Modern Vespa

The mounting strap for my Aftermarket Exhaust broke the other day and I had to put the OEM muffler back on the MP3. Then road up to https://motorelic.com/ to have Sean tig weld the strap back together. (No Charge by the way, took him about 2 minutes.) Well after riding around for a day I noticed the bike had a LOT more low end torque with the OEM muffler.
OEM muffler is staying on.

Unless you are running wide open every time you get on your scooter. You are better of with an OEM muffle IMHO.

No, no, no!
Louder = faster, especially on a 4 stroke!
This is the main selling point of these generic cans.
Everyone knows this.
Plus, you paid all those hundreds...

O.S.

Only reason I MIGHT put my loud muffler back on is in the fall for the deer rut. If they hear me they might stop and listen instead of running into the road in front of me.

The main advantage besides appearance and sound, is the weight reduction. My Remus weighs ⅓ of what the OEM weighed.

Now I have to figure out the best way to make the OEM muffler black, because that chome bugs me.
Thinking Ceramic coating would last the longest. But closest place the does ceramics is in Richmond, Va.

always pros and cons changing the exhaust in attempts to add more performance. The stock cans are typically designed to ensure backpressure allows better low end torque and the opposite for a more free flowing can. I live in germany where speed limits on back roads are typically 62mph and of course the autobahn which in most places are not restricted. I typically ride back roads so the performance can would be better for me. waiting around for my first service to replace and add Dr. P sliders and rollers.

Unless you are full throttle you get no benefit from full flow. I was on everything from 35 MPH back roads to 70 MPH highway. It was just better with the OEM muffler. Hills were noticeably better. Cumberland Gap was a breeze.

I was at altitudes from 250 feet to 2900.

Hmmm....
I like the Loud Sound so idiots here me coming.
I like the fact it takes off a few pounds off the bike.
I didn't like sounding like a Sewing Machine when riding with my friends.

Peer Pressure Sucks...
My LeoVince Nero, I am Louder !

Keith,
Marietta, GA

The weight of the OEM Muffler is what had me put the aftermarket muffler back on the 2nd time. But I had forgot how much low end power was lost from not using the OEM muffler.

The OEM muffler is fine if you like your MP3 to sound like an apology rather than a motorcycle.

Well, if you’re buying an MP3 wanting it to sound like a motorcycle...

I like the quiet myself.
What i ride isn't an extension of my penis, so I am not trying to impress people with it. If you feel you need the loud pipe to me a man, sorry to hear that

So motorcycle with a quiet muffler aren't motorcycles??

I changed the factory exhaust on my 300. I used an old gianelli stainless exhaust. I was certainly hoping it would gain some zip. I dont have a dyno graph to prove it but it felt like it lost maybe one foot pound of torque. was actually tempted to reinstall the factory pipe. but that didnt happen for several reasons. the stainless muffler is ten times better looking. its lighter. since muffler weight is part of rear suspension travel the rear shocks work better controlling less weight. it simply sounds better. it may be even more quiet than the stock exhaust was but hard to tell because the tone is so different. I do get decell pops now which I like as well.

I want to change my 500 exhaust for all the same benefits as above. but I must admit the stock is very well designed and sounds and performs just fine.

Some aftermarket exhausts are better than others. And some of them have better mounting brackets too.

As far as paint it black, I just painted an exhaust with Helix very high temp exhaust paint. I says it's good to 1200 degrees f, but you are supposed to cure it in the oven, and it makes the house stink for days. They have an aluminum color that is pretty good looking too.

Another method that is cheaper and apparently works very well is to use Barbeque Grill paint. A lot of different companies make and sell it and there are a lot of people who use this on motorcycle exhausts with pretty good results. If I didn't have the cans of Helix paint, that's what I would have tried.

Problem is getting paint to stick to chrome.

Sand blast it.

Blanket meet statement.

They weigh less, look better and just might help performance a little. I know Malossi recommends not setting the force master to the highest performance setting without a performance exhaust. A company like Malossi I'm sure has a reason for that.

No insult intended but if you ride something like a Liberty 150 you probably aren't all about performance. The only Piaggio that really has high performance racing parts available is the Vespa line. Yes you can get aftermarket parts and some of them I'm sure are great for other Piaggio products. Web-tech I do get your point and maybe OEM is best for the MP3. I don't agree when you says this goes for all scoots.

