A word about "Slip-on/Exhaust Tips" (more specifically Coffman's)

JINKSTER

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I used the "Search" feature to see if Coffman's Exhaust Tip (slip-ons) had gained any popularity among Hayabusa owners but only found a thread that was littered with a wide variety of opinions ranging from those who loved the sound and price point to those who equated such with $30 exhaust tips from auto zone?....LOL!...well here's my opinion on things after owning a Kaw ZRX1100R that I brought from bone stock too Stage III with a 4:1 full exhaust muzzy megaphone to my FZ1 dyno-tuned with Ivan's Jet Kit and making 136rwhp through a full Yosh exhaust and of course my Hayabusa which I equipped with a BMC (Race) Air Filter, PCIIIUSB and Full Akropovic Exhaust where I had Ken Wheeler Dyno-Tune the A/F ratios adding some fine touches to Ivan's Map and now?...years later I find myself with a hot mess of a used '08 ZX-14 that came equipped with Coffman's Exhaust Tip (sans the baffle cores) so here's my hindsight take on all things exhaust related....

After having purchased, installed and experienced the effects of full system exhausts on my ZRX, FZ1 and Hayabusa?...I knew that no matter what bike I garaged next?...that I would be opting for slip-on's (over full exhaust systems) and here's why...

Prefaced with: Top Speed Runs (Think Bonneville), 1/4 Mile Dragstrips & Dyno Night Shootouts and all associated bragging rights aside?....

When I look back and speaking as an all around street-bike rider and lover of mountain twisties?...I find myself wishing I had opted for slip-on's instead of full exhaust systems because once the engines inhale was opened up with thin oiled gauze race air filters and the exhale was opened up with full system headers?...all that happened was horsepower was increased in the far north regions of my tachometer but came at the cost of low-end torque or more eloquently put?...

"Much of the goodness I regularly used got moved too a place I rarely had reason to venture too."

Now don't get me wrong here as I definitely had more than my fair share of fun with full system exhaust from top speed runs in safe and controlled area's too reeling in competitors in the final yards of the Outlaw Drags (in Deland, FL) but these events made up but a fraction of a single percent of the riding I did and still do therefore?...while I did my best to look for a bone stock Hayabusa (or just slip-ons)?...I wound up with a ZX-14R with just slip-on's and in this case it was Coffman's Exhaust tips and now I'll just shamelessly copy and paste what I posted in a FB community and make no mistake folks...Coffman's isn't just $30 exhaust tips from auto zone and I'm quite impressed at how much sound suppression Gary Coffman has managed to harness is such light, short exhaust tips where the benefits one gains are...

1. Great sound for 1/3rd-1/2 the cost of a full system.

2. No loss of low end torque but?...

3. A huge loss of Dual Stock Canister & Mid-Pipe Weight! (we're talking approx. a 40-60lb weight savings here which in and of itself is the equivalent of about 10 extra ponies!)

I knew nothing of Coffman's prior to receiving such on my latest purchase but I can now divulge with confidence that Coffman's rox even when mine were a bit beat up as follows...

It's often times a multitude of "Little Things" that build up over time which causes folks to start thinking about selling their bikes...I know that was the case for me when I regretfully decided to sell my beloved Hayabusa after 8 years of ownership where it needed a complete freshening up from tires too suspension too new chain & sprockets and in a weak moment?...I made the mistake of listing it "For Sale" and what a sad day it was when I waived goodbye too Oren Ishii as she rolled away on someone else's trailer and now?...now I bought somebody else's hot mess of a '08 ZX-14R and despite it having a new set of Pirelli's on it?...I already changed the oil that looked like black ink...and for $150 I replaced the gauge cluster do to a bleeding LCD...washed, waxed and did the chain maintenance thing and then?...Then I called Coffman's so I could order up two new baffle cores for the loud azz Coffman Shorty slip-ons that were on this bike and in the process?...I asked Pam Coffman if she'd be kind enough to send me a new "Coffman's Badge" for the left side exhaust where the previous knucklehead had pretty much beat it in half with a miss-adjusted aftermarket kickstand (with no kick stand spacer added) and she did and this morning?...I addressed that by removing the old rivets...warming up the pipe and hitting it with some VHT ceramic header paint and then mounting up the new Coffman's Badge and I think I did a bang up job if I do say so myself! But this hot mess of a ZX-14 is coming back together very nicely and I love the power it regained in the low-end by replacing the baffles!






