Am i being to picky

[ottafish]

Going to Sandblast them today and coat them with a high temp paint, and if i like it i will get them ceramic coated. Will post some photos later.
I still feel a bit bitter over this, but in time i will forget. I do know if i every buy a Gen3 or another bike, i won't be fitting Akrapovic's on it.
If it was a full race system for a track bike i don't think i would have been so picky. But as this is there road going slip-ons, i would have thought the QC would have been on par or better than Yoshimura.

I'm really surprised by the markings. I've had a few Akro systems and always been top quality. Such a shame to see..

[DougE]

I'm really surprised by the markings. I've had a few Akro systems and always been top quality. Such a shame to see..

I hope this doesn't become a common issues with premium brands due to the supply shortage. They will want to think that because the product is in such demand that they can lower the QC standards.

[Martin.UK]

So i have been busy this morning and got the link pipes and Headers sandblasted and painted. They all look so much better now.
My exhaust wrap should be here today, so i can wrap the headers over the weekend. Just waiting for the decat H section to come.

[xc700]

looks good , sad you have to pay top dollar for a product made by cheap labor production. pride of product and quality is gone. just a person answering the want ad that is making your stuff.

[Dai.]

I wouldn't say picky at all. You paid the price for a top shelf product which should be flawless unless otherwise stated.

[Martin.UK]

Well this morning i got the headers wrapped and the R&G protectors fitted to the carbon fibre cans. I have removed the decals from the cans, and have orderd 2 black and silver genuine akrapovic ones which i think look better than the Red & Yellow. Also i think what i have saved in weight removing the cat, I have put back on with the exhaust wrap.
As i said before i'm just waiting for the decat H section to come. It should be here in about 2 weeks.

[ottafish]

Nice job of the wrapping

[michael parris heuberger]

Well this morning i got the headers wrapped and the R&G protectors fitted to the carbon fibre cans. I have removed the decals from the cans, and have orderd 2 black and silver genuine akrapovic ones which i think look better than the Red & Yellow. Also i think what i have saved in weight removing the cat, I have put back on with the exhaust wrap.
As i said before i'm just waiting for the decat H section to come. It should be here in about 2 weeks.

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Hi. What did you or someone paint them with? I am having my Inconel turbo header coated at IA coatings in Huston Tx. They will not need to be wrappted. The are also doing the turbo too so no need for a blanket.

[Martin.UK]

I used Stove HTP. Used it before and it's good.
As for wrapping the headers. My reason is to remove the heat from under the bike when stuck in traffic. Did it on my old Gen1 over 10 years ago.

Old photo

[Martin.UK]

Just been thinking, I know the OEM headers are a 41mm pipe. What size pipe do the likes of Akrapovic and Yoshimura and the other aftermarket makers use. And what are the pro's and con's of a larger or smaller pipework for the headers.

[sixpack577]

Rule of thumb is that smaller I.D pipes make more low to mid-range power, where larger I.D pipes tend to make more mid to high range rpm power.
Most aftermarket headers are around 1mm larger I.D, but it varies by manufacturer.
Also consider that stock headers are designed to function well, for the least cost, and comply with emissions.
Vs an aftermarket exhaust maker, that can focus the majority of their budget on their specific products.
Which means better materials, so no corrosion, and better disapation of heat.
Better bends and tube lengths and diameters, which means better flow, better timed exhaust pulses, less heat build up, no emissions to adhere to, resulting in more useable power.
There is almost always a significant drop in weight too, aftermarket headers will save you several pounds...and they're usually shiny, lol.
Decatting your stock header is a good idea, and will make a nice improvement in power, and especially heat loss.
But, if you were to dyno and ride both back to back, you would feel gains in the aftermarket headers, useable power too, and with a passenger, when the engine is under more load from the extra weight.

[sixpack577]

I'm putting a full Black Widow exhaust on my Kawasaki Concours now.
Stainless pipes, and steel muffler sleeve with a carbon fiber cap and a removable baffle.
So far I only have the stock muffler off.
I weighed it vs the BW.
Stock is 20.4 lbs
BW is 8.4 lbs
I will weigh the stock header vs the BW once I get it off.
Stock is a steel header with catalytic converter, so there should be another 5 lbs+ to come off, maybe a little more.
I may wrap the header and midpipe over the winter too, to move more heat out of the muffler, vs radiating off the pipes.
It's also nice to have no corrosion under heat wrap with stainless pipes, and to see the unwrapped stainless around the cylinder head pipe bends, or all of the bare stainless pipes.
It's a nice clean look through the fairings.

[ROADTOAD1340]

Duel diameter headers are common nowadays on performance exhausts . Both my bikes got that setup .

[Martin.UK]

So really i have done and gone the right way with what i have done decatting the OEM exhaust and wrapping it with the Akrapovic slip-ons. Good low to mid power is what i will use most. I have the PCv already, i'm also thinking of getting the autotune aswell. I will still have it setup on a dyno. HP is not my goal doing this.

[Martin.UK]

So my decat pipe from China came today. They are now Sandblasted and painted with HT Paint. Just need to add the exhaust wrap tomorrow.
The finish on the £85 decat pipe from China is so much better than the £150 each link pipes from Akrapovic. Shame on you Akrapovic.
I'm looking forward to the end of my riding season on the Busa, so i can get working on it. I have other things i want to do as well as fit my new exhaust system.

[Martin.UK]

So i now have the decat pipe fitted and wrapped. I did not wrap all the way to the end of the H pipe and also left the balance pipe so i can adjust them if needed when there fitter. I also bought a pack of 10 jubilee clips, just to add that bit extra to stop the exhaust wrap from coming undone.

The nice thing about the headers now, is they are not bottom heavy anymore, and feel lighter even with the exhaust wrap on them.

[Martin.UK]

The genuine Akrapovic exhaust decals i bought, when they came were damaged. I sent 3 email to Motocard.com to return them. I only got the auto reply saying someone will be in touch. 4 weeks later still no word from Motocard.com so i open a paypal dispute. 3 weeks later Motocard.com have now said to send them back for a refund. Not once did i ask for a refund, i just want a pair of undamaged exhaust decals. But they also want me to pay the return postage for the damaged decals which i wont get back. I rang paypal as i was not happy about having to pay return postage for a damaged item. The guy i spoke to from paypal said he would add a £10 voucher to my account to cover the postage cost and the price increase to the decal as they have now gone up in price, But no voucher has been added to my account. It was not a lot of money i paid for the decals, £10.76 + £8.26 postage from spain to the uk, but its more the principal that the decals were damaged and i can not use them. And they want me to payout more money to send them back. Think i'm going to get some custom decals made saying "Crappovic's".

[Martin.UK]

Been a bit busy with another project, so my bike has not had the jobs done i wanted to do over the winter.
Well i have not fitted the headers, but the Akrapovic's are now fitted with the painted linkpipes.
Also fitted my black set of wheels to.