Posts
167
Joined
5/7/2013
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
US
With bikes these days, the stock exhaust system is pretty dang good and in some cases, cannot be beat. My objective in searching for an exhaust for my YZ450 was not solely based on making the already monster of an engine faster. I was looking to make the bike easier to ride and make power that was both user friendly and broader.
The stock 2015 YZ450 makes explosive power which can be a handful when the track is especially rough or at the end of long motos. I found the power of the bike to be jerky in tight sections of the track and at the end of my motos, the bike would get away from me especially when arm pump started to show its nasty face. In stock trim, I also found the power to be great in the mid range, but go flat up top which caused me to have to short shift the bike. Now I realize a 450 is not meant to be reved to the moon, but I really was not happy with how a great midrange bled into a mediocre top end which was dissappointing. For my exhaust, I wanted something that would smooth the power out and make it more tractable while increasing the top end allowing me to carry a gear for longer and not have to tap dance my shifter.
I took to the internet and read many articles on different exhaust systems that have been reviewed in the past. Everything from Pro-Circuit to Yoshimura, but nothing really made me say to myself "that's the one!" Most exhausts took from here and gave it there, but no one seemed to really be all that impressed with the pipes in general. On my Facebook, I follow Bill's Pipes and they always post pictures of their exhausts saying "why settle" and "best pipes." So, I started investigating into Bill's Pipes and what they are all about. I had been previously exposed to Bill's Pipes in the early 2000's as my best buddy ran their pipes on his mod Suzuki 85. Man that thing ripped. I had always been under the impression that Bill's Pipes were mainly a Suzuki pipe because that's all I remember seeing them on. I watched videos on Bill's Pipes facility, what their management was like and how they ran their company. What I really liked was a comment that explained how they were the little guy going up against the big pipe companies so in order to provide a good product, they have to do everything better than those companies. I also appreciated everything from their steel to aluminum was American made and the exhausts were handmade in USA. So I sent an email to their company and asked them what their pipes do better than anyone elses. The gentleman I spoke to told me that they aim at making their pipes to provide smooth usable power with the top end and overrev that pros like. And with that I was sold and promptly ordered up their RE13 aluminum exhaust with carbon fiber tip and stainless header.
I received my new exhaust in the mail today and took to uninstalling the stock exhaust and installing the new Bill's system.
Here are some photos of the welds and the Bill's system compared to the stock system.
Taking off the stock system was somewhat of a chore as the exhaust was stuck together and needed some good hard whacking to free it up. Once the stock system was off, the Bill's system went in. The Bill's system uses the stock hardware except for the pipe clamps. The system slip fits together which makes for a really clean look. I installed everything somewhat loose so I could maneuver everything around so it fit well. This system fit like a glove, it fit better than the stock system. No 4 letter adjectives were yelled and nothing needed to be ground or modified to fit. The system fit amazing and I was really happy given the YZ450 exhaust is a labyrinth of piping. The system has two resonator chambers to help with noise and the mid pipe even has a rubber mount to help absorb any shock to the exhaust. The head pipe does reuse the stock heat shield on the throttle side. I recommend removing the foam grommets from inside the shield to give the screws a couple extra threads to mount to the head pipe (the shield fit better and was more secure with this in my case). Below are some pictures of the finished exhaust installed on the bike.
Looks pretty dang sweet!!! After taking the bike off the stand I fired the bike up and took it down the road for a little test run. The bike felt a lot crisper at the throttle and the bottom end was smooth. I could ease into the throttle and not have that jerking sensation like it did with the stock system. Once the bike got into the mid range and top it took off like a rocket. But it was not uncontrollable, it only accelerated as hard as you wanted it to. The throttle and engine felt way more connected and the power did not do anything weird. No weird dips or surges anywhere. Just really smooth throughout with a much stronger mid to top. As far as mapping goes, I asked the tech at Bill's if any remapping was needed. He told me remapping will always provide better results, but was not needed for their system as the exhaust was developed and made with the stock map. So woohoo no having to fiddle with maps or anything. Just install and go. Ohh, and the bike sounds absolutely ANGRY now. It is not obnoxiously loud, but has a much deeper and throaty sound to it like a factory bike. Overall I am really happy with the exhaust and can't wait to try it out at the track this weekend. I will add to this topic after this weekend as to the exhaust's on track performance, but I can already tell its going to be awesome!!! Hope this helps some decide on a new system and hopefully you guys will give a look into Bill's Pipes. Later!
