Stock vs Aftermarket Exhaust-Is it worth the money?

Steadman wrote:

An FMF advertisement on Vital for the a new exhaust system for the 2018.5 KTM and Husky Factory editions got me thinking. How much better (and if so why) an aftermarket exhaust is vs a stock system. Do the OEM's really miss the mark when it comes to engineering everything to be great and then shit the bed with the exhaust system? I understand weight can be saved on the muffler, but what gains do companies like FMF, Pro Circuit, Yoshimura etc seem to find right away? Or are most people purchasing for looks?

Looks, weight, power curve, sound etc. Stock is good, so is the aftermarket stuff. If you have the $$, buy it if ya want. A ignition or remap is a better cheaper mod.

My kx450 came with the stock and pro circuit ti5 pipe. Only difference i notice is its not as loud, it sounds better, and looks better with the PC pipe. Personally i wont be buying a $1000+ pipe. I got it for free so i use it.

I guess it depends on what "worth the money" means to you? If you want to save a little weight, change the sound and maybe the power a bit, as well as make it look better, then yes. If you are talking a serious performance advantage or lap time decrease, then no, suspension personally tailored to you and riding lessons would be a much better use of your dollar. Much like the varying opinions on this site, so too is the idea of what is "worth the money".

My question is why do the factories make such ugly silencers when they have the ability, materials and technology to meet sound restrictions with a much better looking piece at or near the same cost?

You can say the change in power curve, weight savings, ect but for most of us on this board the number 1 difference you'll get out of it is bling factor. I'd love to get a yosh system on my Honda but for the cost it's just not worth it. I dont think of purchases in dollars but in how many ride days that is. I can do a lot of riding for the price of a dual yosh.

USMCMXer wrote:

I guess it depends on what "worth the money" means to you? If you want to save a little weight, change the sound and maybe the power a bit, as well as make it look better, then yes. If you are talking a serious performance advantage or lap time decrease, then no, suspension personally tailored to you and riding lessons would be a much better use of your dollar. Much like the varying opinions on this site, so too is the idea of what is "worth the money".

My question is why do the factories make such ugly silencers when they have the ability, materials and technology to meet sound restrictions with a much better looking piece at or near the same cost?

Very well said. I have a 16 Kawi 450. I bought an FMF slip on for all the reasons you mentioned.
Even brand new Kawasaki's sound like shit. Annoyingly loud. It' was worth the money just for that. lol

the best mod for your money is gas. Buy gas a burn it you'll get better.... When i killed my factory pipe i picked up an FMF fatty, not for performance but because they're MASSIVELY cheaper than the OEM replacement.

Just put a Yoshimura Signature Series Ti-Carbon on a 2018 RMZ450. She got real perky and lost just over THREE POUNDS! So...

I’m gonna say it’s worth getting a good pipe!

Btw, I’m biased...I work in this biz.

TeamGreen wrote:

Just put a Yoshimura Signature Series Ti-Carbon on a 2018 RMZ450. She got real perky and lost just over THREE POUNDS! So...

I’m gonna say it’s worth getting a good pipe!

Btw, I’m biased...I work in this biz.

I thought you had a husky!

On topic - generally NO mod will make you faster other than suspension when it's right for you - and tires at the pressure that work best for you.

All other mods are to feed your soul

TeamGreen wrote:

Just put a Yoshimura Signature Series Ti-Carbon on a 2018 RMZ450. She got real perky and lost just over THREE POUNDS! So...

I’m gonna say it’s worth getting a good pipe!

Btw, I’m biased...I work in this biz.

Derek Harris wrote:

I thought you had a husky!

On topic - generally NO mod will make you faster other than suspension when it's right for you - and tires at the pressure that work best for you.

All other mods are to feed your soul

X2,. But building sick bikes is fun.

Steadman wrote:

An FMF advertisement on Vital for the a new exhaust system for the 2018.5 KTM and Husky Factory editions got me thinking. How much better (and if so why) an aftermarket exhaust is vs a stock system. Do the OEM's really miss the mark when it comes to engineering everything to be great and then shit the bed with the exhaust system? I understand weight can be saved on the muffler, but what gains do companies like FMF, Pro Circuit, Yoshimura etc seem to find right away? Or are most people purchasing for looks?

