Best Silencers for Royal Enfield
There are bikes like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and a whole lot of other manufacturers and then there is Royal Enfield Bullet.
Royal Enfield has become one of the most revered motorcycles of the nation and for most people, it isn’t just a matter of riding a metal machine but a symbol of attaining maturity and flaunting machismo.
The feeling that you get while riding a Royal Enfield Bullet combined with that typical thump and brilliant torque is simply indescribable.
The sound it makes and the way it starts and runs, it makes you feel like you are riding a powerful machine.
The one thing why Bullet stands out from the rest is its thumping sound that comes out of the exhaust.
Did you ever wonder why the new Enfield silencers are making much less exhaust sound compared to the oldies?
Let me tell you, due to some regulations of the Indian Government, new Royal Enfield stock silencers are manufactured in such a way that the exhaust sound and expelled gases are minimised to control sound and air pollution.
Because of this, new RE motorcycles are less noisy and gives out the best fuel efficiency, but they are not much ‘powerful’ than the old Bullets in terms of performance.
Most of the new gen Enfield riders thus change their exhausts to an aftermarket silencer to get a better sound or performance.
I assume since you are reading this, you are planning to replace your Royal Enfield’s exhaust and looking for the best silencer for your machine.
Believe it or not, choosing the best bullet silencer is tougher than you think, as picking the wrong one can harm your motorcycle badly.
You have a lot of brands to choose from, but most of them are manufactured unscientifically and using them will definitely affect your engine’s performance and reliability.
That’s why we have compiled a list of the best silencers for Royal Enfield including an ultimate buying guide which clarifies most of your doubts and common misconceptions about changing exhausts.
So, without further ado, here we go!
NOTE: If your RE is brand new, it is better to not replace your exhaust before running at least 3000 KM on stock exhaust.
1. Red Rooster Performance
Overall Best Pick
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in three variants: Polished Silver, Matte Black, Matte Silver
2. Barrel Exhaust Canon Carbon 2.0
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black
3. Greasehouse Thumber
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in three variants: Black, Polished Chrome
4. Greasehouse Megaphone
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black
5. Greasehouse Economy
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in two variants: Black, Polished Chrome
6. Moto Torque Shark
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in three variants: Black, Half Chrome, Chrome
7. Moto Torque Launcher
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in two variants: Black, Chrome
8. Moto Torque Beat
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in two variants: Black, Chrome
9. Sans Long Dolphin
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in three variants: Black, Half Chrome, Chrome
10. Sans Fatboy
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black
11. Sans Red Rooster
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black
12. Sans Wildboar
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black, Chrome
13. Sans Cobra
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black, Chrome
14. Sans Goldstar
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black, Chrome
15. Sans Reverse Wildboar
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black, Chrome
16. Sans Short Bottle
Specifications
- Packing material: Glass Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in one variant: Black, Chrome
17. Swagman Neo 3 Rings
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Free Flow Exhaust
- Material: Stainless Steel
18. Swagman Dolphin
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
19. Swagman Shark
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
20. Swagman Dolphin Small
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
21. Swagman Megafone
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
22. Swagman Basic Bassy
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
23. Swagman Wildboar
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
24. Swagman Bazooka
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
25. Swagman Indori
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
26. Swagman Taj Launcher
Specifications
- Packing material: Ceramic Wool
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Available in many variants
Royal Enfield Silencers – Myths Explained
Purpose of a Silencer/Exhaust
As the name implies, one of the major purposes of a silencer/exhaust is silencing the engine exhaust sound.
The silencers have pathways specifically designed to minimize the sound coming from the exhaust.
Hot gases are released out from internal combustion engine on each blast and these gases have to be absorbed and the noise should be reduced.
The real purpose of a good exhaust system is to expel out these gases while maintaining power and performance of the vehicle.
Sometimes mufflers (silencers) also happens to have a catalytic converter which can reduce the emission of certain pollutants that come with the exhaust gases out of the engine.
