Installation took all of the 15mins and everything was finger-tightened and ready for a startup to check for any leaks or any other issues.
BHPian krishnaprasadgg recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
A long lime dream has been realized.
The TL;RD version of it is:
After years of searching high and low and drooling over it in photos, I have finally managed to get myself a brand new Akrapovic Carbon Slip-on! And I cannot wait to get it fitted on!
A thing of beauty
Here it is, in all its glory. and for those who want a glimpse into the technical specs side of things. Here you go
Tech Specs
Now for those who are interested in the big story behind it, here’s how it goes.
Those who know me know how big a fanboy I am of the Akrapovic exhaust system and also how much I have been yapping nonstop for over 2 years about getting an Akra system for the R1 because it’s just not right not having an R1 without an Akrapovic exhaust.
Well, along with all that yapping I have also been complaining about how no shops are interested in getting one, and usually, all of them quote an arm and a leg when I pester them enough.
Just look at those clean welds
Well, along with all that yapping I have also been complaining about how no shops are interested in getting one, and usually, all of them quote an arm and a leg when I pester them enough)
Just look at those clean welds
Regardless, I did not lose hope. Kept scouring the market for used sets as well, but unfortunately what I wanted was a hot commodity and in very high demand, and while there were a number of bikes for sale which had the Akra fitted on them none wanted to sell the exhaust separately, which I kind of understand but I was deeply disappointed about it from a more selfish point of view.
DB-Killer
So, after almost 2 years of looking for used sets or finding a shop here in India that could help me in arranging a set for a decent price, I finally made up my mind to go for a new set.
Anyways, it was a few months back that I got talking to a shop in Dubai, they are official importers/distributors of quite a few big-name brands and Akrapovic was one of them, initially, they would not respond to my inquiries or messages but then one fine day they did (I guess they were bored that day) and we got talking, as usual, part is not in stock and they weren’t much interested in taking it forward, but I consistently kept pinging them asking if pre-order was possible and how much advance payment was required and all that jazz. Finally, the ice broke, I guess they could say that I was serious about it. After a few days of back and forth, they were finally able to confirm with the Akrapovic factory that the model number I wanted is out of stock currently but still in production.
So finally a token amount was sent to them and the pre-order was set in. They promised me a turnaround of about 1 month from the date of the pre-order being placed and they delivered. And they kept their word and 1 month later the exhaust reached their shop. They were kind enough to deliver it to my friend’s house and then finally my months of torture started yet again in waiting for the part to get to my hands, finally after 2-3 months of waiting I received it yesterday!
Touchdown
I just can’t stop admiring the quality/craftsmanship of the products that they put out. It lives up to everything you hear about them from others and more!! Every single weld on the exhaust is just so clean and beautiful in the carbon finish is just exquisite, to say the least.
CF everything!
The attention to detail for every single part is noteworthy and each and every piece of hardware comes well packaged and with the relevant part no(things like this just nerd me out!) and also comes with a proper instruction booklet and documentation(TUV certificates and such) required too.
Instruction booklet
Installation
And just like that, the Akrapovic install is done. It only took me about 2 weeks to finally get on with it.
Well, I am not going to focus on the uninstallation/installation of the exhausts, it’s already been covered here and the process is no different with the Akrapovic exhausts so did not document any of that. However, something I’d like to bring to light w.r.t the LV system I had vs the Akrapovic system is the quality of the hardware used, and what a difference it is. Everything fits exactly the way you’d expect it to and everything lines up just right and there are little to no adjustments required to fit things in place.
Installation took all of the 15mins and everything was finger-tightened and ready for a startup to check for any leaks or any other issues. I made sure to take the help of my brother to measure the DB levels of the exhaust b/w 3 different tests. First, one being OEM with a (cold), Akra with the DB killer on(Cold), and then finally without the DB killer (on a relatively cold engine).
So here are the DB levels recorded with all 3 setups and video clips of the same. I’d suggest using a pair of earphones/headphones and crank the video quality to 4k to get the best quality output closest to IRL.
Of course, it won’t be. post of mine without some goof-up happening even for a pretty straightforward install. So for hearing how the bike sounds without the DB killer I was using the size 4 Allen to get the bolt undone and assuming once the bolt was off it would stick on the Allen head I simply just pulled the Allen T out and the bolt fell off the head and got lost inside the end can cover. Tried my best to fish it out but it just did not work. In the end, I ended up having the remove the full left side slip on again in order to shake the bolt and the washer out of the end can. Lesson learned, invest in some magnetic tip Allen heads or a magnetic fishing rod thingy while removing the DB killers for the Akrapovic.
Rubber plugs that go onto cover the access cutout for the db killer bolt
Let me also take this chance to say the only thing that I did not like about the endcans. The cutout access hole for the DB killer bolt. The finish around the edges of the cutout is very rough and flimsy. I mean I get it, it’s just a sheet of carbon fiber and it will be as such but you have very little room for error if you are not careful you’ll end up cracking the end can cover and you definitely don’t want to be doing that.
OEM
Akrapovic with DB killer
Akrapovic without DB killer
I hope this covers in a good way the change the slip-on has brought out. With this mod done a huge part of how I want the bike to be has been sorted out.
I haven’t taken the bike out for a ride yet. With the ongoing heatwave, I am not in the mood to ride under the scorching sun anyways. But I am not sure how long I can wait with the exhaust now installed. I will try to get a sound clip while riding both with and without the DB killer and see if the quality is good enough to post here. That’s it for now, lots more work coming up on the bike, hopefully in the next few weeks.
Keyword: Installed Akrapovic slip-on exhaust on my Yamaha R1: Likes & dislikes