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Not wanting to be argumentative, and certainly not doubting your word, but can you explain how these tips constitute an exhaust system, and how they are better than what they appear to be? They look substantively no different from the resonated tips that one can find at a parts store. I get the weight reduction part of the equation, but the power of an exhaust system is made in the header, and obviously this ain't that. I suppose if the factory manifold is so well designed that it leaves little or nothing on the table as far as performance gains then slip ons could be as effective, but I suspect that ain't the case. School me.....
 
I used the "Search" feature to see if Coffman's Exhaust
"Much of the goodness I regularly used got moved too a place I rarely had reason to venture too."

Dear friend, looked at this dyno chart.
is the dynamometer in my Busa, with yoshimura slipons R77 and after changing to Ti Force full system with dual slip ons. The power is more everywhere, not just on the high rpm.
I disagree with you is not the way you describe it.
The only one you will need in the full exhaust system is a good dyno setup and a new map.

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Not wanting to be argumentative, and certainly not doubting your word, but can you explain how these tips constitute an exhaust system, and how they are better than what they appear to be? They look substantively no different from the resonated tips that one can find at a parts store. I get the weight reduction part of the equation, but the power of an exhaust system is made in the header, and obviously this ain't that. I suppose if the factory manifold is so well designed that it leaves little or nothing on the table as far as performance gains then slip ons could be as effective, but I suspect that ain't the case. School me.....

Well Mr. Brown?...there's nothing wrong with a good argument especially when one participant gets to learn while the other gets to pass on hard won experience and I'll be the first to admit there's been many times I've engaged in such debates where I started out "The Teacher" and soon became "The Student" LOL!

That said?...allow me to address you inquiries in sequence....

1. I would not say these tips alone "constitute an exhaust system" but they do complete one based off the factory stock header and do at a fraction of the mass & weight of canister type slip-on's.

2. As compared too $30 resonated auto parts store exhaust tips?...well that's somewhere between a great question and where do I begin? LOL! but lemme take a crack at this by saying the obvious differences are...

1. A gargantuan difference in the level of build quality where Coffman's Tips are CNC machined from solid material rather than pressed out of sheet metal where they come in a number of anodized color options and are replaceable.

2. The fact that the tips are CNC Machined is what made it possible for Coffman's to not only offer up replacement tips but also made it possible to incorporate an internal snap-ring arrangement which in turn makes it possible for the end user to choose from 3 different Sound/Back-Pressure Baffle configurations/options of...

A: No Baffles (loudest and most free flowing)

B: Glass-Less Pinched End Suppressors (which simply offers up a second baffle core barrel of perforated metal still rendering a nice growl at WOT yet non-offensive at steady speeds and idle) and?...

C: Conventional Glass Packed Baffle Cores (the quietest and most restrictive of the 3 options offered)

and I guess the not so obvious deal here is I'll admit there's a pride factor involved where while I wouldn't mind at all my riding buds eyeballing my Coffman's Exhaust Tip's?...I think I might feel a little uncomfortable explaining why I would put $30 auto zone exhaust tips on my thousands of dollars hyper-sport-bike! LOL! as I think that would be a little hard to explain where meanwhile?...I'm pretty sure Gary Coffman didn't just take a S.W.A.G. at what sorts of "Flow" ( and back-pressures) would be appropriate when designing his selection of baffles and suppressors like any of us would surely be doing when we reached into that bargain bin at auto zone! LOL!