The catalytic converter is a vessel in the exhaust system containing catalysts like Platinum, Palladium, and Rhodium.
Platinum and Palladium convert harmful exhaust gases by further oxidation of Carbon Monoxide and unburned Hydrocarbons into Water and Carbon Dioxide, and Rhodium breaks the toxic Nitrogen Oxides into non-toxic Nitrogen and Oxygen.
Back Pressure
The most misunderstood and one of the most important factors about the Royal Enfield silencers is the back pressure, which affects the power delivery of the engine to a large extent.
Back pressure refers to the pressure opposed to the desired flow of gases in a confined place such as a pipe.
It is created with the help of obstructions in the exhaust system using mufflers, barriers or shape of the silencer to maintain an optimum pressure level of the exhaust gases for optimum power delivery throughout all the RPM ranges.
A certain level of back pressure is important for every engine and Royal Enfield stock silencers meet this requirement perfectly because the company has scientifically designed them for their own engines.
The general rule about back pressure is, the lesser the back pressure, the louder the silencer.
However, a small amount of back pressure is crucial for optimal engine performance.
Back pressure in the exhaust system pushes any unburned intake back into the engine.
Without this sufficient back pressure, some intake is lost, leading to higher fuel consumption.
When it comes to the aftermarket exhausts, the amount of back pressure is different on various silencers.
Most of the silencers from unknown brands don’t provide sufficient amount of back pressure to the engine.
So, if you are replacing your RE’s stock silencer with an exhaust which doesn’t provide enough back pressure, it will definitely affect the performance of the machine in the long run.
Most third party bullet silencers have drastically reduced back pressure levels to increase pick up and create a more bassy scavenging effect.
Because of this, motorcycles fitted with these exhausts tend to have a reduced top speed, slow acceleration at high RPM and dismal performance when going uphill.
On top of this, these type of exhausts creates a high decibel noise that can even damage the rider’s ears.
Hence, you need to have an exhaust with sufficient amount of back pressure depending upon the kind of machine you are using in order to achieve better performance and more mileage.
Changing Silencers and their Effect on Engine
The Enfield owners are often concerned about changing the stock exhaust due to the fear of affecting the engine in any harmful way.
During our research for finding the best bullet silencers, we have seen a lot of people inquiring about the same, everywhere on the Internet.
Let me tell you the real truth behind this.
Believe me, changing your stock exhaust to an aftermarket unit is safe most of the times, but if the exhaust system is designed so badly, there are chances that the engine could be affected.
There are a lot of silencers out there in the market with prices starting from Rs.1000 to even Rs.15000, and many of them are not up to the mark in terms of quality and performance.
But, if you are purchasing from reputed brands like Barrel Exhaust, Greasehouse, Red Rooster, Moto Torque, Swagman etc you can be assured of the performance and durability you desire.
Mileage after Changing the Silencer
With regards to mileage, it can both increase or decrease, but it depends on a lot of other complicated factors also.
Though mileage depends on the type of exhaust you use, the actual fuel consumption directly depends on working conditions of the engine.
If the engine is well tuned according to the new exhaust, it will give out the best fuel economy for sure.
More than these, fuel efficiency also depends on how you ride the bike.
Aftermarket exhausts free the engine up a bit, so it produces a little more torque and power.
Whenever you ride your motorcycle without revving on the throttle, the engine runs at a lower RPM than before and thus will get a slightly better mileage.
On the contrary, the new exhaust will make your Enfield sound beefier, and this could motivate you to ride faster.
If that’s the case, then the mileage will plummet for sure.
Types of Royal Enfield Silencers
An exhaust pipe has an outer sheet metal cover which protects the silencer and inside it, there is a perforated tube through which exhaust gases pass out.
Some silencers have a packing material wrapped around the perforated tube which absorbs unnecessary noises and gives out a bassy sound.
The packing material also acts as a thermal insulator and it absorbs a specific amount of heat from the expelled gas.
Glass wool and ceramic wool are the two types of packing materials commonly used in silencers.
