Detroit Moped Works “Definitive” Guide to Performance (Puch) Moped Exhausts
Yesterday I wrote a blog about Puch e50 Basic Upgrade Packages that we like at the shop. When I shared this post on Moped Army quite a few folks commented on my choice of performance exhaust and I don’t disagree with the feedback SO here is a bit of an expanded explanation of the moped exhausts that we use the most at the shop. I’m using Puch exhausts for the purposes of this post.
Many of the same exhausts are available for other moped brands, and most of the information transfers just fine.
Additionally, you’ll note that I primarily use links and photos from Treatland. They are our main supplier & the largest moped eCommerce website in the western hemisphere, maybe in the world? They have a huge, easily navigable inventory with quite a few exclusive items. Many of these exhausts are also available from our other suppliers, Dos Cycles and Moped Division. If you are in Europe and/or looking for certain items not available domestically, we recommend our European source Puchshop. All 4 of these companies are run by excellent folks with quick shipping. If you are out of the area and just shopping online; no need to involve us. Check them all out & spread your money around. ????
IF YOU ARE LOCAL (and/or having us consult on a large build) PLEASE ORDER YOUR PARTS THROUGH US. We stock and/or can order you all of the same parts; but you don’t pay for shipping and we make a few bucks to pay for the time writing informational blogs like this and/or recording videos for our youtube channel.
Back to the Pipes
5 – puch tecno CHROME BOSS performance pipe – When it comes to the sub-$100 Euro pipes; Jammy, Boss, Bullet, 2Part, Biturbo, Tecno Circuit, Grand Prix; they are all *kind of* the same. They all have a wider header so they all breathe better than your old clogged stock pipe. They are all *kind of* slow off the line. They all will do well in the mid-high rpm range *if you have your carb, clutch, and spark dialed in perfectly.* BUT the Boss is just made a little better. The baffle on the Boss pipes don’t break and/or fall off as easily, there is no seam down the middle to split & the chrome usually holds up well. They are straight and chrome, which makes them look similar to a stock pipe (which many people like). They idle quiet, but sound strong when at high RPM. They are a smidge better of the line than the others (like just barely)… also they are ALWAYS IN STOCK and they are only $61. For what we are doing for customers, they are the clear winner. BUT if you are a DIY hobbyist and you prefer the look of any of those other sub-$100 Euro pipes, go for it – they all preform very similarly.
1 – puch PROMA circuit performance pipe – “If it does not hit – Proma It!” This is by far the best pipe off the line. It is so strong in the low to mid RPM range that it will usually pull you through your poor clutch tuning, timing, point gap, fine carb tuning, etc. AND if you actually tune your bike correctly you can really maximize that power. It enables you to pull a tall gear ratio and *safely* get speeds over 50mph from your gear rather than just spinning high RPMS. They make this pipe for Puch, Honda, Vespa, & Minarelli; we love it on all of them. It really shines on the Puch ZA50 2 speed motor. Also it’s only $105; still pretty affordable. BUT… your baffle will fall off if you don’t weld it on, and crack off if you do; you’ll sound like a cheap dirtbike or swarm of wasps in a tin can or something; it does not really have a finish, so it will rust; and a lot of people think it looks stupid. Also, because of it’s popularity, it is out of stock for a few months per year. Lastly, folks building super high RPM bikes with huge carbs will find that it hits a wall not too far past 10K rpms; but you can easily get 50mph from it and how much more do you really need to go on a moped… really
1.5 – Puch DOS Circuit Exhaust – Formerly the “WSL” circuit pipe sold by 1977 mopeds; this budget version of the Proma has all of the same pros and cons as the normal Proma BUT is likely to be in stock AND can bought unfinished OR Chromed – WOW! 
2 – puch estoril performance pipe – The ”restricted” aluminum baffle end bleed version specifically is the second best pipe off the line. Much like the Puch proma, it pulls excellent off the line and through the mids but hits a wall somewhere after 10K RPM, BUT it very quiet (for a performance moped pipe) and has a much more sturdy construction. We also love this pipe. Down sides are as follows. The “clear coat” is more or less just to protect it from rusting on the shelf. As soon as you ride the bike it melts off, stinks, and your header will start rusting. There is no pedal clearance, so you can’t pedal on a Maxi or Pinto without modifications. The baffle *may* break off eventually; but not as soon as with other pipes. The baffle sits where your buddy pegs go, so you loose that option. Also, it’s just about always out of stock.
There are also 3 cousins to this pipe. The puch estoril performance pipe BLACK CARBON is basically the same, but the chamber has less “stuff in it.” This means it is a bit louder and slower off the line but can get to a slightly higher RPM. It’s *almost* as good. The puch radical SIDEBLEED estoril performance pipe + adjustable end bleed is also pretty similar but it has these end bleed “jets” that allow you to create a small exhaust leak. This causes them to be really really loud and allows you to hit higher RPMS. It’s not really my thing; but it is a decently priced higher RPM option for an e50 (not za50) and you sound kind of like a straight piped mini-bike guy with the largest end bleed “Jet.” The puch tecnigas next performance exhaust pipe is always out of stock and costs a bit more so we don’t have a ton of experience with it; but the experience we have had has always been good. It has a larger baffle and nicer finish than the normal Estoril, so that’s a bonus. 
