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Slip-on Exhaust: My Experience with Two Brothers & Leo Vince

27K views 59 replies 24 participants last post by  Luis_Claudio 
#1 · (Edited)
WARNING: This is a lengthy post, proceed with caution. J

I thought I’d share my opinion on two different slip on exhaust systems for our beloved CBR250R.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the stock CBR250R exhaust ranging from “I like it”, “I don’t like it”, and I guess I’ll learn to live with it”. I fall into the “I don’t like it” group because I find it too quiet and somewhat lacking in the looks department. Overall I think that Honda could have done much better. If you fall into the same group, then keep reading.
Let me start by sharing what was most important to me in choosing an aftermarket exhaust:

1. Increased noise level – I found the stock exhaust too quiet, I wanted feedback and wanted others on the road to know that I’m there, but I didn’t want to wake up the neighbors in the morning on my way to work each day.
2. Improved appearance – It’s big and bulky, other entry level cycles have acceptable looking exhaust for their given category. Look no further than the 250 Ninja, not perfect but far better than what we got with the CBR250R.
3. Improved performance – The stock exhaust restricts airflow and is heavy, it shouldn’t have to be this way.
4. Decrease in weight – The stock exhaust weighs 15lbs, c’mon man!

Two Brother’s V.A.L.E. Stainless Steel

I purchased the 2 Bro’s first, based largely on reviews, sound clips, appearance, and because they’re made in the USA.
· Exhaust arrives – Packaging is top of the line, the box is meant to be displayed so that potential buyers can see what they’re getting. Removal of the stack exhaust is simple and installation instructions are well documented and easy to follow. Once mounted the system looks great on the CBR250R! SIDE NOTE: Man that stock exhaust HEAVY!
· First start-up – WOW! This thing really growls and is loud, sounds awesome, can’t wait for the ride to work tomorrow.
· First ride – Immediately I notice a performance improvement, feels great! Pulling out of the driveway I’m feeling self-conscious riding through the sub-division due to the loudness, hopefully I get used to it.
· Couple days later – Now able to control the exhaust at lower revs as I roll through the neighborhood, shift fast, stay around ¼ of a throttle, steady…steady.
· Weekend trip - On the open road anything above 45 mph is a constant drone that I can’t stand….I can’t ride like this every day…..what to do?
· Ordered and installed the P1X insert – the gold insert looks nice….better than the basic stainless steel 2 Bro’s insert that ships with the exhaust….sound level however is not noticeable different….this is not what I was hoping for….NEXT!

I decide to call the retailer where I purchased the 2 Bro’s, he was surprised by my experience, said that this was by far their most popular exhaust for the CBR250R and several other bikes. He also tells me that I was the first buyer to share an unhappy experience. He also informed me that on a single cylinder engine you should expect this type of loud thumping with any aftermarket exhaust. He was very helpfully in answering all my questions and confirms my questions concerning other slip-on exhausts including the Leo. Maybe I didn’t give the 2 Bro’s a chance….but later I decide to go back to the stock exhaust, post the 2 Bro’s on e-bay, and pull the trigger on another exhaust…..the Leo.

