Modern Vespa

so I have a 2012 white Vespa GTS super 300. So each year I like to add something to my scooter. I have replaced most of the lights with LED's. I added a loud horn. I have RAM mounts on both of my mirrors. I have crash bars and a front rack and a top case. I have a 12 volt charger. I have a full screen. So this year I have been thinking about what new toy should I get for my Vespa. I was thinking about the Akrapovic exhaust. It does not look too hard to replace, it certainly looks cool and sounds cool, but is quite expensive. So I have a couple of questions. Is it worth doing, is there enough benefit to cover the cost? If you do it do you leave the baffle in or out? Is it relatively easy to do? With a white Vespa, do I get the stainless or the black exhaust? Thanks for any info/help I get. Still too cold to ride in my land, perhaps I am a wimp but I like it to be above 50 degrees. Looking forward to getting nicer. be safe and enjoy your riding.



larry

I prefer Remus but upgrading the OEM exhaust is a good move.

so why one over the other,
and is it worth replacing the exhaust?

larry

I just prefer the sound and look of the Remus. Depending on the model you get they are pretty comparable. Better throttle response I suppose is the biggest upside. I also have a Malossi kit on though with a Forcemaster and that does require a larger exhaust to get the most out of it.

I wouldn't do it, I bought an Akra used it for 3 hours and took it off, now it sits in the garage looking for a buyer. It's too loud (personal point of view of course) without much performance benefit unless you want a loud bike. Save your money...

its only worth it if that what YOU want.

there are some added benefits.
lighter
easier to remove and reinstall for maintenance
no more need for that graphite gasket.
style looks are better no matter which one you pick over the stock
and finally about 1/4 HP increase.

This is good list... with the addition that it is loud(er) For some nostalgic reason a loud pipe ruins the image of a modern Vespa to me... a bit same like, say changing the fenders to square plastic ones. Then again, take a rat style old 2 stroke Vespa and it's a different ball game...

But yeah, it's loud and that may give an impression of more power, which is not really true.

The points to structural differences are valid and all of them on the plus side.

And yeah, I may well be an oddity: all others at the Triumph forum are comparing louder pipes for Scrambler, I'd be happy to have a bit quieter as the standard ones are already louder than standard Bonneville's very classy burble...

Loud is loud and fast is fast.

Not always mutually complementary.

LarryMK, sorry, but I'll have to ask what exactly are you wanting to accomplish?

OK. You've added lots of bolt on blink to your Vespa. I deduce you like a hands on feeling to a machine that you you enjoy, as I do as well!

My opinion, forget the high priced mufflers. You have posted more than 1100 times here, you know the real deal. These after market wonder buckets are louder, but not better than original.

I plead at this point, leave your Vespa as is. Invest in a cheap ET4 125 Leader, and acquire some knowledge into disassembling a modern Vespa motor. Already, you are probably cheaper and better off than a silly and completely unnecessary and loud "performance" muffler.

You already know how to use tools. Why not have some real fun....and I guarantee you some complete satisfaction, in rebuilding an old Vespa.

You will never look back. Utter satisfaction.

You do not need an expensive muffler that does nothing but make more noise, your motor is not a high performance, modified piece.

Save your money.

you gave the same advice, I should have listened to you. But I thought the Malossi kit "needed" the Akra but it doesn't, the bike is just as fast with the kit and stock exhaust...

Is it? I'm not saying it isn't but some real results that are not just anecdotal would be great. One thing I have learned about MV is everyone wants to save you money. That is actually not a negative thing as saving money is great but to say there is zero improvement is something I would like to see proof of.

In all honesty I do not think it does a lot BUT I for one think the stock exhaust is ugly and I also like the sound so to those that like a quiet scoot, enjoy! But seriously back off on trashing those that like a tuned scoot that sounds just a little like it means business . Personal preference and feeling the motor through the sound of the exhaust is something some people enjoy . It's not so loud babies are crying in their cribs.

You've already decided that you want the exhaust so just get it and see if you like it. They're $460 on revzilla right now.

