Review: Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde Nomad S Exhaust
We live in an increasingly small world. It doesn’t take much to fly halfway around the globe in mere hours.
Last week, I finished a fascinating book called Save Our Souls. Set in the late 1880s, it’s a true story chronicling the shipwreck of the Wandering Minstrel and the resulting stranding of the surviving crew on the Midway atoll for 14 months.
According to the book, becoming a castaway wasn’t that uncommon. What an ordeal! Next time you’re sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire, just be glad you’re not on a remote island.
What does this have to do with a review of an exhaust, you ask? Not much other than the book referenced in the manufacturer’s name, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886).
As a scholar who enjoys RoadRUNNER’s editorial among other literature, I’m sure you’re intricately familiar with the famous tale. I, on the other hand, had never heard of the book. After coming across the book’s title, my first thought went to the Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde Nomad S exhaust we installed on our 2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure sweepstakes bike we’re giving away.
I had to put down Save Our Souls to look up The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In a nutshell, Dr. Henry Jekyll is a respected, well-mannered scientist fascinated by the idea that every person has both a noble and a wicked side. He develops a chemical potion to separate these aspects of himself, but upon drinking it, he transforms into Edward Hyde, a smaller, violent, amoral incarnation of himself, free from conscience or societal restraints.
OK, now it all makes sense. The premium exhaust company’s clever name stems from the novel. The Nomad S exhaust has two (actually three, but we’ll get to that) modes:
- Dr. Jekill: Quiet, legal, and neighborhood-friendly
- Mr. Hyde: Loud, aggressive, and performance-focused
Instead of some sketchy potion, a press of a button causes a transformation between a subdued and a roaring sound—mirroring the dual nature of man explored in the novel.
The U.S. headquarters of the European brand happens to be in North Carolina, relatively close to our editorial offices. Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde is an official RoadRUNNER sweepstakes sponsor, so we shuttled the GSA to their garage and let Edward “Eddie” Plam, sales director for North America, perform an expert installation.
The swap took him a little over an hour. The mechanically inclined can manage a home installation.
But what’s so special about this exhaust?
Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde products are built to comply with EU homologation laws and noise regulations, meaning that you can more or less be sure that they’re legal in the U.S. and Canada. With our Nomad S model, a handlebar-mounted button controls a servo motor for a valve system inside the exhaust.
Working with the bike’s CAN bus system, the exhaust always starts in the quietest Dr. Jekill mode. A push of the button opens the valve for a performance-oriented and throaty sound, like Mr. Hyde (minus the self-destructive tendencies).
A double tap on the button sets the valve in a half-open (or half-closed for you pessimists) position for an in-between mode. I found myself in Dr. Jekyll mode each morning leaving the Fontana Resort, but as soon as I hit SR 28, Mr. Hyde came out to play.
I rarely used the 50% mode. I’m either all in or out—there’s no in between with me.
The all-stainless-steel construction speaks to the premium build of Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde exhausts. Fitments are available for BMW, Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph, Victory, and some custom builds. You can even choose designs, finishes, and end caps to match your bike’s aesthetic. We went with a black one with a Hexagon Carbon Gloss end cap for our giveaway GSA.
I’ve seen a lot of cool products over the last few decades, but this exhaust is easily in the Top 10. Here’s an exhaust that lets you change the note without replacing parts or using manual baffles, complies with EU laws, and feels at home in a Starbucks parking lot just as much as in the paddock.
Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde Nomad S Exhaust
$1,870