The stock 2015 YZ450 makes explosive power which can be a handful when the track is especially rough or at the end of long motos. I found the power of the bike to be jerky in tight sections of the track and at the end of my motos, the bike would get away from me especially when arm pump started to show its nasty face. In stock trim, I also found the power to be great in the mid range, but go flat up top which caused me to have to short shift the bike. Now I realize a 450 is not meant to be reved to the moon, but I really was not happy with how a great midrange bled into a mediocre top end which was dissappointing. For my exhaust, I wanted something that would smooth the power out and make it more tractable while increasing the top end allowing me to carry a gear for longer and not have to tap dance my shifter.
I took to the internet and read many articles on different exhaust systems that have been reviewed in the past. Everything from Pro-Circuit to Yoshimura, but nothing really made me say to myself "that's the one!" Most exhausts took from here and gave it there, but no one seemed to really be all that impressed with the pipes in general. On my Facebook, I follow Bill's Pipes and they always post pictures of their exhausts saying "why settle" and "best pipes." So, I started investigating into Bill's Pipes and what they are all about. I had been previously exposed to Bill's Pipes in the early 2000's as my best buddy ran their pipes on his mod Suzuki 85. Man that thing ripped. I had always been under the impression that Bill's Pipes were mainly a Suzuki pipe because that's all I remember seeing them on. I watched videos on Bill's Pipes facility, what their management was like and how they ran their company. What I really liked was a comment that explained how they were the little guy going up against the big pipe companies so in order to provide a good product, they have to do everything better than those companies. I also appreciated everything from their steel to aluminum was American made and the exhausts were handmade in USA. So I sent an email to their company and asked them what their pipes do better than anyone elses. The gentleman I spoke to told me that they aim at making their pipes to provide smooth usable power with the top end and overrev that pros like. And with that I was sold and promptly ordered up their RE13 aluminum exhaust with carbon fiber tip and stainless header.
I received my new exhaust in the mail today and took to uninstalling the stock exhaust and installing the new Bill's system.
Here are some photos of the welds and the Bill's system compared to the stock system.
Taking off the stock system was somewhat of a chore as the exhaust was stuck together and needed some good hard whacking to free it up. Once the stock system was off, the Bill's system went in. The Bill's system uses the stock hardware except for the pipe clamps. The system slip fits together which makes for a really clean look. I installed everything somewhat loose so I could maneuver everything around so it fit well. This system fit like a glove, it fit better than the stock system. No 4 letter adjectives were yelled and nothing needed to be ground or modified to fit. The system fit amazing and I was really happy given the YZ450 exhaust is a labyrinth of piping. The system has two resonator chambers to help with noise and the mid pipe even has a rubber mount to help absorb any shock to the exhaust. The head pipe does reuse the stock heat shield on the throttle side. I recommend removing the foam grommets from inside the shield to give the screws a couple extra threads to mount to the head pipe (the shield fit better and was more secure with this in my case). Below are some pictures of the finished exhaust installed on the bike.
Looks pretty dang sweet!!! After taking the bike off the stand I fired the bike up and took it down the road for a little test run. The bike felt a lot crisper at the throttle and the bottom end was smooth. I could ease into the throttle and not have that jerking sensation like it did with the stock system. Once the bike got into the mid range and top it took off like a rocket. But it was not uncontrollable, it only accelerated as hard as you wanted it to. The throttle and engine felt way more connected and the power did not do anything weird. No weird dips or surges anywhere. Just really smooth throughout with a much stronger mid to top. As far as mapping goes, I asked the tech at Bill's if any remapping was needed. He told me remapping will always provide better results, but was not needed for their system as the exhaust was developed and made with the stock map. So woohoo no having to fiddle with maps or anything. Just install and go. Ohh, and the bike sounds absolutely ANGRY now. It is not obnoxiously loud, but has a much deeper and throaty sound to it like a factory bike. Overall I am really happy with the exhaust and can't wait to try it out at the track this weekend. I will add to this topic after this weekend as to the exhaust's on track performance, but I can already tell its going to be awesome!!! Hope this helps some decide on a new system and hopefully you guys will give a look into Bill's Pipes. Later!
The Shop
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