March 16th, 2013
Lets lay it straight shall we. You don’t actually need a carbon fibre wrapped, titanium infused, snob value raising tail pipe to announce that you have arrived. Your neighbours think you are an obnoxious pig who drives lucifer’s chariot.
Since any motorcycle that makes more than 30 hp is plenty enough for everyday use, “the new custom pipe really lets the engine breathe freely” excuse is just complete BS. Especially since you barely push the bike to its limits stuck between cars and trucks.
Now, unless you are a professional racer who is maximizing every last iota of power and weight savings, after market mufflers and pipes are a waste.
What’s more? the shorter the pipe, the more your ears bleed and for the price of that small hollow piece of spacecraft grade material, you could please your partner with a ½ carat diamond and that might convince her to let you ride the machine a little more. A wise investment for the future of personal and matrimonial harmony. ;)
I will also let you into a secret here. Although light is 837,000 times faster than sound, if you were devoid of the noise a jet fighter makes during a flyby, your sensory perception of its speed is considerably reduced. That is precisely why the crowd only starts cheering when the sonic boom hits the deck.
This hypothesis was further reinforced recently, when I was doing triple digit speeds on my VFR (with stock pipes) and by the time I noticed the copper’s car behind the bush, it was too late. Damn!! Bit my tongue and pulled into the slow lane. But to my surprise the man in blue didn’t flinch and continued with his mc coffee and donut. Lightbulb!!
Fitting a loud exhaust is like communicating through a loudspeaker during a stealth operation. You are going to be gunned down.
Therefore, I was extremely disappointed when Michael told me that he did not have the stock pipe for the CBR and I had to do with the Akrapovic. He even tried to sell me on the idea that it was lighter than the stock pipes by 5 pounds and added 8 more hp. As if that made a difference to a guy who is used to riding 550+pound bikes and wouldn’t probably use more than 50hp on his commute.
It took all of just 30 seconds on the CBR for this belief to change. All my logic went right out the window.
It was a note between 4700-5000 rpm.. and then a crack and burble from the exhaust when you grab the clutch to shift up. It was like the last 4 notes from a distorted guitar before the drums give the grand finale. I was spellbound!! In those few moments, I had enjoyed a complete performance of Bach’s 3rd orchestral suite from the best seat in the house.
Every good song has a piece that you like to hear over and over again, like when Kurt screams “I like you.. I am not gonna crack “ or like when Roger sings “Coming back to life..”. Those few moments transport you to a different world. A world away from mere mortals.
And I had found that piece in this performance.
I never crossed the speed limit for the rest of the journey. I didn’t have to. :)
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