I never thought I'd say this......

[DaveS]

The baffle HAS to come out! Remember XRs are originaly proper enduro bikes and left the factory jetted to run minus the restricting baffle. As long as you ride through towns on a closed throttle I don't think it's too offensive.

Perhaps I've got to live with it a bit. As I say my main concern is attracting the wrong attention when out on some lanes. It's at times like that that stealth can help a little.
As you say though on tickover (when I can get it to tickover!) it's not too bad at all. But my god when you open it up, feck the whole house shakes.
I'll swear that its louder than my mates full on race CRF.

[Pete Rock]

I bought mine without the baffle, I think it´s too loud to ride around town like that, so I put a baffle back in and rejetted a tiny bit poorer on main jet.

For me, an inexperienced trailrider, I don´t need the difference in power too much. However, you can put the baffle in and drill a couple of small holes in it, it´ll be a compromise, put a screw through the holes and it´s back to original.

There are other things you can do to the exhaust to make it more free flowing, like grinding away some of the excess welding round the inside of the collectors, that excess weld was put there to limit emitions a bit.

They say that once you take the snorkle out, file away the excess weld on the exhaust, and drill the baffle, along with a re-jetting, it becomes a whole new engine, with pretty much the same reliability. Check the XR400 forum in Thumpertalk for the "Gordon´s mods" thread, I think it´s a sticky.

[anton88]

Dave, you will find that an xr is louder on full chat than the other bikes youve had - being a thumper and only being air (and i think on the xr) oil cooled with a small oil cooler, it is a noisy engine anyway - i think your gonna have to live with it.

My dominator (SAME ENGINE DESIGN) is not a quiet bike - even with the standard exhausts on, it makes a racket at full chat.

I just live with it, and roll off the throttle in built up areas/when green laning.

BTW, A BRILLIANT SITE FOR XR OWNERS IS HERE - http://www.4strokes.com/

LOTS OF INFO RE XR'S - BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU'LL BE MODDING THE BIKE, AND FITTING A BIG BORE KIT

[DaveS]

I must say I've been out today on it a couple of times and its not that bad.
As you say you can throttle off when you need to. I passed horse this afternoon and it behaved ok as I cruised slowly past.

[YEN_POWELL]

I must say I've been out today on it a couple of times and its not that bad.
As you say you can throttle off when you need to. I passed horse this afternoon and it behaved ok as I cruised slowly past.

Are you sure it hasn't just damaged your hearing so now it just sounds quieter to you?