Here's a pic of my Coffman's with the baffles missing and two pix of what things look like with the suppressor snap-ringed in place along with the S.S. shin plate and the high temp silicone O-ring (you can't see on the other side)...a lot of thought went into things at Coffman's and so far?...paint me impressed (even though I'm not the original purchaser who selected and mounted them on this bike)...that should speak volumes right there...oh...and a word about customer support?..."Phenomenal" LOL! ;)

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A fair assessment indeed. I'm unsold on the concept that any performance gains other than weight loss would be had, and I still think that calling tips an "Exhaust (tip) System" is clever marketing at best, but you have shown me that they are far better than what is sold at auto parts stores, and great customer service is indeed the most important part of any business, so that's a win too. The flexibility and interchangeable baffle options are a plus as well. All said, they're not for me, (not even on the Ninja 300 that also reside in my garage, any pipe on that sounds ridiculous imo), but I can see the appeal for others, and it seems a much better investment than similar looking things sold at the parts store. Thanks for schoolin me!
 
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Dear friend, looked at this dyno chart.
is the dynamometer in my Busa, with yoshimura slipons R77 and after changing to Ti Force full system with dual slip ons. The power is more everywhere, not just on the high rpm.
I disagree with you is not the way you describe it.
The only one you will need in the full exhaust system is a good dyno setup and a new map.

View attachment 1596134

Good post whiteBusa but I'm fairly certain there are other things at play forming the differences in our experiences as I don't believe either are imagined. LOL!

What I'm thinking here is that your Busa is most likely a Euro spec Gen II where your Busa was still left exhaling through a CAT with the Yosh slip-on's while the full system TiForce exhaust did away with the CAT which in turn made a very different difference as compared to what I experienced of cat-less systems and BTW?...Very Nice Numbers! :)

So in this respect?...this does toss a wildcard into my opinions concerning such but here again I find myself in a tug-o-war asking..."So How Much For How Much and How Much Is Too Much?" LOL!

I'm no longer of the mindset that "I Must Have Every Available Pony" because the simple fact of the matter is be it my Busa or This ZX-14 or even my old FZ1?...I've rarely if ever been in a normal riding situation where I thought..."Dang...I didn't bring enough bike!" LOL! and I do like the price-point of the Coffman's and I also like the fact that whether I throw my riding jacket over the saddle or lock my $500 Shoei on the bikes helmet lock?...nothings going to burn, boil, bubble or melt! LOL!

here's some pix from my past...

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Good post whiteBusa but I'm fairly certain there are other things at play forming the differences in our experiences as I don't believe either are imagined. LOL!

What I'm thinking here is that your Busa is most likely a Euro spec Gen II where your Busa was still left exhaling through a CAT with the Yosh slip-on's while the full system TiForce exhaust did away with the CAT which in turn made a very different difference as compared to what I experienced of cat-less systems and BTW?...Very Nice Numbers! :)

So in this respect?...this does toss a wildcard into my opinions concerning such but here again I find myself in a tug-o-war asking..."So How Much For How Much and How Much Is Too Much?" LOL!

I'm no longer of the mindset that "I Must Have Every Available Pony" because the simple fact of the matter is be it my Busa or This ZX-14 or even my old FZ1?...I've rarely if ever been in a normal riding situation where I thought..."Dang...I didn't bring enough bike!" LOL! and I do like the price-point of the Coffman's and I also like the fact that whether I throw my riding jacket over the saddle or lock my $500 Shoei on the bikes helmet lock?...nothings going to burn, boil, bubble or melt! LOL!

here's some pix from my past...

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My friend JINKSTER I can understand the way you think.
I believe the value of an full exhaust is not only evaluated by the increase in power.
It is also the weight reduction, and overall quality., which also appears in the image you uploaded.
the factories have many limitations, pollutant controls, and low cost for not having a high price or a motorcycles.
I see the titanium of the Ti force head and I am so happy which I removed the factory head.
 