Leo Vince SBK LV-One EVO II Stainless Steel

· Exhaust arrives – The Leo is manufactured in Italy and is said to adhere to European noise standards. Packaging is basic but acceptable, installation instructions are in multiple languages and overall not well documented but still somewhat easy to follow. Once mounted, the system looks equally great and maybe a little better IMHO thanks to the carbon fiber hanger! SIDE NOTE: This exhaust comes with two inserts, one larger in diameter than the other but no explanation as to how to use each...so I stick with the installed insert.
· First start-up – OK…not much different than the 2 Bro’s…maybe slightly lower volume due to a better, angled insert, but still loud…I was expecting better. Let’s see how the ride to work goes tomorrow.
· First ride – Performance good…feels on par with the 2 Bro’s, very nice! I’m able to better control the growl and loudness of the exhaust as I roll through the sub-division, this is a plus.
· Couple days later – Low revs are even easier to control, I like it! When I roll on the throttle hard I get noticed…still very loud…borderline too loud.
· Modification – After trying each insert and not noticing much of a difference I decide to modify the smaller one by attaching a small sink strainer to reduce the air flow, thus noise output. This actually worked pretty well but still loud under heavy throttle.
· Weekend trip - On a 161 mile open road trip anything above a steady 50 mph results in a similar but less steady drone that I still can’t stand….now what?
· What’s this? – After further research I discover that there should have been a 5 hole “baffle” or “silencer” disc that ships with the Leo and it’s this disc that makes it Euro noise compliant, so where’s mine? The instruction make absolutely no reference to this disc…NONE! Luckily I still I had the shipping box, after searching around I discover the disc floating around at the bottom of the box….let’s give it a try!
· Second start up with the five hole disc – Installing the disc is a piece of cake…now let’s hear it. Others have said that with the silencer disc installed it sounds like the stock exhaust, I could not disagree more…it sounds so much better. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s ride to work.
· First ride with the five hole disc – WOW, this is great! I don’t have to worry rolling through the sub-division. The sound is a nice medium level growl, louder than stock, softer than the 2 Bro’s and the Leo w/o the disc. Performance is still much better than stock and not noticeable different than before. Speeds above 50 mph are great…the droning is gone and is what I have been looking for all along!
· Second ride with five hole disc – After realizing that I still had the sink strainer modified insert in I decided to replace it with the larger, optional insert and the results are outstanding, this is what I have been hoping for in an aftermarket exhaust!

So there you have it, I’m very happy with the Leo and I don’t plan to look back from this point. It all comes down to preference, if you want a loud system you can't go wrong with either exhaust, if you want something that’s in between go with the Leo and install the silencer disc.

Let me finish by saying that I love my CBR250R and have made other modifications, but changing the stock exhaust is by far and away the most impactful mod that I’ve made in terms of appearance and performance. I hope my experience can help other CBR250R owners choose the right exhaust system that will meet their needs, good luck with your search!
 
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#5 ·
#3 ·
I like my 2Bros.

Family first.
 
#11 · (Edited)
TheAOP, thank you for protecting our country. I agree that the 2 Bro's is great, in fact I would have choose it on looks alone and one of the very reasons I decided to buy it in the first place. For me however, it was too loud, and yes my family comes first as well as you have posted. In Boston, the 2 Bro's may be a better choice than the Leo in order to get noticed.
 
#21 ·
If I by one of the leovince slip ons or systems, does the fuel management system need to be modified as well?

Do all styles of the Leovince have the internal disk silencer?
No need to reset the EFI system, just put it on and it's good to go with the factory settings.

I don't beleive the silencer disc comes with all the Leo Vince ehausts, most likely only those that are designed to meet the E standard for noise levels. I would suggest calling Leo Vince customer service, I found them most hopeful.
 
#17 ·
Try PayPal?

or message Steveeeeeeeeeeeeee because he sells Thai parts in that area.
 
#20 ·
Leo Vince SBK LV-One EVO II Stainless Steel

· What’s this? – After further research I discover that there should have been a 5 hole “baffle” or “silencer” disc that ships with the Leo and it’s this disc that makes it Euro noise compliant, so where’s mine? The instruction make absolutely no reference to this disc…NONE! Luckily I still I had the shipping box, after searching around I discover the disc floating around at the bottom of the box….let’s give it a try!
· Second start up with the five hole disc – Installing the disc is a piece of cake…now let’s hear it. Others have said that with the silencer disc installed it sounds like the stock exhaust, I could not disagree more…it sounds so much better. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s ride to work.
· First ride with the five hole disc – WOW, this is great! I don’t have to worry rolling through the sub-division. The sound is a nice medium level growl, louder than stock, softer than the 2 Bro’s and the Leo w/o the disc. Performance is still much better than stock and not noticeable different than before. Speeds above 50 mph are great…the droning is gone and is what I have been looking for all along!
· Second ride with five hole disc – After realizing that I still had the sink strainer modified insert in I decided to replace it with the larger, optional insert and the results are outstanding, this is what I have been hoping for in an aftermarket exhaust!
You should post a video of the Leo! :D :rolleyes:
 
#23 ·
I really wish I could hear one of these in person. I'm on the fence because it seems like most of the aftermarket exhausts sound very much alike. The Leo Vince does sound quieter though.