To people that get all uptight about the whole "louder" equals better and spending money on something that is already so awesome... That argument gets old real fast and well.. it's not your money or your bike. Stop passing judgment on others. Hell I don't care if I get dinged with negative karma I just go so tired of the anti upgrade/kitting component of this site. Man, have some fun people or at least let those of us that enjoy tinkering with our scoots to do so without you saying we are idiots.

I liked the pipe I had, sounded good and only weighted a few pounds. But the low end difference, I just can't put it back on.

If I did mostly highway I would leave it on, but I do mostly curvy back roads and the low end torque makes for much better riding. And my MPG went up because I am giving it less throttle out of the turns.

That's actually great news if it makes you happier and you prefer the bike with the OEM on. Not to mention you know the MP3 way better than I do.

Oh man, I really touched a button there! Sorry to trigger you. I'm glad you and your penis are ok with each other.

Yeah, I like a motorcycle to have a motorcycle ish sound. I wasn't aware my genitals were involved! But now that I think of it, were they involved, I'm sure I'd be driving a Harley with glass pipes instead of a scooter. I'd probably have to get some tattoos, wear dirty HD clothes (It's like a uniform with them that I don't understand. I drive a VW and don't have any VW logo'd clothing) and not shower as often as I do. Seems like a lot of trouble since I am pretty happy with my MP3.

Yes to get you to buy their performance exhaust? Inference being that there is a higher level available if you just... Did your aftermarket come with a dB Killer or can you buy or get one made? Might restore some of your lost back pressure.

It is not a loud muffle, just louder then stock. It does have a cat so it is not totally free flow.

The new hpe oem exhaust seem to have 2 outlets.wonder if is better?

Since it is attached to a new engine, it's impossible to say what performance difference, if any, the new muffler makes. Piaggio claims that it sounds better, anyway, "reducing perceived noise level and optimising timbre".

I like how the twin outlets look. I do wish the can were oval instead of cylindrical, but that's a minor issue.

The time, trouble, expense of an after-market muffler just isn't worth it to me.

I like quiet as I ride. On long rides the loud sound of some after market systems is simple annoying and tiresome. If you ride big distances, quiet is good! But, to get best performance with after market systems you really need to dyno it and make the adjustments for fuelling and ignition to compensate for the reduced back pressure. It protects your engine from burning the valves, and gives better performance across the rev range in most cases. It pays dividends but you still get that irritating noise which I hate. So it's OEM for me.

It is so nice having the OEM pipe on. Went for a ride on Skyline Drive Sunday in Shenandoah Nat'l Park. Nice quiet exhaust was a pleasure to ride with.

Totally agree WEB-Tech.

I don't think it is any secret that Piaggio 4-stroke engines see no real performance gain with after market exhausts. And if 5 lbs less weight is your objective, it would be easier and cheaper to pass on the fries with your burger.

But the rider is not unsprung weight.
I leave my damn french fries out of this

Yes !

Found someplace local to ceramic coat the OEM muffler.

anyone have picture like this of the 500 muffler?

sure would like to see that

Is this conclusion based on the opinions of several "mature" individuals with very little real scooter tuning experience, who have all expressed a preference for the peace and quiet of OEM exhausts, or was a dyno involved? There is probably no reason to have 180 mph rated tires on your Tercel, unless you can get it to go 180 mph and plan on driving it that fast. Sticking a pipe on your MP3 won't turn it into a Hayabusa, but a performance exhaust allows you to get the engine to do things it can't do with a stock exhaust. So if you were to extensively modify your MP3 to perform better, part of that modification would be a performance exhaust. And if, once you got it there, you switched back to the OEM exhaust, you would notice a real difference in performance.

BUT, the muffler by it self does nothing, Oh except it raises your RPM for max torque. Which for racing full throttle makes no difference, but in city and around town you will notice the change.

As a newbie (to Vespa, not motorcycles), I've been following this thread with interest, but where I'm coming out is, "Don't bother."

Next to what you might spend on a nice custom (or even stock) replacement seat, this is high on the Cost/Accessory list, and I'm not wrenchy enough to modify the engine to match the exhaust.

I think I'll just buy the powder-coated black shield and call it good.

So speaks the guy who wants to sell you an after market exhaust.

If I wanted to sell you one, my pitch wouldn't be about making your scooter go faster, it would be that loud pipes keep neighborhood kids off your lawn.