Slip ons are just for sound , if you get the full system then your getting power gains.

I buy fmf for the spark arrestor. Bling is just an added bonus.

TeamGreen wrote:

Just put a Yoshimura Signature Series Ti-Carbon on a 2018 RMZ450. She got real perky and lost just over THREE POUNDS! So...

I’m gonna say it’s worth getting a good pipe!

Btw, I’m biased...I work in this biz.

Derek Harris wrote:

I thought you had a husky!

On topic - generally NO mod will make you faster other than suspension when it's right for you - and tires at the pressure that work best for you.

All other mods are to feed your soul

Yup. I've got a Husky.

But, all my track time as of late has been in the new Zook!

USMCMXer wrote:

I guess it depends on what "worth the money" means to you? If you want to save a little weight, change the sound and maybe the power a bit, as well as make it look better, then yes. If you are talking a serious performance advantage or lap time decrease, then no, suspension personally tailored to you and riding lessons would be a much better use of your dollar. Much like the varying opinions on this site, so too is the idea of what is "worth the money".

My question is why do the factories make such ugly silencers when they have the ability, materials and technology to meet sound restrictions with a much better looking piece at or near the same cost?

I agree, suspension is best money spent. I also agree about the ugly silencers most bikes come with. Maybe they don't put the effort in because most will get changed anyway? The new KTM one doesn't look half bad though.

As usual no one answered his actual question... except manny in a round about sort of way.

I have a 13 SX250 and bought a full PC platinum 2 and the factory r304? not the shorty tho...... putting a new top end in aswell. I am looking forward to it.

bvm111 wrote:

As usual no one answered his actual question... except manny in a round about sort of way.

Thank goodness you posted such a thorough reply to save the thread from derailing!

Seriously though, I guess I answered the title of the thread rather than the OP actual question, oops. I thought i did address some of his questions though? Is a pretty civil thread to this point anyhoo, for Vital....

I still run the stock exhaust on my '15 KX450, ever since i bought her brand new.

I always thought it had enough power. As my skill increased, and as i rode other bikes, i noticed that its not really about the peak power, but rather how smooth it is and how it fits your riding style and the chassis. When I did a top end on the bike i decided to also install HotCams stage 2 cams and just repack the stock muffler. The cams extend the power curve in the mid to upper range with only a very slight loss in bottom end (450 already has a massive amount). The cams alone allowed me to stretch out the gears a bit more, meaning i don't have to reach for the shifter as often. All at about 1/4 the price of a new exhaust system.

I think it depends on the bike, my 07crf450 no way it “needed it” and as much as I wanted one I couldn’t ring myself to waste the money, Bike had such a good motor.
My 09 Honda 450’s has zero overrev and pipes def helped.
Again my 12 Kawi 450, imo didn’t need anything motorwise so I never got one.

2012/2015 rmz450, again lacked over rev, pc ti pipe honestly helped the motor sooo much and dropped 3.7 pounds, IMO worth it.

2017 ktm250 sx, pc pipe and silencer made a nice noticeable improvement so I’m gonna say worth it.

So for me in the last 10 years I’ve had 4 bikes that needed/benefited greatly from them and 2 that didn’t.

An aftermarket pipe's true performance gain comes in the hole in your wallet. Which cuts into
the pizza and ice cream budget. Next thing you know, you're down 20lbs, pulling chicks and kicking ass.

bvm111 wrote:

As usual no one answered his actual question... except manny in a round about sort of way.

USMCMXer wrote:

Thank goodness you posted such a thorough reply to save the thread from derailing!

Seriously though, I guess I answered the title of the thread rather than the OP actual question, oops. I thought i did address some of his questions though? Is a pretty civil thread to this point anyhoo, for Vital....

I would say my post was just as productive as everyone else’s except for Manny’s that actually attempted to answer his question.

