It's not a sad story, just one of repeating past sins and once again learning why they are sins.
So, there I was looking for exhaust options as I always do when a new bike is in the garage. Several of the famous brand exhausts (Akro, Arrow, etc.) looked appealing, and a few lesser known brands looked nice too (Austin Racing or Hindle for example.)
As an engineer, my brain said that these options are overpriced. Typical to my MO, I started researching options to piece something together that would perform as well and save some cash. I've successfully done this many times for other bikes; but I've also bought crap, then turned around and spent the real money anyway.
This case is somewhere in the middle.
I purchased the Danmoto midpipe from Amazon for $186 with a plan to use the stock silencer. Man, I was on the right track now. That's a great price.
I went through the sensor removal and flash tune process.
fz10.org/thread/628/perfect-tune
In all fairness, the Danmoto midpipe is of good quality. The welds are nice and the material is good quality stainless steel.
The part is not a perfect fit. It caused some minor misalignment issues that had to be overcome with a spacer between the mid exhaust hanger and the engine. An easy solution. All was good.
With the stock silencer, the system is loud. Loud like a well oiled rivet gun at full production mode.
My bike is setup as such today. It runs GREAT, but has me paranoid about the noise in my neighborhood, and anywhere that cops might be within earshot.
I then set out to find a good slipon can to make the sound more tolerable.
The options are limited because the Danmoto midpipe emulates the stock cat connection points. The can selections are:
Low cost cans like this Danmoto that will cut the noise, but look less modern than preferred.
Or low cost options that look decent, like this SP Engineering part, but are limited in length (which doesn't cut noise) due to the stock connection points.
lossless image upload
Or, spending $500+ on a nice slipon can that may or may not reduce noise (again due to the stock connection point preventing sufficient length/volume.)
Most, but not all of the high-end 3/4 systems use a different connection point that allows for a larger-volume silencer.
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In short, my options were:
1. Potentially compromise looks, fit and quality by attempting a piecemeal system that saves money but may or may not satisfy my needs.
2. Risk $500+ on a high-end slipon that will look great, but may or may not reduce the sound.
3. Bite the bullet and buy a professional system.
I chose option 3.
www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/yoshimura-alpha-works-race-slip-on-exhaust-yamaha-fz-10-2017
This morning I ordered the Yoshimura Alpha Race Slipon 3/4 system in stainless steel.
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My logic in choosing this system:
1. I've used Yoshi products many times on Supermoto and MX bikes. They make a very good product, and their customer service is top notch. I trust them.
2. I looked at a couple reasonably priced and even mid-priced options from other manufacturers. I don't personally care for the look of the 3/4 system from Hindle. It sounds good, gets good reviews, but ultimately didn't have the aesthetic I liked. I also looked at the Austin Racing kit. It's beautiful and sounds great, but the price along with the overseas support weighed against it.
3. Oddly, this Yoshi system also emulates the stock connection points, and I could have bought ONLY the slipon can, but due to the slight misalignment of the Danmoto, the two piece-spring mount Yoshi midpipe, and the fact that the system was tuned for their midpipe, I went ahead and opted for the 3/4 system.
4. I chose stainless over titanium because I ride daily in all conditions and have experienced cracked welds in titanium systems that occur much less in stainless steel. The durability, and not cost benefits of the stainless steel led me to this decision. The weight differential is less than the stock system due to cat removal, but not as efficient as the more expensive titanium option. I can live with that. If I were racing, I would have gone with a full titanium system. The header weight is substantial on this bike.
As a bonus, I had $100 in Revzilla bucks, so I selected overnight delivery. As soon as I get it installed, I'll post a review.
Today I plan to get some sound clips from the Danmoto/stock-can setup for comparison.
