Ever heard of this exhaust

[MotoTex]

I think if you have a rather inexpensive bike and want an inexpensive exhaust Delkevic and DanMoto are the ways to go. If you have a new Panigale V4 then you should stick with the "name brands".

There are certainly a lot of people that share that perspective.

It seems to me that often enough when a person pays more for the brand they "know" it could just be because that brand has a higher advertising/trade show/marketing budget and passes those costs along to the customer. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think marketing has ever been demonstrated to contribute in any significant way toward the quality of a product nearly as much as it contributes toward the perception of quality. Ipso facto, just because a company sells for less and doesn't market at the same level is little indication that actual quality is compromised simply because their name hasn't been burned into the consumer's psyche.

Function over form (i.e.: style/brand/bling) is more towards where I lean. If Delkevic's slip-on does the job to my satisfaction and lasts the life of my ownership of the bike, I'm ahead a LOT of beer and bacon money. In the unlikely scenario it should only last five or ten years, and I can purchase 2 or 3 of these for the price of a "name" brand, I'll still be ahead on total cost of ownership.

Honestly, I don't think any other brand's stainless steel will be more durable in comparison. Delkevic specs 304 Stainless, and if it is good enough for Elon to build Starship and Cybertruck from it ought to be good enough for my Tiger. It is always a thrill to find an obscure company with a good reputation, established on several continents, and selling direct the very item I want at a price point that gets me motivated to buy right now. (this was definitely one of those "TAKE MY MONEY" moments)

Did I mention the left over beer and bacon money?

 

[makenzie71]

I never really looked at it as a performance or even a marketing advantage. My perspective has always been from the dyno end of things. I hear it and see what it does. Bikes today are already strung out so far that if a pipe is changing something, it's just because that muffler has been opened up.

In my experience, cheap simply means it's heavier and maybe louder. Expensive is lighter and has been sound control. At the end of the day, a pipe with 8000 holes in it is a pipe with 8000 holes in it.

 

[MotoTex]

I never really looked at it as a performance or even a marketing advantage. My perspective has always been from the dyno end of things. I hear it and see what it does. Bikes today are already strung out so far that if a pipe is changing something, it's just because that muffler has been opened up.

In my experience, cheap simply means it's heavier and maybe louder. Expensive is lighter and has been sound control. At the end of the day, a pipe with 8000 holes in it is a pipe with 8000 holes in it.

You are right to say these are precisely the things to consider. (except maybe the 8000 holes, I only found 2, an innie and an outtie)

The Delkevic is lighter than stock by at least half and on par with the other aftermarket models that were considered. OEM muffler with pipe is ~12 lbs. and the Delkevic 14" silencer without pipe and hanger is 3.96 lbs. I'd be surprised if the pipe and hanger exceed 2 lbs., so expect to see at least a 6 lb. weight loss from being on the Delkevic diet.

Delkevic have published the dyno numbers on the target bike that show a bolt-on 2 to 5 hp increase from bottom to top end over OEM. Getting 5hp for under $250 is a rare thing in my experience. Though, honestly, I just wanted it to have a better sound and lose that fugly OEM muffler. So, I side with Tim Taylor if I also get more power.

There are ample vid/audio examples available on Youtube to hear before/after sound. Yosh was on sale at Revzilla for about $75 more and was reviewed by many as being too loud. I've got neighbors and try to be a motorcycle ambassador by avoiding behavior that annoys people. From what I could find the Delkevic model purchased should fall into the 98-100 db range, with the plug installed.

As you say, all of this should be weighed, as well as price, in determining whether there is value in such a purchase decision.

It passed the sniff test. Hopefully, I won't have any surprises.

 

[duchess]

Hub had one on his kaw concourse. He liked it, great price.

 

[MidlifeCrisis]

In my experience, cheap simply means it's heavier and maybe louder. Expensive is lighter and has been sound control. At the end of the day, a pipe with 8000 holes in it is a pipe with 8000 holes in it.

FWIW Akra's singled sided full system for Ninja 1000 supposedly is 9.6kg lighter, according to Akra. Mine with a longer 18" S.S. can, and according to my digital scale is 7.5 kg lighter than stock. A Delkevic carbon fiber can closer to Akra's length weighs about 1 kg less than mine, so roughly 8.5 kg. So it appears you are right in this case, if only by roughly 1 kg for an entire exhaust system. Last I checked, the Akra full system is $1319.36 + TX tax = $1428.20

I paid right about $250 for my Lextek headers and Delkevic can, shipped to my door.