They are a type of man-made fibres with high thermal insulation and low thermal conductivity.
Strategic placement of these packing materials around the perforation tube gives a different thumb and bass for the exhaust sound.
Mainly, there are three types of Royal Enfield exhausts out there.
Free Flow Silencer
Free flow silencers are made by creating minimum obstructions inside the silencer and thus it provides an easy path for the exhaust gases to flow.
Here, the sufficient backpressure is created inside the silencer by making some modifications in the design of the exhaust pipe or with the help of baffles.
Compared to glass wool and ceramic wool exhausts, free flow silencers has a lesser backpressure and thus they have a high scavenging effect.
Free flow silencers range from Rs.1000 to Rs.2000.
Glass Wool Silencer
In Glass wool silencers the material packed inside the exhaust are either glass, silica or sand.
Glass wool is an insulating material made from fibres of glass arranged using a binder into a texture similar to wool.
It traps many small pockets of air between the glass, and these small air pockets result in high thermal insulation properties.
Compared to ceramic wool, glass wool has a tendency to deteriorates over time and might need replacement in the long run.
The price range of Royal Enfield’s glass wool silencers starts from Rs.2000 to Rs.3000 in India.
Ceramic Wool Silencer
Ceramic wool is another type of packing material used in the Enfield silencers.
These are more durable than glass wool and it has a higher thermal insulation capacity.
Because of this, these silencers doesn’t get too hot even after a long ride.
Ceramic wool silencers costs around Rs.4000 to Rs.10000 in India.
Please note that some Glass Wool and Ceramic Wool exhausts are considered as Free Flow silencers as well.
These are some commonly available Royal Enfield exhausts categorised based on sound and design.
Long Bottle
Gives slow strong and long strokes. Bass is heavy and strong treble is recessed. These are very long and protrudes out of chassis.
Short Bottle
The sound is similar to Original Cast Iron beats, it’s very pleasant and balanced tune, very soothing for ears, not that much loud.
Red Rooster
The silencer with a perfect balance of performance and bassy exhaust sound.
Wildboar
Emphasises especially on Bass. The bass is deep, heavy and thumpy. The sound seems artificial and hurts ears at higher RPMs.
Dolphin
Looks like a mouth of dolphin, large sound with high bass.
Goldstar
Has a very Techno- Bassy tune. The hearing sound seems very artificial and not very soothing for ears. Treble is boosted as well.
Monster
Looks tiny, but gives heavy beats, and has the deepest bass of all.
Megaphone
Loud, fast beats, emphasized on Bass, the sound is much more continuous without interval.
Falcon
Heavy tune, authentic and balanced tune interval. Non-fatiguing tune.
which is the best exhaust for standard 500 in terms of overall performance..?
Go for Red Rooster Performance.
Hi althaf assalamu alaikum I’m using Electra 350 2018 model bs4. I ride it for 5500kms till now. I want decent thump sound. Kindly suggest me which type of silencer suits for my Electra 350!!! I likes to install short bottle so tell me your opinion…
Hello Riyaz,
Thanks for reaching out to us.
Red Rooster Performance is the best choice right now. It is better to go for RRP than Short Bottle if you can afford it.
Hi, I had run my bike classic 350 BS-IV for 5000 KM with an original silencer. Kindly suggest a silencer for a real dug-dug sound. Please suggest other than Red Rooster.
Hi Soumya,
Moto Torque Shark is a great silencer with a good sound which you can buy in India.
Short bottle ??
Hi Althaf,
I have got an RE Electra 350 2013, done around 73K KMS on it. Looking for a change in the exhaust sound, need to have an exhaust with adequate back pressure, sound like CI engine(if possible) with no harm on the engine and fuel efficiency, I mostly ride in the city and long highway rides around 200-300 KMS once or twice a month as required. Please suggest me best 3 silencers according to my use. Thanks in advance.
Hello Deep!
Thanks for reaching out to us.
