#Akrapovic

Due to the popularity of Harley-Davidson’s open-class adventure bike, the Pan America, it was only a matter of time before we’d start seeing the aftermarket bursting with all sorts of choice upgrades to enhance the stock machine. Among those companies is, of course, Akrapovič. The company already produces aftermarket exhaust components for the majority of the adventure motorcycling segment, and now you can get a high quality titanium and carbon fiber slip-on for your Harley-Davidson, too (an optional link pipe is also available if emissions compliance is not necessary for your application).

The Triumph Trident 660 isn’t the first middleweight naked I would consider taking to the racetrack. Then again, sometimes I forget that some people only own one motorcycle that they use for everything. But, that didn’t stop Akrapovič from developing and manufacturing a closed-course only race-line full-system exhaust for it. I suppose if someone had to do it, it may as well be the Slovenians with their in-house titanium foundry and metallurgical laboratory.

Our favorite high-tech Slovenian pipe benders are at it again, now with a new slip-on system for Yamaha’s super-gnar 2022 MT-10 naked bike. Designed with a not-accidental resemblance to the Akrapovič exhaust for the Yamaha R1 Superbike, this new version of the EC/ECE type-approved Slip-On Line system is constructed using high-grade lightweight titanium in the link pipe, end cap, and muffler outer sleeve – which is sandblasted for an enhanced, satiny appearance.

Akrapovič has released a new Slip-On Line (Titanium) exhaust system for the 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa, claiming an 8.6-pound reduction in weight compared to the stock exhaust.

Akrapovič had been offering full exhaust systems for the MT-09 since 2016, but the bike’s recent upgrade to a 890cc engine called for a new product. Enter the new Akrapovič Racing Line full exhaust system, an upgrade that claims increased engine performance and a pure racing sound.

Akrapovič has a new collection of high-quality exhaust systems now available in America, meant to complement the Triumph Modern Classics range whether you’re cruising the boulevard or heading down the highway.

I don’t even know whose idea it was to put an Akrapovič pipe on a perfectly good Honda Monkey, but it fell to yours truly to do the deed. And in fact I was happy to do it – to get out of the office for a day and hang with our good friend Chris at MotoGP Werks in beautiful Anaheim, California. It all takes me back to the day when new exhausts were the first thing we did to unleash the anger in our neighbors, followed by weeks of tinkering with jet kits and dousing ourselves in gasoline to try to get the bike to run as good as it used to. I kid, those things really did used to make big performance differences – but it seldom seemed as easy as the directions made it out to be.

The reality is that the first thing many people do when they buy a sportbike is to change the exhaust. While it’s getting harder and harder to do this legally (many exhausts will say “For off-road use only”) that hasn’t stopped folks from pulling off the stock, quiet pipes and replacing them with lighter, louder pieces. From a performance standpoint, replacing an exhaust makes sense; lighter is better when it comes to sportbikes, and who doesn’t like a little improvement in power?

I’ll just begin with this: I haven’t had this much fun with a motorcycle in years. Seriously. When I’m around the 790 Duke, I’m as giddy as I was when I first started riding. Even my wife, who usually rolls her eyes when I start talking about motorcycles, has told me that she hasn’t seen me this excited about a bike in as long as she can remember. The other staff MOrons also tease me about the 790. If I weren’t so dang happy, I’d be embarrassed. 

Akrapovič. You might have that word on your bike’s exhaust, and you’ve certainly seen Akrapovič’s distinctive logo on thousands of racing vehicles over the years, from MotoGP, WorldSBK, MXGP to Dakar and even to four-wheeled competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship. When Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2015 MotoGP World Championship for Yamaha, Akrapovič took home its 100th world-championship title; just 15 years after American Colin Edwards (Honda) won WorldSBK title in 2000, first world championship title for Akrapovič exhaust.

The Thanksgiving weekend is over, and people are heading back to work, but that doesn’t mean retailers are done offering big discounts. It’s Cyber Monday, but really, it’s just a continuation of Black Friday with many of the same sales still on-going. For Cyber Monday, we’ve compiled another list of some of the best deals for motorcyclists we could find.

The price you pay for the extra performance and light weight of aftermarket-exhaust liberty is internal vigilance. You’ll need to repack your muffler with new, ahh, packing material now and then. Unlike your typical stock exhaust, which is built to last a lifetime with muffler baffles made of steel and other solid metals, most performance pipes are packed with fiberglass-like packing stuff that uses itself up over time, reducing performance as it gradually blows out the tailpipe, and producing more noise. I remember this full-race Akrapovic system being surprisingly quiet when we put it on here, how long has it been? About five years ago. Lately it seems like it’s gotten considerably louder, but that could be because all the new bikes I bring home seem to be getting progressively quieter? Anyway, repacking this thing is a good way to see how it’s done.

When I was told I would be tasked with putting together the $250 and up category of our 2017 gift guide, I must admit, I smirked on the inside. What an easy thing to do! Motorcycling can be expensive and the parts we pine after generally are expensive. So here is a list of items in the $250 and up category for that someone speciale in your life. The sky’s the limit!

Have I died and gone to motorcycle heaven? Pretty much. EICMA is the world’s biggest motorcycle trade show; anyone and everyone who has anything to do with motorcycling is there. From all the OEMs, to aftermarket performance parts manufacturers to riding gear and apparel companies – it’s all there in unimaginable abundance. I was tasked to sniff out the top five coolest things at EICMA this year and thought – well, that ought to be easy! Boy was I mistaken…

In Europe, the Kawasaki model we know as the ZX-14 is called the ZZR1400, and there are two versions: the standard and the high-spec Performance Sport model. At EICMA 2015, Kawasaki announced small, but significant changes to the line, though it is still unclear if or when these changes will be implemented on U.S. ZX-14s.