Triumph Bonneville TORS Exhaust Installation & Sound Comparison

The Triumph Bonneville is a popular motorcycle with a wide variety of performance exhaust pipes for it, including Triumph’s own TORs exhausts.

TORs exhausts are known for their deeper tone compared to the original exhaust. They aren’t loud compared to aftermarket exhausts for the Bonneville, but they’re noticeably louder than the original mufflers that the Bonneville comes with.

TORs can also provide a minimal increase in horsepower and torque. Because they are made by Triumph, the quality is as good as the originals, to which they look almost identical.

In this video we’ll be installing a set of TORs exhausts on a Triumph Bonneville. The installation will be the same for any Bonneville made between 2001 and 2016. Then we’ll be comparing the sound of the original, versus the sound of the TORs at various RPMs to see which one is best.

Removing the original Triumph Bonneville exhaust

The original Bonneville exhaust muffler attaches at two points. One is the nut right behind the rear passenger foot peg, and the other one is this nut that holds the clamp around the header pipe. When we loosen off those two nuts, we’ll be able to pull the muffler right off.

Behind the passenger footpeg is 12 mm nut. It can be on pretty tight and kind of tricky to get to. You’ll have a nut, then a washer, and then a little rubber washer. I recommend putting them all back in order, so that you can remember how to put it back together more easily.

Now it’s time to loosen the exhaust clamp. The nut doesn’t have to come all the way off. It just has to loosen up enough to let you pull the original muffler off.

You’ll also find a piece of rubber on the left side exhaust. That’s the stopper for the kickstand. You can pop that out with a screw driver. This will be the only difference between the left side and the right side.

With the clamp loosened, wiggle and carefully pull back the muffler until you get it off. Wrap the exhaust in a towel or old clothes to avoid damage.

Installing the TORs exhaust on a Triumph Bonneville

The TORs exhausts are easy to install. They mount exactly like the original Triumph Bonneville exhaust. Before you begin I suggest putting the kickstand stopper into the left side TORs exhaust.

Once you’re ready, position the TORs muffler on to the header, then tighten the clamp, and then mount through the passenger foot peg. Remember not to mess up the order of your hardware the foot peg goes through.

Visual differences

The TORs exhausts will look almost identical to the original Triumph Bonneville exhaust. There are only three differences:

1) If you hold both exhausts up to the sun, you’ll be able to see all the through the TORs exhaust but not the original exhaust.

2) The tab on the top of the original exhaust is chrome, but the tab on the top of the TORs exhaust is black.

3) There is a part number on both the original exhaust pipe as well as some text. These will vary from the original exhausts to the TORs slip-ons.

The text and part numbers are almost unnoticeable. Even the black tab on the TORs doesn’t stand out much at all. The one visual difference that stands out is that straight shot right through the center of the exhaust. It’s just going to let more noise come through directly, as opposed to having to weave its way through channels inside of the muffler to get out. That’s what will let you make a little more noise and a little more power as well.

Sound comparison

For a full before-and-after comparison of the original Triumph Bonneville exhausts versus the TORs slip-on, check out the video at the top of this page. We’ll be comparing the sound of both sets of exhausts at various RPMs with a quality microphone so you can decide which one you like the sound of best.

Personally, I think the TORs are a great step up, however I wish they were substantially louder. They came with my Bonneville so I won’t complain too much. They’re a great improvement over stock. They have more of a deeper tone, they let out a bit more sound. They look almost as perfect as the originals, I just wish they were a bit louder.

My next mod

The next mod I did on my Bonneville was a Motone “STOP” Brake Light Upgrade. “The Miller Light Bracket and Black STOP Light is one of the best looking Triumph Bonneville brake light mods you can do. It will improve the look of your Bonneville while still maintaining a retro vibe, and give you plenty of visibility for safety.”