3 – puch maxi chrome stock exhaust pipe by tecno – 28mm OD/24mm ID – This is “kind of the best pipe ever.” It is probably the 3rd best pipe off the line, it looks stock, it’s not full of old carbon from the 70’s, it’s only $40, it is heavy & well made, and it hits a hard wall at about 8500 RPM So you *probably* won’t smoke your stock crank… oh and it sounds really throaty and healthy. The worst thing about it is that it has been out of stock basically since the pandemic started; before that we ran this pipe a lot. On an e50 geared 18X45 8,500 RPM gets you 44 mph – that’s great fun. On a za50 geared 21X37 8,500 RPM gets you 51mph. For $40 and a stock look and a stock crank, there is nothing better. With either of these set ups, you’ll need to build the bike right to get to that RPM wall with that tall gear- but you can do it! You’ll want to remove the m7 nut from the end of the pipe, re-install it with red-loctite, then lock a second nut against that first one. Otherwise one day you’ll be wound out and your baffle will shoot out down the street and get run over by like 20 cars (we’ve seen this happen quite a few times, lol).
4 – puch chrome pipe aka TREAT pipe version 1 pipe – This is our choice for a totally solid sub-$200 cool guy pipe. This thing comes in Chrome, Black, or Unfinished. I kind of lump it in with the Homoet, MLM peoples pipe, and for that matter then end bleed Estoril, and tecnigas next. THESE COOL GUY PIPES SHOULD BE RUN WITH 65-72cc Cylinders & 17-22mm CARBEURATORS. Every other pipe mentioned in this blog would be fine with larger kits and pipes but are really suited for 12mm-15mm carbs and 50-70cc kits. This family of cool guy pipes look good, are made well, breathe well, and don’t sacrifice much off the line. The more power you give a 40 year old toy motorcycle; the less longevity the motor will have and the harder the mechanics (brakes, cables, chains, bearings, etc) have to work, so we don’t build a ton of bikes like this for your average user – BUT if you are looking to build a ripper that is still *kind of, sort of* reliable these are the pipes to use.
4.5 – PUCH BOTANAS RACING PERFORMANCE EXHAUST – Dos Cycles came out with their their offering in this family of “Cool Guy” pipes. It is also excellent like the pipes mentioned above & it is currently in stock on sale for a screaming deal. – WOW!
* – MOTION LEFT MOPEDS PIPES – Honestly MLM pipes are not really ever going to be our choice for “normal” flat port Puch Builds BUT they are really well made here in the US and great for so many other things.
- Puch 70cc Reed Kits and/or 72-80cc kits paired w/ 22-26mm carbs. When going this big; you need to have somewhere for all of that combusted gas and air to go. The huge MLM pipes; BK100, Cali, Davinci, Paragon, G-104 all will accept that and get you the most out of it. ALSO, you kind of need that much air coming into these pipes to get them to hit, so don’t try these with a smaller set up. These high RPM builds tend to be kind of slow off the line then scarry fast through SUPER HIGH RPMs. They are not really for city riding and/or for our customers; so we don’t know them well enough to share the subtle differences between the different huge MLM pipes. Maybe read the treats reviews? Either way, every time we have built and/or ridden a bike with one of these huge pipes they have sounded great and pulled hard (after they hit).
- Small Puch Angle Port Cylinders. The MLM people’s pipe is pretty similar in performance to the other cool guy pipes mentioned earlier; so for a puch flat port with so many choices we could “take it or leave it,” BUT for a stock angle port as found on a Magnum, Korado, Hero, Austro Daimler, etc it is SO nice to have appropriately sized plug and play options thanks to treats & MLM. The same can be said for the MLM peoples pipe made specifically for the Puch Hero 65cc kit. That set up hits so hard.
- People’s Pipes For Every Other Random Bike with (almost) no pipe choices. Sachs, Batavus M48 AND M56, Minarelli V1, Garelli NOI AND VIP, Genuine Buddy, Morini, Kreidler, Peugeot 102, Rizzatto Califfo, Yamaha Razz & Chappy, Spree, TRAC… Seriously, many of these brands have no pipe choices and/or the other pipes are never available; the plug and play MLM pipes allow you to open up these rando bikes to at lease breathe and stick with traffic. It’s pretty great.
- next level STOCK pipes for Japanese NoPeds – Every QT50, FA50, NC50, Na50, NU50 has a super clogged pipe from 30 years of sitting with the oil injector slowly leaching excess oil into the pipe, after being run with super rich factory calibration. MLM really found a winner with these pipes that allow you to go from stinky, clogged & 10% slower than stock to clean burning and 10% faster than stock.
Hopefully you find this information to be helpful. Leave a comment below letting us know your thoughts on our suggestions and/or what else you’d like us to blog about.