All I can add is hold judgement until you actually hear them. I honestly havent heard a better sounding busa. I understand that everyone has a diff idea of good sound. When I was looking for exhaust, I was not limited with a price, luckily. I stumbked across the Coffmans and immediately loved the sleek look. Took a chance and put them on. I love them. I get a ton of compliments too. Mine still have the baffles in. I was not looking to squeeze every bit of power or save a ton of weight on a setup. I strictly wanted a nice looking system that sounded great. Period. These do that for such a low cost it is insane. And yes, the quality is honestly second to none.
Now, if you look at these and immediately shrug and want to vomit at the look, I get that. But to me they are one of the sexiest pipes available.
Put one on my 2014 VFR too and they sound awesome as well. Kinda hard to make that Honda vvt motor sound chitty tho!
Troy
 
All I can add is hold judgement until you actually hear them. I honestly havent heard a better sounding busa. I understand that everyone has a diff idea of good sound. When I was looking for exhaust, I was not limited with a price, luckily. I stumbked across the Coffmans and immediately loved the sleek look. Took a chance and put them on. I love them. I get a ton of compliments too. Mine still have the baffles in. I was not looking to squeeze every bit of power or save a ton of weight on a setup. I strictly wanted a nice looking system that sounded great. Period. These do that for such a low cost it is insane. And yes, the quality is honestly second to none.
Now, if you look at these and immediately shrug and want to vomit at the look, I get that. But to me they are one of the sexiest pipes available.
Put one on my 2014 VFR too and they sound awesome as well. Kinda hard to make that Honda vvt motor sound chitty tho!
Troy
Funny you mention the look, I'm not a fan of that at all. Voodoo, Lord whatshisname, these, none of them. But for your purposes, and others who like the look, these appear to be the best of the bunch.
 
I've seen and heard Coffman's on a gen2.
They aren't my thing, but they do appear to be very well made.
I did not notice much difference in the tone or volume, vs just riding with no mufflers and the stock gen2 header(with the cat stock and gutted too).
For anyone that likes the look and sound, they're so much better looking than auto parts-store tips.
 
Well I thank you all for your honest thoughts and appraisals as I sort of expected a bit of a flaming as I myself would've been strongly seated in the full system or bust camp just a few years ago championing the mantra of "Go Big or Go Home" cause ya know what they say about 1/2 measures but?...times have changed and so have I where by my math and finances say if I go full system?...we're looking at about $2K-$3K to do it right with a race air filter...PC...and dyno tuned remapping and for what?...10-15 more ponies on a bike that was sporting 180+rwhp out of the box?...see what I'm say'in Vern?...then again?...I'm a 60 year old, post stroke diabetic so what exhilarates me?....might very well bore a younger man to death these days! LOL!

Thank you for putting up with and humoring me everyone! L8R, Bill. :)
 
Funny you mention the look, I'm not a fan of that at all. Voodoo, Lord whatshisname, these, none of them. But for your purposes, and others who like the look, these appear to be the best of the bunch.

Lord whatshisname.... Lord Humongous LOL!!
F@ck me he was funny. I can't find his original videos. All of it was absolute shite.

cheers
ken
 
Lord whatshisname.... Lord Humongous LOL!!
F@ck me he was funny. I can't find his original videos. All of it was absolute shite.

cheers
ken
Oh, I knew his name, I just wasn't going to honor him by using it....
 
I love the look of these and wanted them for mine but wasn't in the finances so i got my dan-moto and now trying to fit up the hmf i got from the wonderful @Red05 before riding season gets here. I did a lot of looking into these and as Bill said there is more to them then the cheapy tips you see on eBay. And seeing as I'm not looking for much more power for mine I'll probably have a set fitted to mine eventually.
 
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