Homer wrote:Whenever this subject comes up among non-motorcycles in the US, usually because someone passed by at the top of their rev range, there was one comment all could agree on - the only reason for aftermarket exhausts is to annoy people while making up for the rider's equipment shortcomings.
Usually when people don't know what they are talking about, they jump to false conclusions... The same goes for non smokers talking about smokers and non dog owners talking about dogs.
Homer wrote:
Before bikes had CPUs, independent dyno test after dyno test showed that aftermarket pipes delivered, at most, a narrow band where the torque or HP curve was steeper. That satisfied the riders, because it passed the 'butt dyno' test. Bike manufactures crafted the entire intake - ignition - combustion - exhaust systems to work together. Aftermarket pipes just screwed that up. Are things any different with CPUs?
On 2 wheels I raced in head-to-head competition, did the bike equivalent of WRC for years, and ran against the clock on 4 wheels, all in sanctioned competition. Few drivers are able to use most or all the horsepower or handling they have. Far few riders than drivers are similarly able. The ones who are bothered by being beaten by smaller engined vehicles buy more horsepower so they can turn decent times (in their minds) by bombing the straights and tip toeing through the corners. That's true whether they're running close to their limits on a track or at spirited but sane limits on the road.
To answer your question. Yes having a ECU (which has a CPU inside) on your bike does make a difference.
What you are saying after that is a very common misunderstanding. Even though you get some HP at peak, it is what you get in low/mid range that most people driving their sportbikes on public road are after.
I will use my own bike as example:
Changing to aftermarket exhaust gives me up to 10% more power in the range 3000 - 4000 RPM (look at the dyne chart below) - which is where most of my driving is. Next to that it lowers the weight of the bike by 6 kg - and the weight of the aftermarket exhaust sits lower on the bike which adds to stability.
So all in all it gives me a nicer smoother ride with fewer gear shifts and less need to rew the engine. That is what I'm after, and that is what I get out of the aftermarket exhaust.
In my case the exhaust is by the way EPA approved (which means street legal / less than 80 dB) and I also find that it looks much better than the original.
Going back to the OP's problem. Whenever a cop needs money and stops a bike with an aftermarket exhaust, he will automatic try to get some tea money by claiming that it is too loud. In some cases - as with Buksida - it is possible to talk your way out of that - in other cases the only thing you can do is to pay up. Rest assured that if you did not change your exhaust, he would have found something else.
Hilux
If you want to make your dream come true, the first thing you have to do is to wake up.