According to your use, you can choose either Red Rooster Performance, Barrel Exhaust or Moto Torque Launcher/Shark.
My preference is Red Rooster Performance.
Thanks for the quick response.
Hello Althaf,
please suggest me a silencer with moderate sound in affordable price without an effect on engine for classic 350.
Thanks in advance.
You can go for Moto Torque Launcher.
Sir suggest me a silencer with full bass and sound for thunderbird 350cc
Go for Red Rooster Performance.
Hello Althaf,
Suggest me a good silencer with moderate sound and within affordable price which doesn’t effect engine for classic 350.
Thanks in advance.
Which is the good silencer for 350 classic with avarage and sound.
Suggest me bros.
Sorry for the late response. Red Rooster Performance is a good choice for Classic 350.
Hi Althaf !
Thanks for sharing detailed Info about the silencers… I have RE Electra 350 planning to change silencer from stock to Red Rooster… So, can you suggest red Rooster will really suit my Electra or what do you suggest?
Thanks…
Sure. Red Rooster Performance is perfect for Electra 350.
Please suggest top 3 exhausts for Thunderbird 500 2016 ridden 15000 kms 80% city rest highway money’s no bar. Also bass, thump & treble too, none in priorities.
All I seek is optimum & complimenting performance from engine alongside best exhaust suitable to bike perfectly & best available option for tbts 500 specifically if anything exists as such (as tbts 500 is an engine with electronic fuel injection + fuel pump operated & not a carburetted one) hope I am clear enough.
Thank you in advance.
Also wanted to know that if rrp ( red rooster performance) is top choice you recommend then-
Is there separate variant for 350 & 500 engine from rrp?
How much(kms) life shall I expect maximum from rrp?
Recommend one single & most reliable seller plz.
What’s insulation material used with rrp ceramic/glass wool?
Apart from rrp what are rest top 2 exhausts (brand+model) that use ceramic wool insulation & equally good but affordable choices for tbts 500 ( if rrp is out of budget)?
I know althaf sir I’ve gone too far (huge sorry) but I humbly request you to help with best resources you have, thank you.
Hi Rohan,
I will answer your queries one by one.
1) RRP might be the perfect choice for you.
2) It is compatible with the Thunderbird 500.
3) There are no separate variants for 350 and 500.
4) The RRP’s insulation material is ceramic wool.
5) You can also go for Greasehouse Thumber or Moto Torque Launcher (Both uses Ceramic Wool as packing material).
Thank you a lot sir althaf, in today’s times yours feels & is really honest guidance….keep up the good work.
P.S. still unclear how much kilometers rrp’s life should one expect.
Hi Althaf,
Very informative blog, thanks for detailing. I have been told that Upswept Silencer will have less effect and good beat, I am planning to change my silencer with Swagman upswept/Angular Silencer. My bike is 6 years old and ran for 28000 km. What’s your suggestion?
There is nothing like that.
Definitely, Upswept silencers provides good bass and thump than stock but, there are a lot of better silencers out there.
The only advantage of using upswept silences is that it gives better ground clearance than others. This helps when you are riding in water logged streets or while off roading.
Hi Althaf, Thanxx for posting this article. Almost all of my doubts regarding the silencer noise and performance got cleared now. I have 2 questions for you. I just bought classic 350 (run around 300km, 18 days of purchase). So
1) when should I change stock silencer to aftermarket silencer after my purchase?
2) Which aftermarket silencer exhaust I should go after keeping the budget maximum 4-5k which should have good loud sound and doesn’t have any bad effect on engine or motorcycle life?
Hello Aakarsh!
Glad that the article helped you.
If you really wanna replace your stock with a third party exhaust, do it only after running at least 3000 KM on stock. For your budget, you can go for Moto Torque Launcher or Moto Torque Shark.
Hello Althaf, I would like to know whether the silencers sold by the company “QUALITY METAL INDUSTRIES’ (Having a star logo in all its products, hope you know it) is of a good quality or not. Do they also sell exhausts with ceramic wool or glass wool ?
