Motorcycle Exhausts - Understanding the Basics

Every biker has some idea about the exhaustentirely on the laws in your state or country.
system that his bike has installed. However, whatResonators, Mufflers and Silencers:
most people fail to realize is that exhaust systems3. These are devices whose purpose is to reduce the
are extremely important components of any engine,sound coming from the exhaust system with the
whether motorcycle or car. Despite the fact that themufflers being more effective of the two. In the
majority of motorcycle enthusiasts are not aware ofbigger picture silencers are said to be less damaging
this, the aftermarket motorcycle exhausts industry isto the bike's high end power as against mufflers
prospering. The reason for this is that you do notwhich can lead to a significant reduction.
need to know the intricacies of your bike's exhaustExhaust pipe:
system if you wish to change it. However, any4. This is the piping that runs through the whole
serious biker would want to know as much about hisexhaust system connecting all the components
bike as possible. Hence, the following are detailstogether. The replacement of this depends entirely
pertaining to the major components of an exhauston the bike's model and the new pipe being bought.
system and changing them.In contrast to what most people believe, the width
Headers:of the piping does not decide how much power the
1. Stock exhaust manifold headers of an Originalengine is going to have. Instead, there is a balance
Equipment Manufacturer exhaust system are madethat needs to be maintained for optimum
of cast iron and hence can restrict the flow of air.performance.
Furthermore, these are often also heavy whichMotorcycle exhausts consist of all these components
reduces the speed of the bike. Replacing the existingworking together in harmony and hence need to be
exhaust manifold with aftermarket exhaust headerstreated the same way. In order for best
can result in the optimization of the gas flow speedperformance improvement, you need to change the
which will boost the power of the bike. There arewhole system as it would not only boost the power
four types of exhaust headers depending upon theirof the bike but also reduce the total weight on it.
configuration including the 4-2-1, the 4-1, shortHowever, having said that, if you wish to improve
headers and the equal length headers.the high end power of your bike then, even though it
Catalytic converters:is recommended, it is not imperative that you change
2. These are devices that are used for reducingthe whole system. Individual changes can also make a
emissions. The negative aspect of catalyticdifference. The online motorcycle exhausts
converters is that they create back pressure whichaftermarket does offer each and every one of
results in the high end power of the bike fallingthese components individually as some bikers do not
significantly. Replacing or removing these dependsprefer to change their whole exhaust systems.