Fishtail Style Exhaust Pipes

[Keith Kizer]

A motorsports author is writing a book and is researching the History of "fishtail" style exhaust pipes. Is anyone aware when this style began, more as a functional thing back in the 20's or so? Wondering about that beginning and then of course how that then morphed into more of a style rather than function as time went on. Any suggestions as to where I may get more info or who I might contact to talk about this? If you have an old bike with these pipes and would be interested in featuring your bike, or at least your tailpipe in this coffee table book, let me know and I'll hook you up with the author.

[Tommo]

The first Fishtail style I'm aware of appeared on the tailpipe of the 1913 Triumphs.
I really think the style was made popular at Brooklands when pressure was put on the competitors to lower the noise of their machines in about 1924-25.
This led to the "Brooklands can" as it became known and many examples of these mufflers can be seen in Dr. Joe Bayley's book "The Vintage Years at Brooklands"
There may be others but Velocette were I think the last ones to use this style of silencer on production motorcycles

[Tommo]

I had a dig around and found this picture of the Triumph fishtail

[Keith Kizer]

Peter, thanks for the information. I have passed it along to the author.

[RussBees]

Keith:

Yes...I have a 1955 Nimbus (Danish) bike with the fishtail type of exhaust end.

Regards,

Russ