[sarnali2]

I've been running a 21 in Holeshot can on my Bandit for awhile, not to loud, really (seems) to open up the top end, runs good, gets around 41.5 mpg blah blah..Last night I got bored and decide to see what kind of milage I could get with the stocker.

The configuration is the four pipes tie into a collector, then the mid pipe and can are a slip fit into that. On the stocker there's a woven wire sleeve that's a compression fit into the collector with a lip on the midpipe to hold it in place. That bolts up to a rubber mounted support and a pinch clamp, the can bolts on to there and is also bolted to a rubber mount near the rear foot peg, all nice and stress relieved, no leaks, a pretty tidy set-up. The downside is it's weight, however it looks good on there and it's quiet.

The Holeshot is basically a pipe that fits loosely into the header collector, you're supposed to use hi-temp silicone to seal the app. 1/16th gap between the wire sleeve, header and collector, then the can hangs off a strap bolted to the rear peg. The pinch clamp doesn't tighten enough to hold the mid pipe securely so all you have holding the whole thing together is the strap at the rear peg. The pipe is however a lot lighter and sounds pretty good despite the snap crackle pop from the exhaust gas leaking around the mid connection.

I guess what struck me was how much better the stock system was from an engineering point of view, it's a nice tight and secure set-up, performance wise I may have lost some flow at the high end where I hardly ever go but the low and midrange seem about the same if not a little stronger.

Holeshot is a respected stand up company with some excellent products and if I was totally out for performance they're who I'd use. However it is telling that they can't seem to get closer fits with their products. Maybe if I sprung for their header as well as the can it would tie in better but what I have is sold as a direct fit. Slathering everything with silicone sealer is fine until you actually ride the bike and the system flexs enough to break the seal.....

I just found it interesting, the first thing many people do is sh*t can the stock system off their bike and throw on an aftermarket one but in this day and age of tightening noise regulations and spendy gas and over 100 HP stock I think it's getting to be a total waste of money. Better to save your money for tires and brake pads.

 

[Buzglyd]

You lost so much burger barn cred though.

 

[sarnali2]

You lost so much burger barn cred though.

There's always a down side.......

 

[bbtowns]

Sounds like holeshot is using the same slip on as they use with their complete system. Dale usually does an excellent job engineering his cans, so the lousy fit is a surprise. Usually the gain in new cans is weight, unless you get a power commander and modify the air box, then you might get a few ponys. On my Strom, I lost about 20 lbs. going from the stockers to 2 bros, but they were so damn loud that alot of the dual sport events wouldn't let me run, so the stockers are back in for now. I'm working on fabing a baffle.

 

[longride]

After this post, you have officially declared 'Old Fart' status. You will need to work extra hard to rid yourself of it!

 

[sarnali2]

Wha??????????

After this post, you have officially declared 'Old Fart' status. You will need to work extra hard to rid yourself of it!

SPEAK UP SONNY GAD'DAMIT...YOU SAY SOMTHIN'?????????

 

[seruzawa]

The Yoshimura can on my ZRX bolts right to the header outlet as an exact fit. So the connection isn't a problem. It's not too loud in general but has a tendency to go off like a .38 when running it hard. It also runs a bit smoother than the stock can. As far as seat of the pants goes I can't tell if one's getting more power then the other. I switch cans back and forth depending on my mood. It only takes a couple of minutes.

You should know by now that I think that aftermarket systems are largely a waste of money. But it's all relative. If someone thinks that it's worth it to pay Leo $1700 so he can lose 20 pounds and gain 3HP, well, who am I to complain? Or maybe pay $1300 for a Muzzy and gain 3 hp at the top while losing 3HP for 90% of the rev range. It's no skin off my @ss. I don't have to pay the noise tickets or the huge fines they have in Calif for taking off the catalytic converter. If someone actually goes to the track, then it makes sense. However, from what I can observe, most sportbikers in Salt Lake city spend more of their time sitting in coffee shops than riding. You certainly can't hang out at the Burger Barn with a stock system!

