As someone who has spent way too much on custom exhaust components for my old VFRs I can say without a doubt it is absolutely worth it. The custom headers weigh just a few pounds less than stock, but they are stainless so will outlast the bike. They also make more power up top, and smooth out the fueling.

 The stock VFR mufflers are boat anchors. One of 'em weighs more than all 3 of my aftermarket mufflers combined. They have a nice deep sound, but are far too polite for me. I don't have a problem with loud pipes. I know how to keep RPMs down, and be light on the throttle when I'm in town. That's not where you want to haul ass anyway.

 Even a straight piped HD can be mellow if you're not a douchebag.

Aftermarket slip on?  Skip it.  For $400 or thereabouts, you can have a nice long weekend road trip and stay under the popo-dar.  I like stealth. 


I've had them on used bikes, but I never bought them.  One (the KLR) was obscenely obnoxious, killed the power and quickly got removed for a nice used stock replacement. The POS aftermarket got tossed in the recycling bin.  OTOH, the Yoshs on the Trophy were not obnoxious and didn't offend my sensibilities or hearing.  Same with the Remus system on the 1150GS.

I find myself in this camp... My last long term bike had a wonderful Muzzy Titanium and Carbon exhaust that sounded great, but still droned on the highway. As well, the 5-0 did hear me coming enough that I feel it decreased my luck.

Other side of the fence, I liked the sound for 'expressions' sake. Nothing like a deep-throated rumble to get the malingerers in the crosswalk moving, or to make the cutie in the next car smile. (OK, so I'm still 13, what of it?).

BUT... the ZRX has a big boat anchor of a system. Double walled restrictive steel from the headers to the canister, and a stainless canister that is bigger than a gatling water jacket. It's legit huge. But quiet. Oh so quiet. I can't say I haven't been pulled over on it, but I've never heard the phrase "I heard you coming". And I (frankly) have been eyeballed doing Way-F'n-Extralegal^tm on numerous occasions and just got no notice for it because it doesn't shriek and I sit up straight not hiding under the paint. HiViz helps too. I can't hide that I'm there, but not yelling sure seems to screw up their impressions of speed.

That said... yes, I want one. But I dont' want to rejet either. so there we go... Can't have it both ways I guess.

LT

I think they're a waste of money myself. I have a service connected hearing disability which oddly enough makes my ears very sensitive to certain tones. The "deep throated HD rumble" being one of them, is downright painful. Other cruisers sound like a flatulent air cooled VW or just plain crap. A well tuned sportbike sounds good but not for any length of time.

As far as the weight savings goes, for an (ahem) "well-marbled" gentleman like me it isn't going to make a lot of difference anyway other than lightening my wallet.

Quote from: chornbe on October 11, 2019, 07:40:28 AM

Quote from: M.Brane on October 10, 2019, 08:24:03 PM

...a straight piped HD...    ...if you're not a douchebag.

 

(don't ever start it)

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Ok, ok... now I get it.

Some of you may remember Skippy from the now defunct Ninja 250 forum. You remember.... welding an exhaust on a wooden bench with flammable solvents all around, and the poor dog staring at the bright welding torch. Not to mention the lack of PPE...

So here's a link to something equally entertaining or appalling or...um....creative...

https://www.facebook.com/BenPhillipsUK/videos/750790528769649/

ShervinRRR built a VW exhaust?

Quote from: viffergyrl on October 11, 2019, 10:17:16 PM

Some of you may remember Skippy from the now defunct Ninja 250 forum. You remember.... welding an exhaust on a wooden bench with flammable solvents all around, and the poor dog staring at the bright welding torch. Not to mention the lack of PPE...

So here's a link to something equally entertaining or appalling or...um....creative...

https://www.facebook.com/BenPhillipsUK/videos/750790528769649/

ShervinRRR built a VW exhaust?

  I had blocked that name from my memory. Thanks for that (no sarcasm implied).

Yoshimura makes good stuff. I had one on my 94 VFR. It had a nice deep tone, and not too loud. Assembled with screws so re-packing was easy.

Thanks for the input, but I've arrived at the conclusion that modifying my exhaust is unlikely to get me what I'm looking for at this time.  But never say never.  Tax time is just around the start of the next riding season, maybe Uncle Sam will be good to me?.

one thing to keep in mind with advertised power gains is that they may be in an RPM range that you don't use a lot and they may also be at the expense of losses in an RPM range that you do use. a lesson painfully learned with a new supertrapp system and stage 3 jet kit back in the 80's on my nighthawk S.

This. Unless you spend all day eking out another 1/4 hp at 13,500 RPM, 99.9 times out of 100 street-level mods are never realized (at least to full potential) and are a galactic waste of money.

Weight's the thing. Sure, tone. But we have to remember - some really, really smart people are putting these total package, do-most-everything-rather-excellently-these-days motorcycle final solutions together. You almost never improve the whole by modifying a single system.

Except suspension. That's where they always do and MUST go with the most common denominator solution. Fix that first. Always. Everything else is cart before the horse kind of dumb, IMO.

Spend your money on suspension upgrades; the ROI is roughly 1000:1 over exhaust in terms of making you safer, faster, more planted, and more in control, which leads to being safer, faster, more plant... you see how this circle plays out.

Certainly agree with the comments about suspension.  I upgraded front and back on my Little Red Ninja and transformed that bike.  But it came with a notoriously bad stock setup.  I'm giving the Ninjette some time before jumping in on a suspension project. 

This. Unless you spend all day eking out another 1/4 hp at 13,500 RPM, 99.9 times out of 100 street-level mods are never realized (at least to full potential) and are a galactic waste of money.

Weight's the thing. Sure, tone. But we have to remember - some really, really smart people are putting these total package, do-most-everything-rather-excellently-these-days motorcycle final solutions together. You almost never improve the whole by modifying a single system.

Except suspension. That's where they always do and MUST go with the most common denominator solution. Fix that first. Always. Everything else is cart before the horse kind of dumb, IMO.

Spend your money on suspension upgrades; the ROI is roughly 1000:1 over exhaust in terms of making you safer, faster, more planted, and more in control, which leads to being safer, faster, more plant... you see how this circle plays out.

Agreed on suspension.

But if takes you all day for 1/3 HP find another hobby. Spend all day? I write an EFI map in less than 2 hours from scratch on most bikes. And the gains are significant both in numbers and other things such as economy and response with no loss in reliability. I'm getting 130+ HP from a 117 Stage 4 Milwaukee 8 while keeping the factory warranty and reliability. And they make 100 LB-FT of torque just off idle.

Just in case there's anyone else researching CARB or ECE compliance in a slip on exhaust, I came across these Arrow slips ons that are claimed to be street legal:  https://www.arrow.it/en/assembled/1664/Kawasaki-Z-400-2019

I presume that compliance only comes with the db killer in place.