Honestly, I don’t know much about the brand you mentioned.
Which is best silencer for sound (350 classic) without any pressure for engine.
Suggest me.
Red Rooster Performance is a good choice.
Hi Althaf , first of all thanks for exhaustive in depth review , greatly helps a layman like me. I ride the Classic 500 Stealth Black (its only done 1.5k in the last 5 months mostly because I was travelling a lot after I bought it) After the 3rd service , paint on the silencer seems to be peeling off and few shabby looking rusted patches have appeared , I’m noticing some bubbles also. Gives me the feeling that the stock silencer (and it’s paint job) is quite ordinary considering the high investment that I have made. This is disappointing. I used to think that replacing silencer is not good for the engine but your review helped me understand better. I’m now thinking of going for the Red Rooster , please advise , thanks in advance
I’m glad that the review helped you. Definitely, Red Rooster Performance is a good reliable after market exhaust you can go for. But, it is better to replace your silencer after running at least 3000 KM on stock exhaust.
How is greasehouse custom’s thumper exhaust, as they claim almost 30% hike in power according to their dyno test result charts. What do you say?! My motorcycle is MY2018 ES 350 that has run 1600kms.
Greasehouse Thumper is also a good exhaust you can consider. I’m not sure about the brand’s claim regarding performance.
Hi Althaf,
Brilliant blog with deep dive into issues. I have been searching for exactly this kind of material.
A query for you. I have a 1.5-yr-old Thunderbird 500. Mostly riding the bike within the city. Just a few long distance trips. No modifications till now, but I was thinking of changing my exhaust within a month to something that gives better thump & bass but without majorly affecting the performance. Could you please suggest the best options & the cost for my bike?
PS: Money not an issue, but looking for VFM (value for money). 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
If money is not an issue for you, I recommend Red Rooster Performance.
If you wanna go for value for money, Moto Torque Shark is a best option.
Hello Still I’m in confusion with regards to Silencer… I’m looking for such a silencer which doesn’t affect my function of engine, doesn’t reduce mileage of the bike. Requirement is nice Thump like a perfect bullet being bit louder in sound. Please suggest me a silencer.
Hello Rakesh,
After going through Althaf’s information about silencers, I decided to buy moto torque beat silencer as it is considered to be a good brand & was affordable. I have now installed it on my classic 500, it seems safe for the engine but I don’t see any improvement in mileage & the thump is good (& I feel it is loud enough). I think with free flow exhausts the mileage plummets unless we tune the bike to the new exhaust we install. I also request Althaf to share his opinion about tuning the bike for better mileage after installing the new exhaust.
I suggest you to consult with a good mechanic about tuning the engine. They will tell whether tuning is necessary or not for a specific third party exhaust.
Hello,
First of all excellent description about the silencers & their effect on the engine, mileage etc. I am at present using a wild boar silencer for my classic 500 and like you said the mileage has plummeted but I am now worried whether the silencer has any harmful effect on the engine. I am planning to change the silencer to moto torque beat since it is relatively affordable compared to red rooster and it was also considered as one of the reputed brands by you. Hence I assume it is of a good quality. PLS GIVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE EFFECT OF SILENCER ON THE ENGINE & ALSO ABOUT THE MOTO TORQUE SILENCER QUALITY!
Hi Vivek,
Moto Torque Beat is a reliable third party exhaust you can buy. You don’t have to worry much about the effect of this silencer on engine as it has the standards of a good third party exhaust.
Thank you so much for your reply, will update about the exhaust after using it
Hello Althaf,
I have another doubt, If I change my silencer to the short bottle punjabi silencer will that harm my engine & will that have adequate back pressure, is it safe ? And Is indori & punjabi the same ? Pls clarify this
There is high chance for affecting the engine in harmful way when you use low quality exhausts like Punjabi or Indori silencers. These silencers comes without quality packing materials inside and so, most of these silencers doesn’t have adequate back pressure.
Hope this clarifies your doubt.