Anyway I appreciate your snarky response to my snarky post... I wasnt trying to be a jerk about it...we all can’t be hard changing devil dawgs!

Oooraw!

If you are happy with the purchase, then yes it's worth it.

Steadman wrote:

An FMF advertisement on Vital for the a new exhaust system for the 2018.5 KTM and Husky Factory editions got me thinking. How much better (and if so why) an aftermarket exhaust is vs a stock system. Do the OEM's really miss the mark when it comes to engineering everything to be great and then shit the bed with the exhaust system? I understand weight can be saved on the muffler, but what gains do companies like FMF, Pro Circuit, Yoshimura etc seem to find right away? Or are most people purchasing for looks?

I work for a motorcycle OEM. To answer your question, I'd say that the reason that a high end exhaust is better than your stock one is more than likely cost. I'm sure any of the OEMs could build a system to rival figures (hp/mass/bling/whatever) of a Yosh/Akro/PC/FMF/etc. exhaust, but how much more will their bill of materials cost? Is it worth it?

I'd say that the people who care about the extra few pounds or horsepower are going to spend money on an aftermarket exhaust anyway, so why would the OEMs invest the time and money?

As to whether it's worth it? The best mod you can make to your bike is the one that gets you out riding more. So if you can afford it and want it, buy it.

Steadman wrote:

An FMF advertisement on Vital for the a new exhaust system for the 2018.5 KTM and Husky Factory editions got me thinking. How much better (and if so why) an aftermarket exhaust is vs a stock system. Do the OEM's really miss the mark when it comes to engineering everything to be great and then shit the bed with the exhaust system? I understand weight can be saved on the muffler, but what gains do companies like FMF, Pro Circuit, Yoshimura etc seem to find right away? Or are most people purchasing for looks?

When the OEM's build an exhaust system, they are taking into consideration their whole target population and try to build an exhaust system that not only work in conjunction with the bikes engine, but provides a power curve that anyone and everyone can ride. Where the aftermarket companies shine is building exhaust systems that tailor to a certain person and how they want their bike to deliver the power. Traditionally, FMF is the go-to exhaust for a broad power delivery. Pro-Circuit typically designs their systems to be mid-top end oriented for aggressive riders. Lastly, Yoshimura seems to provide both a broad aggressive power curve. I would say most guys that I see that are buying exhausts are buying them for the bling factor or the loudness factor. When I did my complete review on my Bill's system for my YZ450, I had many guys contact me on YouTube asking how loud it was because they wanted loud. In my area however, the majority of the fast guys on the track are using the stock exhaust. In most cases, the stock system provides the best power as well. It is becoming harder for aftermarket companies to make better power over the stock system due to the advancements in motorcycle technology. Mitch Payton has said this before. We live in an age when you can buy a 450 from the dealer and go race MX or SX without any major mods. Of course you would want good suspension if you are doing these things, but you get my point. There are more significant gains to be made for your bike from things other than a pipe though. Fuel being one of them. VP T4 is some goood stuff that makes your bike's tummy happy

Calling: Don Leib

I have never put a bike on a dyno that didn’t pick up horsepower when putting a quality system on the bike.

l've had a Pro-Circuit & FMF mufflers on my 2011 RMZ450, now l run a stock muffler with the two restrictors cut out, it makes the muffler internals much the same as the two after-market designs; power is the same but it does weigh a touch more.

I had a friend give me a FMF 4.1Ti complete system for my 16 yz450. I went to a track rode 2 practice sessions. Swapped the pipe out went back out with the exhaust on. Couldn't tell any difference. Came back in mapped it for the pipe. Went back and raced 4 motos the next day.

The only thing I could tell was that it was louder than stock and I didn't like that. It only had 10 hours on the pipe also.

I took it off tried to give it back to him and he didn't want it as he sold his YZ so I sold it on ebay.

My opinion is ride the stocker until it breaks, unless you have money to burn, then get a nice Yosh Titanium full system.

Some solid feedback and insight on the subject. It's appreciated.