Greetings, and it's great to be aboard, everyone!

Recently adopted an '89 Goldwing with 79K miles and she's wonderful. Taking short runs, getting used to the handling, and it's coming along.

The exhaust, tho' beautiful from the outside, is a bit loud to my liking (bit of a rumble). I remember what I loved about my '75 wing (it was new) was hearing the birds sing as I rode along.

Is there any way to check the baffles or quiet this baby short of replacing both mufflers? It would be great if I could, otherwise I'll have to save up for a replacement.

Thanks for your wisdom! -s

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new Wing. I don't know if there is anything quieter than the stock Wing exhaust. Perhaps the exhaust system has rusted out (it is 20 years old) or maybe the previous owner modified it. I'm not sure how you would check the baffles, except to take the exhaust off and see if anything rolls around in there which would indicate a problem. If you have to replace the exhaust you can check places like Ebay or Craigslist for used ones, or you could go for new replacement OEM pipes.. Good luck and ride safe.

Thank you, TWW; I appreciate the welcome and the wisdom. 10-4 on the age of the mufflers; they're just so pretty I'd hoped they were new enough to work properly (ie: whisper quiet).
I've got other mods that I think take precedence (beyond building my skill level), like the addressing the slight hesitation (been reading about the 4-degree timing trigger and a belt change will bring me to a good base service schedule). Planning plugs, fuel filter and oil change this week.
It's by no means unbearable, but I'd like it quieter. I'll save my pennies, put off any more Farkles and concentrate on getting her technically caught up, add a muffler to my service plan list.
Again, I appreciate your input and your prompt reply! -s

When looking at muffler prices, I came across a picture of a set of mufflers for sale.
It appears that the pipes have some kind of baffle in the tailpipe (yellow arrow) and mine do not.
The fiche of the exhaust system that I've looked at doesn't show a separate part available.
Am I dreaming, or do you think I might find the insert (I assume it's a baffle that's been removed)?

... Howdy ... On My 78 The Baffles Were Welded In And It Looked Like You Could Have Cut The Welds With A Die Grinder And Pulled Them Out ... What I Ended Up Doing Was Drilling 4 Holes In Each Of The Baffle Plates ... It Got Alittle Louder But Much Deeper Sound ... After Looking At You're Picture Alittle More I'm Not Sure Thats A Baffle Placed In The Turn Down ... I'm Going To Look Around And See What I Can Find Out ... Happy Trails ...

Thanks, Pardner; I appreciate it. Mine are definitely not there, but if Honda doesn't list the part separately or I cannot find a substitute, I may be stuck 'til I can replace the mufflers.
Got to hit my local dealer today to order some windshield mounting plates; I'm gonna check with them, see if we can come up with something. -s

Hi there - I'm new to the group (I'm in the process of buying a GL1200I).

If it looks like someone cut out the baffles, it might not be too much work to put in some new ones. I remember my father cutting some baffles out of a road sign to make baffles for his old Yamaha. You might be able to find a little fab shop that could knock those out / weld them in for pretty cheap. Good luck!

Thanks, Duckwing; looks like fabrication may be an option, but I think if I can determine the ID of the pipe, there may be a baffle out there that may fit. Still digging.
Also, (conventional wisdom suggests) that if someone cut out the baffles, the "untuned" exhaust may be contributing to my 1500 running rich!
The idle's been turned up to about 800 (at full warm up) and my throttle handle has some slack at the bottom end (does that make sense?).
Anyway, I'm going to try to remedy the baffle situation before tuning anything else. May solve more than just my desire to hear the birds as I drive by...
I appreicate the input, y'all. -s

I like er quiet too!

The "turn downs" on the 1500 are a resonator. They attach by 2 rivets to the main body. Give a bike wrecker a call and see if they have rotted out mains with good tips. If so be very patient removing them ,lots of penetrating oil and a little heat on the main so you don't "blue" the chrome on the tip, wrap the tip with something soft to protect it and slowly twist it out. Hope this helps Speakeasy.

Thanks, Shewey; I've collected some (nearly) nearby wreckers and plan on calling them this week.
As for removing the turn-downs, mine had two pop-rivets that cut loose with a screwdriver and the tips just pulled out.
Found some after-market resonators (Headman 17120) which, with a 2" Stainless strap Band Clamp (Dynomax #33228) actually bolted onto my mufflers.
Looks kinda finished and extends the exhaust out from under my rear spoiler.
Problem is, it doesn't quiet it any, at least as far as I can tell.
It may, however be a pretty inexpensive option for anyone wanting a deeper sound and balks at the price of the other extenders on the market.
I took some installation pictures if there's any interest in this mod. About $56 total, plus freight.
But I'd still rather have stock. Prices have been pretty high on fleaBay lately, and there's a lot of rusty stuff being marketed, too, IMHO. Thanks again for the reply, and I'm sorry about my long post. -s

noisy is a word that should not describe a goldwing

I like my wing quiet too. I kept the stock exhaust. I would consider turndowns as i like the look. On a long ride racket is the last thing I need or want.