Hating the Stock Exhaust

[Surf Concours]

Hating my 2012 Concours 14 stock exhaust due to looks & weight. Does anyone know which aftermarket (Two Brothers, Vance & Hines, Delkevic or Akrapovic) may have a deep, less thrill high pitch sound and not obnoxiously loud? Thank you very much, Kevin

[maxtog]

Hating my 2012 Concours 14 stock exhaust due to looks & weight. Does anyone know which aftermarket (Two Brothers, Vance & Hines, Delkevic or Akrapovic) may have a deep, less thrill high pitch sound and not obnoxiously loud? Thank you very much, Kevin

Welcome!

Can we assume you are hating the muffler and not the exhaust?   If so (which is likely) there are dozens and dozens of threads about this topic already including this recent one with the same question:  http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=21191.0 (which was posted to, and still remains in, the wrong forum).

Searching with http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?action=search3  will yield a plethora (I love that word) of reading materials for your enjoyment!

[Blown32]

Very happy with my Area P full exhaust!

[tonedeaf1]

Very happy with my Area P full exhaust!

If looks and sound are your primary concerns you should be happy with the Area P slip-on.

[turbojoe78]

I just put on a 18" CF oval Delkevic slip on and like it allot.

Now, not only do I have a bike with a powerful engine, I have a bike that has a powerful sounding engine.

[1jeep]

im running a two brothers black with the DB reducer, I do like the black carbon fiber look, but cant say it was a performance enhancer.

[maxtog]

im running a two brothers black with the DB reducer, I do like the black carbon fiber look, but cant say it was a performance enhancer.

That's because replacing the muffler doesn't enhance performance [in any meaningful way] 

[Charlie747]

Hating my 2012 Concours 14 stock exhaust due to looks & weight. Does anyone know which aftermarket (Two Brothers, Vance & Hines, Delkevic or Akrapovic) may have a deep, less thrill high pitch sound and not obnoxiously loud? Thank you very much, Kevin

I've got a Beowulf. Nice deep sound

https://www.facebook.com/beowulfperformance/

[1jeep]

That's because replacing the muffler doesn't enhance performance [in any meaningful way] 

I never expected it too on this bike, but the ecu flash certainly did.

[maxtog]

I never expected it too on this bike,

Not just this bike, but most any modern bike, or car.  This isn't 20 or 30 years ago.

but the ecu flash certainly did.

Indeed it does.

[Buffchief85]

Delkavic 17" tri oval, sounds great! Not too loud, and 100% better looking/sounding than stock!

[Cuda]

Yes test show 3 HP range.

http://www.superstreetbike.com/how-to/exhaust-systems-shootout-smoking-pipes

[maxtog]

Yes test show 3 HP range.

If you believe that test (I am very skeptical, in general).  But most importantly, that test is for the ZX-14, which has a larger exhaust AND intake system... so the results are not applicable to the Concours at all.  And even if it were, 3hp is so small, it might even fall in the two standard deviations range of measurement error or variation.  Thus, even super-optimistically, it fails what I would say is "meaningful" (hence my disclaimer).  And some replacement mufflers might even lower performance.

People need to not delude themselves.  Noise is not power.  And on the Concours, replacing the muffler does not improve performance in any meaningful way.  A tiny amount of weight savings (when compared to total bike weight), yes.  A possible appearance improvement, yes- depending on what one likes.  As part of a full exhaust system replacement- essential (because that is when you can start making real gains).

[Cuda]

Your skeptical of anything that disproves your theory,
 The bigger header pipes started in 2012,  this test was Jan 2011 , I just measured my header (ZX 14 2008) and the od is 1.5 "
If you think 3hp is meaningless you have never raced anything but your finger tips
No after market muffler could be more restrictive than stock , hence higher performance .
I've been drag racing outboard drag boats for 20 years , one of their classes  is called Lake Racer , they have many motors that one could use , they keep everyone equal by weight
After the race the top 4 boats  get weighed with the driver in the boat, believe me  10 pounds  is a big deal even at a total weight of 1,540 lb.
I have been DQed  because I was 1 pound under.

I use the two brothers cans because they make three different restrictors , I like quite so I use the most restrictive , but there is two of them so less backpressure .   