When you grow tired of it, sell it to me for $350. I'm looking to install one soon...

not sure how you got that impression, I have as much mods on my bike as you do if not more and I too had all the work done at the dealer. I may not have imperial data but I have raced my friends with the same results with or without the Akra. After market exhausts do two things; they look nice and they are louder. The performance is minimal at best but the bike feels fast because of the straight pipe. Some say 1/4 hp increase, if true 1/4 hp is hardly felt in a 22 hp bike with 16 hp at the wheel

IMO the Akra is not loud , it is a tuned exhaust note, now if you remove the baffles it is loud and too much for my liking. Still not Harley loud though.

Nah, I'm not talking about you and yes the performance increase is minimal as is the ROI on ANY of the upgrades. Sort of a lose/lose unless you enjoy them and THAT is what matters.

The Akro without the baffle is a little on the loud side but the Remus I find to be simply a decent growl. It's a matter of preference and that is all it is. What I am complaining about is the posters that make the louder exhaust seem like a sin and un "Vespa" like. Well maybe it is a bit but so is a cutdown and many other things that get done to scoots. To each their own and as long as laws or windows are not broken no harm done. Like old as dirt posted we're not talking anywhere near HD noise here.

I will say for heavy urban riding the louder exhaust does get you noticed by cars and pedestrians. The loud pipe may not save your life but if a pedestrian about to step out in to to traffic between parked cars hears me then I'm happy.

I agree. I think the stock exhaust looks crap and would replace it on that basis alone.

If only there was an aftermarket exhaust that combined cool looks with lower sound levels.

There isn't? Huh... that's a bit of a surprise as a lot of Vespa owners want a quiet scoot for whatever reason but do not like the look of the stock exhaust.

2 posts coming up.....hopefully back to back.

I had a LOUD tuned Malossi exhaust on my 80cc tuned LX50.

Trust me that was loud, very very loud.

Too loud for me, an enjoyable sound but for day to day commutes I found it too much.

See picture.

2nd post.

Now I have the Xmax 125 which came already fitted with the Akropovic Exhaust.....so cant compare sorry.

Yes it's louder than stock but not much really and it's such a deep growl, it's not offensive in the slightest, and quite simply sounds awesome.

If you want it very loud it has a removable part on the end too.

I would highly recommend it for the daily smile you'll have it sounds that good!!

I fitted a Leo Vince Nero and like the sound. Not loud at idle with a nice sound above 3000 rpm. It comes with a dB killer with 2 parts so that you can play with how loud it is. There is a big improvement at take off according to the "seat of the pants" dyno.
https://www.leovince.com/en-se/line/leovince-nero-stainless-steel

be careful of Chinese knock offs like this one which came with my scoot. Very loud but build quality was not to bad as it did about 3000kms fine on the scoot.

I'm no mechanic, but I discussed this subject with David and Linda at Vespa Sherman Oaks. They were very negative on the subject of aftermarket exhausts and said they cause problems. That's good enough for me.

I bought mine through a well respected Vespa dealer as well and they saw no problem with it. I'm not sure how a slip on exhaust would cause an issue? I know they can be a pain to take on and off for some maintenance but it isn't changing the entire exhaust system. Maybe they were referring to that?

I also know my dealer well enough to know they were not just trying to up-sell me. Yes I also Vespa Sherman Oaks is well respected. It could be that some have minor issues but it's not a bag of hurt.

I have the Akrapovic on my GTS300 that I had on my previous GTS250. It is now having the wadding replaced for the third time, as it was getting a little loud. I feel a slight improvement in take-off with it, but don't notice any increase in top speed. But I like the sound - a Vroom instead of the Aarghh of the standard exhaust.

Zirri and the other madcap Austrians who are getting 30 hp out of their scooters use the Akra, any they are the experts so there most be some performance value in it. But their Akras are further modified, and they aren't publishing any details.

I do like the looks of the new tapered Remus exhaust that is just coming onto the market. Waiting for some reviews of it.

Mike

This made me smile

And to the point - it's really, really difficult to compare exhaust sound without hearing them live. A friend of mine living abroad wished to hear the sound of Street Scrambler stock pipes. I tried to record the sound with a mobile phone (lousy), GoPro (different style lousy) and even with my old iPad (no good). None of these sounded right. And, of course the sound varied depending on the exact spot of the recording.

