Time For A TBR7 Exhaust Upgrade?

I have been debating with myself and my wallet. Is a TBR7 exhaust upgrade worth it?

Should I devote my money towards another upgrade for my motorcycle, or should the exhaust upgrade be one of my first major upgrades for my TaoTao TBR7 dual-sport motorcycle?

These are good questions. Face it, I am a Chonda owner(Chondas = TaoTao TBR7, Hawk 250, Brozz 250, etc.), and we pride ourselves in finding the best DIY motorcycle upgrades without spending much money (Previous Post: Why Buy A Cheap Chinese Dual-Sport Motorcycles?). Our motorcycles might be cheap Chinese Dual-sport motorcycles, but we are also known as cheap Chinese Dual-sport motorcycle owners. Yes, we are cheap, and I am cheaper. 😀

OK, why am I itching to spend more money on my TBR7 motorcycle?

Well, I’ve been reading the Chinese motorcycle forums, and I find many posts from Hawk 250 owners claiming they got better performance when they upgraded their Hawk 250 exhausts. Now, this had me thinking.

Does My TBR7 Need An Exhaust Upgrade?

What do I get out of upgrading the exhaust? Let me break this down from my observations and my research.  

What Is Wrong With The Stock TBR7 Exhaust?

Stock Exhaust Looks:

Well, first, it’s ugly. Maybe not ugly; it’s plain-looking. This opinion is subjective, but I have to point out it looks like rolled sheet metal. There is no ‘shine’ to the metal, suggesting it’s solid metal. No need to be polished, but the metal should look like metal.

Stock Exhaust Design:

The stock exhaust has an air inlet valve/device that others say is the source of much of the weird motorcycle exhaust backfires—the cooler air entering hot exhaust results in rapid expansion and pressure waves—resulting in popping sounds during deceleration. Not a fan of these popping sounds.

I don’t know about the truth of this, but I did notice after-market motorcycle exhausts are missing this weird contraption on the exhaust. There must be a reason.

Motorcycle Power:

This can be a whole discussion, but Hawk 250 owners who did the exhaust upgrade made serious claims about power gains. So… from my research about motorcycle exhausts:

Does An Exhaust Upgrade Give You Horse Power?

An upgraded exhaust system does not increase the engine’s horsepower. However, if an engine uses less power to exhaust combustion gasses from the cylinder, the remainder of engine power can be directed to its output. Thereby increasing the engine power to the rear wheel. Making the motorcycle faster.

So, How Much Does A Bigger Exhaust Give More Power?

Wider exhaust pipes allow for more free flow of engine exhaust gasses. This free flow lessens the amount of energy the engine needs to exert on moving these gases out of the exhaust. The energy save allows for more power to be redirected to the rear wheel, thereby increasing the motorcycle’s speed.

My Conclusion So Far.

I get the idea that more energy can be conserved with a better exhaust system and that power can be sent back to the rear wheel. I like this idea.

However, if this is capable of a simple exhaust upgrade, why isn’t the better exhaust part of the stock motorcycle package? I have not figured this out unless it’s cost-prohibitive. 

The last reason that stands out is why an exhaust upgrade should happen to my TBR7.

The Stock Exhaust Sound:

Yes, sound. The after-market exhausts appear to have a ‘richer’ ‘deeper’ sound than the stock exhaust. I watched YT videos and heard the difference an after-market exhaust upgrade did to the Hawk 250 motorcycle and want the same results for my TBR7.

Final Conclusion About A TBR7 Motorcycle Exhaust Upgrade.

It’s on my TBR7 Upgrade To-Do list. I plan to do an exhaust upgrade, and if it means more power to the TBR7’s rear wheel. It might not happen, but one thing is for sure, the TBR7 will sound better.  

Let’s face it, motorcycle ownership isn’t very practical and often involves some vanity. So spending a couple of dollars on an exhaust upgrade for a better-sounding motorcycle sounds like a fun upgrade. No pun intended.

I’ll keep you up to date and hope to get around posting the steps I take to upgrade my TBR7’s exhaust.

Thanks for reading along, and please, if you have ideas or feedback about how to do the exhaust upgrade, leave a comment below.

Ride Fun, Ride Safe!

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TBR7 Upgrades

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This Motorcycle Exhaust Post’s Update!!!!

Author’s Notice: This page contains affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission by their use. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases.

I finally got around to ordering the upgrade exhaust system from Amazon. It was under a hundred dollars, and I will update you when I install it. If you are interested in looking at it on Amazon, here are some links:

Click For Current Prices: Full Exhaust Muffler System

FYI, newe post about my general opinion about Chinese exhaust upgrades I used: My Chinese Motorcycle Exhaust Review