 

[sarnali2]

You know, I don't know why I waste my money on this stuff either. For the most part I spend money on comfort items like bar risers or seats. Every once in awhile I get a bee in my bonnet and drop a couple of hundred on a slip on can, I plan on re-jetting and doing all this stuff but I never do because I remember how much I hate screwing around with carbs and jetting, I wind up running it for six months with just the can or maybe add a K&N..the bikes doesn't run any better so I go back to stock exhaust and paper air filter and go about my merry way.

Sometimes I get a couple of bucks back by selling the aftermarket can on craigslist but that's about it

 

[seruzawa]

You know, I don't know why I waste my money on this stuff either. For the most part I spend money on comfort items like bar risers or seats. Every once in awhile I get a bee in my bonnet and drop a couple of hundred on a slip on can, I plan on re-jetting and doing all this stuff but I never do because I remember how much I hate screwing around with carbs and jetting, I wind up running it for six months with just the can or maybe add a K&N..the bikes doesn't run any better so I go back to stock exhaust and paper air filter and go about my merry way.

Sometimes I get a couple of bucks back by selling the aftermarket can on craigslist but that's about it

We all do it from time to time. Those cans just sound neat. And frankly since no one uses anything near the power available on a modern bike it really doesn't matter if you lose a couple HP at 5K when you have 120 available.

But just imagine how much Murphy's and Bushmill's $1700 will buy.

 

[longride]

My Bandit sounds pretty damned good with the Yosh can at full tilt. My Busa was stone dead stock when I sold it. No reason to mess with that thing. It was plenty fast enough, but I guess it could have made more noise.

 

[Kenneth_Moore]

I completely agree. Anybody who changes their stock pipes is doing it for the noise. Nothing wrong with that, but any claims about increased power is just BS. Even the manufacturer's dyno charts show these incredibly modest gains in torque and hp. And those gains can be offset by a few extra donuts or minor misadjustment in the FI.

The VStrom is a particularly interesting case. The factory setup is a gorgeous 2-1-2, tightly fitted against the frame and tailsection. It has welded on brushed stainless heat shields, killer end-caps, etc. And guys are ripping them off and hanging these "cans" with what looks like pipe strap. By-by heatshields, by by crossovers.

It reminds me of my 77 FXS. It came from the factory with a tuned header pipe with a crossover, and this huge bazooka muffler out back. My pal Mark who was a HD mechanic those days told me 99% of the buyers ripped them off and put on straight pipes. When I was finally able to find the stock header and muffler and re-install them on my bike, the performance and overall ridability change was astounding.

 

[pushrod]

Although I agree the bang for the buck usually isn't there, I must say the Triumph triple really sings when you put the "off-road" pipe on.

When that sucker hits 5500 rpm with a handful of throttle - Hooo! - it makes my neck hair stand on end!

 

[sarnali2]

No argument there, the Bandit just wailed like a banshee from 7 grand up, incredibly cool sounding and the snap crackle pop on over run sounded like an old F1 Jag or McLaren. However I just don't ride like that very much these days, I try to ride smoothly and carry my corner speed instead of point and shoot. Most of the time I'm between 4 and 6 K which is right in the torque curve and the stock pipe actually pulls better albiet more quietly.

The worst thing about it was the sloppy fit, it just irritated me every time I thought about it.

 

[The_AirHawk]

It reminds me of my 77 FXS. It came from the factory with a tuned header pipe with a crossover, and this huge bazooka muffler out back. My pal Mark who was a HD mechanic those days told me 99% of the buyers ripped them off and put on straight pipes. When I was finally able to find the stock header and muffler and re-install them on my bike, the performance and overall ridability change was astounding.

What's the most frustrating, underappreciated, least-satisfying job in the Entire World?

Being an NVH Engineer for Harley-Davidson.

Close-second would be the Yamaha R1 and Suzuki Gixxer NVH Engineer-positions.................