There was an unanimous opinion between me and my buddies that my late VanVan with the stock pipe sounded like a sewing machine. It really did As I rode it in the woods, I wished it to be as quiet as possible. But the tone was weird - well, like a sewing machine. And that's it for me - I'm personally not out for loud pipes, but I like certain type of tones. Typically a bit more bass than treble.... so yeah, Vroom is better than Aargh.

Just really to hugely point out, these are louder pipes BUT not by much.

They don't turn you into an antisocial hooligans.

Bummer, I was looking for a career change and antisocial hooligan had made my short list.

I have a Leo SBK on my GTS 250 and I concur.

Hello Mike, The Austrian boys are playing with different lengths of the exhaust tubes, going from head to front of muffler. The stock pipe lengths is an absolute power killer, und unsuitable for the rest of the performance mods they're studying. The stock exhaust pipe is too short for a good 4 cycle performance motor.

If you look to improve performance the cheapest bang for the buck is replacing rollers with sliders. To me that was a big improvement in terms of not having the growling seal noise that came when you have OEM rollers and you are in stop go traffic. Also maybe a figment of my imagination but the Vespa felt it was a tad quicker.
I have thought of getting the stock exhaust replaced but all the entries suggest that there isn't a significant improvement in performance, so I haven't done it and doubt I will do that.
Enjoy adding new stuff for the Vespa and hopefully you can tell us how it has improved looks/performance etc.

Harbinger wrote:

One thing I have learned about MV is everyone wants to save you money. That is actually not a negative thing as saving money is great but to say there is zero improvement is something I would like to see proof of.


I'd say it seems to me that most folks here would rather spend money than save.


Proof? I can't imagine someone actually spending time and efforts to prove this. Mostly, even real enthusiasts, report the Akro on a stock motor will actually adversely affect performance. We have to realize, the Vespa intake and exhaust is made to be a solid performing unit, that fits into a small compartment, and although several compromises were decided, the thing just works well.

I'm not of the generation that wants to add more sound, for so much cash. Kind of like in the old days....glass pack mufflers were the rage for some folks. I'd rather have for the same amount of cash, performance.

I know well, that on my modified 125cc ET4, that another muffler will not bring any advantage, only useless expense. The problem is the inherent design. The pipe has to be longer, and there's just not enough room for our single cylinder scooters.

Again, the compromise is the design, of the entire scooter.

If you want to go a little quicker, add a cylinder kit. The best investment, dollar for dollar.

You kinda prove my point in your post

What consists of a "so much cash" is a very relative statement and in reality relates to how much discretionary spending one has available to them. I don't make rock star money but a few hundred on an exhaust isn't going to make me eat Kraft macaroni dinner for a week. Though mind you once in a while with some hot dogs mixed in and a little garlic bread... Yumm!

I would love to see a valid link to show it causes worse performance especially when paired with something like a Malossi kit, I do know they do not recommend setting the Foremaster2 to the highest setting without a high performance exhaust.

Allow me to start. Granted this is a link from Remus but hey at least we have a graph and we know graphs cannot tell a lie, that's just not possible.

https://remus.eu/rsc-dual-flow

Had this in my Scooters folder for ages.. Sorry the text in in German.

http://www.gran-turismo-s.de/Home/Zubehor%26Tuning/Eintrage/2011/2/23_Vespa_GTS_300_Tuningtest_bei_Stoffis_Garage.html

The Leo Vinci Vintage comes out fractionally better than the Akra in their tests.

Leo Vinci has a good reputation around here with the youngsters, who try to trick the most out of their 50cc 4-strokes. On the quiet side (no attraction from the authorities...) and even performance throughout the rev range = easier to make it work with variator set-ups.

Or you could go this route with a high quality SS made in the UK, Delkevic muffler and SS headpipe?
If I didn't already have much hearing loss, I'd keep this!

I am putting it up for sale today in the classifieds.

Also adding some pics of a Vespa racing exhaust I posted back when and still available.