After market exhausts illegal for road use?

I have just enquired of MetricMotorcyclesUK in Bournemouth why they stipulate in their exhaust adverts that "this exhaust may not be legal for road use".  Their reply was that the particular exhaust in question, a Cobra Slashdown 3918, was not road legal in the UK.  Moreover they also stated that, to their knowledge, no aftermarket exhaust on sale in the UK for my particular bike (a VL800) was road legal. So, as I still have the standard exhaust fitted, I am OK and within the law; but, if MetricMotorcycles are correct, where does that leave everyone else who has fitted an aftermarket exhaust your honour?  Any ideas anyone?

You will be fine, others may have more detail.

Unless it's stamped ' Not For Road Use' you'll be fine, you might get some MOT people pulling their face? but generally they're fine about them.

Well thanks for that and I will try and find a dealer more local who I can speak to face to face on the subject.  In the meantime does anyone recommend a not too loud exhaust (like the Cobra?) as I still intend to replace the out of proportion standard and am after looks rather than decibels and also wish to keep every thing else standard including both lambda sensors.  I know there has been lots already said on the Forum but it all seems to get confusing and I am struggling.

Vance & Hines slash cut staggered are nice pipes, they come with the o2 bosses fitted too.

you should be fine with what ever exhaust you want to fit on your bike Sim is right it is only the one's with not for road use on them that you aren't aloud to have fitted to your bike unless you rub that of and polish it up a bit lol

fat intruder wrote:

you should be fine with what ever exhaust you want to fit on your bike Sim is right it is only the one's with not for road use on them that you aren't aloud to have fitted to your bike unless you rub that of and polish it up a bit lol

Or buy a sticker and cover it up

The only way to get an answer to your question is to ask your insurance company,an MOT only lasts as long as the vehicle is on their premises,for you can change what you like when you leave the testing station and still have the 12 month ticket.It is at the end of the day the insurance company you pay your money to that will be looing at the mods that you have done in case of an accident.There are road legal pipes out there,but you are better finding the pipes then asking the question before you pay the money.I personally mod every bike I own,but I am willing to take the chance.

This is a bit long winded, but I use the VOSA "Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) Inspection Manual" as my bible when I'm making any kind of alterations, ie. my indicators, side-mount, front mudguard etc. - it's well worth downloading a copy.  Anyway, this is what they say about exhausts.

"Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval Manual  Exhaust System / Noise                                                     
June 2010  18/1 18 

Application  
This examination applies to all vehicles (other than electrically powered vehicles) unless specifically referred to in bold text.  
Requirements and Procedures  
1.  Check that the exhaust system;   
a) is complete   
b) is fitted with a silencer   
c) is secured to the vehicle   
d) mountings are of adequate strength to support the weight of the system   

2. 2 Wheeled Mopeds and Motorcycles only. Check that the exhaust silencer has a permanently marked applicable identification mark or plate either:  
a) the manufacturers trade name or mark, or  
b) the EC component approval mark (“e”), or   
c) the UN ECE component approval mark (“E”), or  
d) the British Standard classification BSAU 193/T2, or BS AU 193a 1990/T2, or BS AU 193a 1990/T3  
Noise Test.   

Note. Care must be taken when carrying out a noise test on a “twist and go” moped with direct drive.   
Position the vehicle on an unobstructed open test site (concrete or asphalt) which covers a rectangular area the sides of which are at least 3 metres from the vehicle sides, front and rear.   
Ensure the engine is at operating temperature.   
Note. This check should be carried out after the emissions test.   
Using a sound level meter of “Type 1” as defined in (BSEN 5969 or IEC651) to the manufacturer’s instructions; carry out a static noise test.   
Using the alignment tool, place the microphone;   
 at the height of the exhaust outlet, or a height of 200mm, whichever is the higher   
Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval Manual  Exhaust System / Noise                                                     
June 2010  18/2 18  

 at an angle of 45° to the exhaust outlet in the direction which gives the greatest possible distance between it and the outline of the motorcycle (handlebars excluded), or body contour of a bodied vehicle    at a distance of 500mm from the exhaust outlet   
If the exhaust system has more than one outlet at centres less than 300mm apart, or more than one outlet from a common silencer, the microphone must be faced towards the outlet which is nearest the motorcycle (handlebars excluded), or body contour if bodied vehicle or the highest point above the ground.   
If the centres of the outlets are more than 300mm apart, separate measurements must be taken for each of them; the highest figure recorded being taken as the test value.   
Λ
Run the engine at a constant speed of;    ¾ of its maximum power speed if that is less than or equal to 5000rpm   
or  
  ½ of its maximum power speed if that is more than 5000rpm  
3.  Check that the level of sound emitted for mopeds, motorcycles and light quadricycles is not more than;   a) 91 dbA with an engine capacity of 80cc or less  
b) 94 dbA with an engine capacity of more than 80cc but not more than 175cc   
c) 99 dbA with an engine capacity of above 175cc   
 for motor tricycles and heavy quadricycles is not more than;   
d) 99dbA  

Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval Manual  Exhaust System / Noise                                                     
June 2010  18/3 18 

Reasons for Failure  
1.  Any exhaust system;   
a) incomplete   
b) not fitted with a silencer   
c) mounting or component insecure   
d) mounting of inadequate strength to support the system   
2.  
2 Wheeled mopeds and motorcycles only. An exhaust silencer that is not indelibly marked with either;   
a) the manufacturers trade name or mark, or   
b) the EC component approval mark (approval number prefixed by an “e”), or   
c) the UN ECE component approval mark (approval number prefixed with an ”E”), or   
d) the British Standard classification BSAU 193/T2, or BS AU193a 1990/T2, or BS AU 193a 1990/T3   
3. The sound level is more than allowed for the engine capacity or vehicle type"

The insurance comment is well worth noting - insurance companies will use any reason to wriggle out of coughing up

In my personal experience, as long as they're not too loud, or have "Not For Road Use" stamped on them you're going to be fine - of course, you could always invest in one of these - E1 BSAU Exhaust Plate - the wording states that the exhaust must only DISPLAY the marking / plate - not that it actually COMPLIES with it !!!!!

Interesting read and informative facts Dave    I've always found that if you find an MOT station where it's run by bikers or ex bikers they take the rules as just a guide and take common sense more seriously regarding these matters.

Thanks everyone for some very interesting replies, especially Dave R, at the end of the day it all looks to me as it all rests on who does the MoT, what mood they're in, do they like your face and are they out to rob you (much the same as car MoT's).  All I want is to get an exhaust that looks neater (smaller) than the standard which I reckon is out of proportion to the bike and makes a bit more noise - but not too much.  Anyway it's Christmas day and I must get back to the festivities - hope you all have a good Christmas.

This is an interesting thread ..... & I will face this problem when I take ownership of the XR1200 next year (Jan/Feb 2015), which has a Vance & Hines 'Widow' system on it. The bike has a current MOT and has been through the SVA test as the bike has been personally imported into the UK from America.
When you look at the cans on the exhaust the manufacturer's plate says 'Competition Only' but this is sold as a 'Race Replica' system but allows the retention of the passenger foot-pegs, whereas the full-on race system has the same manufacturer's plate on the cans & the system is a slightly different shape to give greater ground clearance, which precludes the use of passenger foot-pegs (Not needed on a real racer !). If challenged I might say 'Competition only' is not the same as stating specifically 'Not for road use'. The V5 for that bike has reference that it has been through the SVA test - so I'm hoping that might help.
The pipes are on the noisy side - as you would expect on a modded HD, but given the detail Dave R provided above it would be interesting to see what the noise levels were at the prescribed distances.
At one time I could get access to a 'professional' noise meter (& have had basic training in their use).
Worst case scenario, I've identified an 'E' marked system that I would use if I had to change the exhaust.
As mention throughout the thread - a lot of this is subjective in practice, and it does depend where you take the bike for an MOT. I go to a local garage I've used for years, and the main tester there is a practical chap ... who's main biking interest is trials riding .... but one of the bikes he has for the road is an 883 Sportster, so I'm kinda hoping he will be 'on-side' with the XR.

I had 'not for road use' on my Screaming Eagle 883 pipes. They were very loud but passed with an advisory. They listen and rarely look at what is written. Mine were for the USA regs so UK testers use their ears generally. Some owners grind off any text. Best is to ask the tester for opinion before testing. Police seem little concerned with custom pipes in my experience. Loudest pipes I had were Sort Cuts without baffles on my Intruder with no writing on at all. It's all down to the discretion of the tester these days. Markings or lack of them mean very little.

Every scrambler that I have ever owned has had competition exhausts on. Every one of them passed the MOT.
Just gotta find a friendly MOT guy. The easiest thing to do is just stop at an MOT test garage and ask them if your pipes are OK or not. If they say no, go somewhere else. If they say yes, book an MOT. Simples.