Now as far as loudness is concerned. Physics matter more than whose logo is on the end can. If two cans are constructed similarly, there is no reason why a more expensive one would be much quieter. What is true is that all else being equal, a longer can will tend to be quieter, and that is why I went with an 18", at a slight weight penalty I'm more than willing to stomach. With my earplugs on, I really don't hear much.

Powerwise, I appreciate why some riders really want more oomph. Me? As long as the bike has enough go-juice to put me where I want when I want, I'm good. That said, according to one Versys 1000 owner's dyno result with the same Lextek headers, HP gain is right up there with Akra's claims.

I don't pretend I got an Akra level kit, but I just don't see another $1178 buy me anything I could actually appreciate out riding. Same thing with the K1600GT... Akra's slip-ons cost over $2100+tax; I bought my GPR system shipped directly from Italy for about $500. So far, I'm exceedingly happy with that system too. That's just me.

But not everybody's sense of value/worth are the same, and that's cool.

 

[MotoTex]

The Delkevic arrived today.

Here's the before and after shots.

Kitty says, "Does this pipe make me look fat?" ^^^^ that is one ugly lump of metal masquerading as a muffler.

New and improved!

A beautiful thing to behold. The sound is deeper, richer, and only a little louder than stock. Just what I wanted.

Thanks again @woodsguy for this thread.

 

[MotoTex]

Well, the pipe failed the field test. It melted my turn signal somewhere during a 300 mile ride yesterday.

I'll be replacing it with one of the Oval models. It will be a little quieter as well, being an 18" instead of this 14" pipe. That extra length and the bend of the outlet on the oval pipe should prevent a repeat on the deep-fried turn signal. (Edit: I went with the 17" Tri-Oval as it sounded better in a video I found. Should be here later this week.)

Another thing I hadn't considered until after the initial purchase was the USFS Spark Arrestor factor. The Oval has an optional "approved" spark killer available.

Anyone got a line on some good LED signals as a replacement set?

 

[MidlifeCrisis]

That's unfortunate. FWIW, I am liking the 18" oval a lot. It's quiet enough I can hear the intake noise. So far, the polished SS seems easy to clean up, which is another reason I like it.

 

[MotoTex]

Delkevic was very accommodating about the toasty signal issue and are crediting my purchase of the 14" Round.

The 17" Tri-Oval is installed and I'm very happy with it. Just the right amount of exhaust character for my tastes. (that is, a deeper tone and only a little louder than OEM) It seems appropriate that a triple sports a Tri-Oval pipe.

Here's a shot of the Tiger, captured in the wild on the way to Orsak's for lunch, with the Salvadore Dali signal replaced and the latest pipe installed.

 

[Annhl8rX]

Delkevic was very accommodating about the toasty signal issue and are crediting my purchase of the 14" Round.

The 17" Tri-Oval is installed and I'm very happy with it. Just the right amount of exhaust character for my tastes. (that is, a deeper tone and only a little louder than OEM) It seems appropriate that a triple sports a Tri-Oval pipe.

Here's a shot of the Tiger, captured in the wild on the way to Orsak's for lunch, with the Salvadore Dali signal replaced and the latest pipe installed.

View attachment 264186

That’s very cool they credited you for your original purchase. This whole thread has given me a lot of confidence in their product. If I ever get around to putting something on my FJ09, it’ll be a Delkevic.

 

[MotoTex]

As a follow up, I've found another thing I like about this pipe. On the OEM I didn't get adequate feedback about what was going on underneath me. Now that I have a little tone to listen to I've found it a lot easier to get the response from the engine I prefer, all without it being annoyingly loud.

Over the weekend while riding around the Hill Country on back roads I came across several of those spots that can lend themselves to lofting the front wheel with a blip of the throttle. It used to be with the OEM muffler the absence of feedback often had me in the wrong gear for this sort of playfulness. The extremely broad torque curve of the Tiger is pretty forgiving, but if I'm "on the pipe" (based upon the audible component) I better know when I can hit it, or downshift to be there when these fun opportunities present themselves.

On that ride I took advantage of several, and enjoyed getting that little extra-credit wheelie over the crest of a hill, crossing RR tracks, and similar spots I found with a sharp crest to play fork compression against acceleration with precise timing.

For the previous 20K miles this was something I had thought the bike just wasn't capable of with a throttle roll-on, and I don't think it is the added 2-5% horsepower the pipe contributed. It is being able to hear what is going on that made the difference.

 

[Tom]

That's a beautiful bike! I might give the silencer a try then!

Boy, there’s a misnomer.