I think the biggest problem with the 2 Brothers isn't that it's loud, but that it sounds like a chain saw.
 
#26 ·
I will say this, the videos and sound clips do not translate to real world sound at all, and I also found that in most cases the Leo videos are recorded without the silencer disc installed.


The nice thing about the Leo is that you can choose from multiple combinations since they ship with the silencer disc and two inserts, so it's more likely than not that no matter what sound you're looking for you can probably find the right tuning.

1-No disc, no insert
2-No disc, smaller insert
3-No disc, larger insert
4-Disc, no insert
5-Disc, smaller insert
6-Disc, larger insert
 
#27 ·
I'm still mulling over the Hindle (same setup Wormburner had on his), but as I've never heard it in person I'm still debating. If anyone knows of a video that shows a Hindle with the Stealth baffle installed (riding/under load, like the second video Rusty posted above), I'd love to hear it.
 
#37 ·
Got my Leo Vince LV ONE EVO II yesterday.
Used the small insert with the disc. Perfect!
It's neighborhood friendly and sounds great when you crank up the throttle.
Exactly what I was looking for. :D

Got the stainless. Did take off the LV decal.
Weighs about 8 lbs. It was $318 delivered.

LV Link: LeoVince

Click on the "Power Diagram" and "Sound" clip.

My Pirelli Sport Demons will be here hopefully Friday.

 
#44 ·
Got my Leo Vince LV ONE EVO II yesterday.
Used the small insert with the disc. Perfect!
It's neighborhood friendly and sounds great when you crank up the throttle.
Exactly what I was looking for. :D

Got the stainless. Did take off the LV decal.
Weighs about 8 lbs. It was $318 delivered.

LV Link: LeoVince

Click on the "Power Diagram" and "Sound" clip.

My Pirelli Sport Demons will be here hopefully Friday.

That's awesome, glad to hear that you are as happy with the results as I have been!
 
#39 ·
I'll get my camera charged and add a pic later.
It looks really nice with the titanium finish.

I used a hair dryer to heat it.
Then peeled a corner with my finger nail and pulled it off.
Some use an old credit card.
There was a lot of goo residue.
Tried to remove it with Goo Gone.
Then tried WD-40. Ended up using Goof Off.
The Goof Off worked the best. Cleaned it right up.

Love the look and the sound.

Blaine
 
#45 ·
Thanks for this posting about your experiences. I just installed the LV One stainless slip on. I also missed the baffle floating around in the box upon initial install. I will say that riding around with the large insert+no baffle sounded like a Harley/dirt bike mix. It is VERY loud but has lots of character when decelerating (lots of gurgling).

I did go back and install the baffle and smaller insert. It is quieter now and has much better sound than stock. I'm really happy with this. I do miss the gurgling at deceleration though :)

As far as performance I've noticed that deceleration is smoother. Throttle response on acceleration is about the same.

I got mine from Biohazardcycles.com. Tom was helpful and shipped it out very quickly.
 
#47 ·
I think I know what you mean Deadscar, an my silencer baffle eventually warped as blew out. Careful of that one, although you'll hear when it does haha. I had a new one made which rattled a bit, so I covered it in loctite before it put it in. Seemed to work well.. (Admittedly loctite wasn't the most ideal product bit it's what I had on hand at the time)


Sent from Motorcycle.com App
 
#49 ·
I got the carbon fiber evo two slip on on my repsol 250r. I went with the silencer disk and the larger baffle. Sounds perfect and I also like the added hp. They say you lose a little bit on the top end but yesterday on the highway I was able to hit 92mph on the open road. I was tucked in and wind behind me. I would recomend this exhaust to everyone. Carbon fiber for $409.00 delivered. Easy to install.

The silencer disk does rattle a bit at the beginning but it looks in with the pressure after the first long ride.
 
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