I wanted to make by bike as quiet as possible. The quiet silencers I am aware of are not made for my bike so I ended up with a PC Nature Friendly which I found to be loud. I heard about the DB Snorkel and contacted the owner. He was kind enough to send me one to test. Here is my review.


This is everything that came in the bag.

http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photo.../DBContents.JPG

Before I installed it I decided to weigh everything. It came out to 1 pound 15 ounces. After I trimmed off 3.5 inches, per the instructions, it was down to 1 pound 12 ounces. Basically not enough weight on a dirt bike to make a bit of difference.

The instructions were very clear which I found quite refreshing. Installation was very simple and took about 30 minutes. For maintenance I think I could remove and reinstall it in under 5 minutes.

All the disassembly needed before installation
http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photo...ods/ACF95FD.JPG



Installed, after a day of “testing”
http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photo...ods/ACF95FB.JPG


I stopped for coffee on the way to ride and got questions about my exhaust from people on the way in and out of the store. You will get lots of inquires everywhere you go with this thing on your bike.

The bike is now amazingly quiet from the rear. I wish I had the equipment to measure it but to the ear it sounds like a stock KDX. It does what it is supposed to do.

Of course with the silencer working so well it was real obvious how much sound comes from other places. Actually when I first started my bike I did not think the DB Snorkle was making much of a difference while I was sitting on it. But when I got off and stood behind it the difference was obvious. If I walk all the way around my bike while it is running it is actually the most quit at the back!

I am thinking of some way to quiet down the expansion chamber since I think that is causing most of the noise now. I’ve thought about wrapping it with something but I know pipes are tuned to create a certain temperature so I don’t know how performance would be impacted. I think rust would also be an issue. I am going to put some foam on my skid plate to soak up some noise and see if it is good enough. Anyway, back to the DB Snorkel.

As far as performance is concerned I could not detect any loss of power. The DB Snorkel works by absorbing sound through the elastomer and putting the exhaust outlets out of phase. It is all free flowing though so it doesn’t really change power from what I could tell. My bike is jetted sharp and I am sensitive to any change in low end power and throttle response. If anything it seemed to have smoothed out the power but maybe it just seems that way because it is quieter. Since I only ride tight woods I don’t spend much time using the top end power so I can’t say for sure if it was impacted but it felt the same to me.

The only negative thing I can find about the product is it’s appearance. I don’t really care but I worry that it will keep some from trying it. The hose clamps and metal hardware are all silver and I think it would look a bit better if they were black.

Overall I am quite pleased with the product and plan to keep it on my bike.

To read more check out http://www.thedbsnorkel.com/

Good report - very thorough !

If anyone is interested, I have this product on a 4 stroke ( not the intended use , it is for 2 strokes) but because I have an IDS 2 silencer I thought it would work- and I was right

http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=120561&hl=

Good product and good solution to the noise issue. I am happy now to ride my bike in my yard or anywhere else for that matter.

Glad to hear your results were similar to mine NW

by theway , in my opinon the expansion chamber is designed to create a pressure wave with appropriate delay to interface with the port timing to maximize the amount of intake charge that is burned, not lost out the exhaust port due to overlap - so adding sound insulation to the pipe should not have a huge detrimental effect.

KTM.s and Huskys have come with double walled pipes in the past and may today in some markets,

NWetRider,

http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photo...ods/ACF95FB.JPG

Is that a Fox Raptor knee guard I can see in the background?

I agree on this one - good product! I got one of the "promotional" ones to provide some feedback to the manufacturer. We installed it on my son's Yamaha Blaster quad (2 stroke 200cc for those not familiar with the Blaster), with a FMF Fatty, TCII silencer (non SA) with a Cobra Sparkey SA on it. In the past sound tests at Michigan CCC events put him right on the legal edge here (94Db) or perhaps just over actually. That combo on that motor just had a real sharp bite of sound for some reason. One of the testers at a CCC event told me the Cobras often have the effect of ADDING a Db or two for some reason.

Install went perfect - done 100% by my 14 year old kid with NO help from me.

Initially, i felt it did cut sound, but not much. My opinion is much different now. Recently I started it up to show to someone, Snorkle on - then slipped it off the end for snorkle off - HUGE improvement! I agree, it does seem to make everything else seem louder though - now the biggest noise factor seems to be the noise inside the pipe - single walls on that FMF, and general normal engine internal noises. I think it was those noises that made my initial impression not so favorable. The manufacturer did tell me that as that pipe silencer combo really is not known to be particularily loud, we could not expect to percieve as much of a sound decrease. It seems that was true. None the less - it was well worth the effort and money (had we bought one) for the sound decrease we did get.

Performance wise seems to be NO difference at all. Both my son and I rode the quad quite a bit - neither of us can feel any difference with our without it.

I have been considering putting a FMF pipe and silencer on my other son's KDX to gain the weight savings for him (not for any power change), but ruled it out due to noise considerations. Now having this product, I may do it. There would still be a net weight savings of around 6 lbs or so after adding back the snorkle weight.

Apperance is the only downside, but my son has actually seemed to enjoy the comments and opportunity to discuss it with others. It has grown on me now as well, and it will stay on the quad indefinetly!

oh ScottS - thats great to know how it works on a 4 stroke! Can you feel any difference power wise?

No- I can still pull the front end up with the throttle and it starts just as easy as it did.

Quite frankly if i have 42Hp instead of 44hp I don't care. The reduced noise is worth it. I can hear my fan running now.

If everone had these no one would care where we ride.

where can i get one????????????????????????

www.thedbsnorkel.com

Not sure he is in production but send an e-mail to him and get him moving !

Hopefully having one of these on your bike will be seen as a sign of intellegence in the future.

And those without -