[maxtog]

The bigger header pipes started in 2012,  this test was Jan 2011 , I just measured my header (ZX 14 2008) and the od is 1.5 "

So you are saying that the stock 2008 ZX 14 header and all the exhaust piping are the same flow as the stock C14?  If my memory serves correctly, the ZX 14 (all years) is dual exhaust...  so the math gets very complicated if one wants to compare total volumetric flow through the whole system.

If you think 3hp is meaningless you have never raced anything but your finger tips

Alone, it is pretty meaningless to me, yes.  As part of a collection other mods, it might mean something.  Otherwise, it is something like 2%.  To me that is pretty meaningless (and it is true that I am not a racer, but if I were, I doubt I would notice 2%).

No after market muffler could be more restrictive than stock , hence higher performance .

That is making the assumption that it matters if the aftermarket is less restrictive.  Because that forces one to assume the muffler is more restrictive than the rest of the system.  If you have a 6 feet of 1" diameter water hose and cut off the last foot and replace it with 2" hose, the rate of water going through the system is the same.  Conversely, I do not believe Kawasaki would replace that last 1 foot with [the restriction equivalent of a] 3/4" hose... makes no sense.  The stock muffler is closely matched to the rest of the stock exhaust system.

After the race the top 4 boats  get weighed with the driver in the boat, believe me  10 pounds  is a big deal even at a total weight of 1,540 lb. I have been DQed  because I was 1 pound under.

  I gain and lose 10 pounds here and there on my body (unfortunately).  Again, if one were trying to turn the C14 into a race bike and went through and ripped off all the accessories and replaced other stuff with things each weighing a bit less (likely spending several thousand $ in the process)... sure, it will add up to something significant (and also likely losing the "touring" part of "sports touring").  But just a 10 pound savings on the muffler without lots of other weight reductions?    That is 1%, wet with rider.   Yawn.

[VirginiaJim]

Good discussion going on here...

My two cents..

I don't run the stock muffler anymore.  I thought it was ugly and I changed it to a carbon fiber Area P.  I couldn't tell the difference in the power curve and as I wear earplugs, I can barely hear the louder tone.  I didn't install it for any perceived power gain.  I just wanted to look marvelous..

A 3HP gain on our bike is nearly meaningless, as far as I'm concerned,  considering the amount we have already.  On a bike used for competition, however, it could mean the difference between winning and losing.

To each his own.  It's wonderful that we have a platform that can be modified as much as it can be.

[turbojoe78]

Yesterdays Dyno results:

Stock Exhaust = 134.6 HP / Torque 89.3

18" Delkevic CF Oval (with baffle) = 133.5 / Torque 89.5

18" Delkevic CF Oval (no baffle) = 138.1 / Torque 91.0

Going from the stock exhaust made my bike look better, made it 20 lbs lighter and gave me an
additional 3.5 HP and 1.7 lbs of torque.

I call that a, win .. win .. win!!

[kzz1king]

2 questions, any other mods? and how loud without the baffle at highway speeds? Earplug loud, Harley loud or ? Thanks
Wayne

Yesterdays Dyno results:

Stock Exhaust = 134.6 HP / Torque 89.3

18" Delkevic CF Oval (with baffle) = 133.5 / Torque 89.5

18" Delkevic CF Oval (no baffle) = 138.1 / Torque 91.0

Going from the stock exhaust made my bike look better, made it 20 lbs lighter and gave me an
additional 3.5 HP and 1.7 lbs of torque.

I call that a, win .. win .. win!!

[turbojoe78]

2 questions, any other mods? and how loud without the baffle at highway speeds? Earplug loud, Harley loud or ? Thanks
Wayne

SISF's ECU flash is only other performance mod.

I leave for work at 5:15 am and have asked my wife if the bike wakes her up leaving the driveway, and she tells me she has never heard me leave.  The sound is much deeper sounding than stock but not really loud till you want it to be.

It sounds great when you get on it but cruising down the highway at 70 to 80 mph I don't think it bothers anyone driving near me.  My guess is that they can now hear me but not in an annoying way, nothing like a V-twin.

[maxtog]

Yesterdays Dyno results:

Interesting that the baffle made it almost 1hp worse than stock.  Of course (and again), there is going to be variance in the readings with each run (margin of error).  The nice part is you did it using all the same equipment and very close to the same time- which helps to eliminate weather and equipment variance.  Although the resulting number will vary from one dyno to another, you are comparing before/after, which doesn't introduce that error.

Thanks for sharing!