Who said that ? You guys can sure read into things can't you. It's always a play on words isn't it? I was referring to the amount that the production welders are probably making doing this work for these companies. What I am saying is a one off custom prototyped full system for say a bike that has had an engine swapped for instance as an example. A production pipe for that same engine could be measured and duplicated to the same length and specifications to fit that swapped chassis and be one of a kind. This being done on a bike that a production pipe does not exist, for instance. This could still be done and can be made for what a production full system costs. Without the need for all the testing. When many of the production slip-ons for 4 strokes fit the stock headpipes you can't tell me they are totally maximized to the point that they aren't still a compromise. All they have to do is show an improvement over stock and most people are happy. Many people expect it to be and want it to be louder. I've seen some big name 2 stroke pipes and silencers installed on dirt bikes that although they were much louder than stock, the bike wasn't even able to pull the next size main jet to get a clean burning plug reading. This was on fresh rebuilt engines too. What does that tell you about all the company testing? If an aftermarket system is way louder but it won't even require re-jetting to show an improvement other than how damned loud it is. You might as well go back to the stock system. Your neighbors will thank you for it.
FMF makes a million of their systems and they are pretty low quality, even for an USA made system. And that's okay if you are on a tight budget, I know I usually am. On the other side of the scale, Akropovic is very expensive, but their systems are super high quality, top notch. If you compare pipe to pipe, you will see brazed buildups around joint fittings and extra bracing, where you won't on the FMF. FMF pays factory teams to use their exhaust, yes, actually pays them to do it. Like Akropovic, ProCircuit is pretty expensive, but here again it comes down to quality. PC pipes created from a heavier gauged material, have better jigging, fitting and bracing. Their headers are made to take a beating and not dent like the F brand. Their systems have resonators on both the header and the silencer. And they are not a million decibels like F brand. And if you take the systems on and off and on and off all the time, the fit-up really comes into play. At Zipty, we're all about racing with the best and is why we chose ProCircuit. KTM hates the fact that we do, in fact they vowed not to use a single Zipty product on their race teams or in their product catalogs because of it. KTM is all about the "Heritage" for Husqvarna, so why don't they use ProCircuit? Because PC won't pay them to run their pipes.
Here's a little insight on the Akrapovič company ... Akrapovič (pronounced a-CROP-o-vitch) makes car exhaust systems for everything from the Volkswagen Golf to the Audi R18 E-Tron quattro endurance racer. The Slovenian company also does motorcycle exhausts and has gotten into custom bikes to show off its work. Three years ago it debuted the Morsus (inset), a fluid assemblage of carbon fiber and steel with two large wheels at either end. At the Bad Salzuflen Custom Bike Show in Germany Akrapovič showed off the next evolution, the Full Moon motorcycle concept. I don't know the real numbers that this exhaust company is bringing in from the car side of the business, or the bike side either but I'd guess the car side dwarfs the bike stuff ... So why bother with bikes? Huge margins maybe make it worth the effort ... http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/10/akrapovic-full-moon-concept-motorcycle-is-out-of-this-world ... - I've only dealt with testing software developed for applications and such, never any hardware related stuff... But I'd have to guess most of these guys work is digital and if you think they start with a blank screen, guess again. We've already established some of this technology stuff was discovered in the 1800s? And we still use it in about the same way today? I guess you gotta say this technology has topped out. Should it be a premium cost product? Only if the consumer will bear the cost ... I'd also venture a guess that the developers of these pipes already have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for and do not start with a blank mind (either) and will build off previous work, saving time and cost of a product.
The pipe in my original post here does not look cookie cutter and part of why I posted it. KTM is an amazingly nimble company, more than I have ever seen. They redo motors and castings at an alarming rate. Frames, plastic, pipes everything. I don't see them as 1800s tech or topping out technology wise at all. Quite the opposite. It seems they leverage and master CAD CAM technology and fast prototyping like no one else in the dirt bike world. Yamaha (and BMW) really impress me also with their use of new tech and fast prototyping and ability to build crazy high tech manufacturing capabilities to make some amazing equipment.
If they are on top of their game kelly why do they still overheat and why does the electric starter fail so readily?
I saw this fatty pipe the other day on Dirt Rider dot com. I was like WOW that thing is cool looking. http://www.dirtrider.com/features/2015-ktm-factory-edition-250-sx-f-and-450-sx-f-unveiled/
I have a FMF Megabomb with Ty Davis engraved on it. Must have been from when FMF made a quality product.
Clutch, injection molding and now the main bearing design. The gear sets have a coating on them now, similar to the original BMW transmissions which were nitrided.
What's up with those super sized cans? They turn me off. The duals on my 99 te610e was the limit I would go.
