to a guy who I know is a big fan of old Britsh singles and twins. He gave it a pass, but with an "advisory" for silencer noise. (I'm sure he had a twinkle in his eye when he gave me the ticket!! )

I think the moral of the story is that silencer noise, is very much up to the discretion of the MOT tester at the time of the inspection.

As Gwilly has rightly pointed out, the "BS" (or now "EN") mark on a silencer, is no longer relevant for MOT testing.

One final thought....I wonder how many "Hardly-Moving Son" dealers ever fail one of THEIR bikes at MOT for silencer noise??

Ive got the Goldstar exhaust on my Sportsman 65 500 Bullet its got no baffle in it and its been on the since I brought the bike new in 2005 never had a problem with the MOT. Only compliments Ive had from one of my neighbors were that's a lovely looking bike and it makes a change it sounds like a real bike not a chain saw.

P/s I should of added I always take mine to a Royal Enfield dealers for its MOT so they know the bikes I suppose never even had a advisory.

I fitted a single disc on a piece of rod inside my goldstar and it took that really sharp crack out of it so it doesn't hurt the ears so much

I have one on my 500 Classic and it has always passed the MOT. I even drew his attention to it once, as I was properly curious. He said the bit of baffle in the tail-pipe made it fine. It does not, of course, have any inappropriate markings on it like Not For Road Use.
Regards, Chris

HI RUSTY, ITS BETTER TO BE HEARD COS BIKES ARE NOT ALWAYS SEEN ,I SAY LOUD PIPES COULD SAVE LIVES ,I MAKE MY OWN EXHAUSTS FOR THE DIESEL BIKE AND USUALLY THEY GET LOUDER I,VE MADE 3 THIS YEAR UP TO PRESS ALTHOUGH MY STANDARDS ARE SLIPPING ,MY TAIL PIPE HAS CRACKED TODAY MUST BE A FAULTY BATCH!! SOUNDS VAGUELY FAMILIAR,ATB PAUL

Loud pipes save wildlife too! 20000 miles on country lanes, and I have only killed 1 cat, 1 stoat and two goldfinches. 50's style exhaust = less road kill, and like Grunda says, may indeed prevent YOU from getting killed too.