R&D Black Magic: Exhaust Systems

Titanium and carbon fiber versus steel. The loud shriek versus a muffled rumble.
But there are more differences when comparing race and street exhausts than
cosmetics and sound.

The first assumption we have to do away with is the nature of a race exhaust
system. It is not a muffler, per se. On street machines, the exhaust tames the shrill
engine note to at least reasonable levels to ensure none of our bikes blast the
eardrums of everyday citizens. Weve all heard a Harley with straight pipes; many
including myself, consider this to be socially irresponsible. The very modest
performance gains (if any) made by adding these awful things are achieved throug
reducing back pressure caused by the poorly-designed factory pipes. These pipes
have nothing to do with performance and everything to do with image.

Stock exhaust are designed to be quiet enough to meet local regulations. Their
purpose is not maximum performance. Factor in the economic costs of producing a
stock cruiser pipe and we often are left with a heavy system as well.

Fifteen or twenty years ago, an aftermarket exhaust was an essential part of the
performance equation. The first task a rider seeking performance did was dismoun
the exhaust system on a bike. They were heavy and constrictive; these pipes
constipated the engine like a peanut butter-and-cheese sandwich. I remember the
dual pipes on my KZ1100. Together they weighed at least 75 pounds! A cottage
industry of high performance exhausts developed as bike owners everywhere were
voiding their warranties and bolting on new pipes. While these were invariably
lighter than their stock counterparts (bad pun), the results often led to disenchanted
bike owners when their engine performed erratically. Some unscrupulous pipe
manufacturers charged excessive amounts for pipes with little R&D work. But mo
often it was the owners that did not re-jet the bike in accordance with the pipe
manufacturers recommendation. If one replaces the exhaust system, it is imperativ
the bike owner dyno the bike before and after the changes, and use the dyno to
properly rejet the bike to eradicate any flat spots. Some riders (often the most voca
complainers) fail to see the logic in this, since the money spent on the dyno can bu
a lot of carbon fibre or other goodies.

Today things are much improved. For starters, the pipes on modern sport machines
are very good. They are lightweight and efficiently designed. By efficiently
designed we mean the pipe is matched with the carburettion to provide a torque
curve with no "flat spots" in the RPM range (sections where HP decreases or rema
stagnant despite an increase in RPM). In addition to performing well, the systems
are reasonably quiet. Stock exhaust are designed to be quiet enough to meet local
regulations. While their purpose is not maximum race track performance, it is hard
to go wrong with a stock pipe.

High performance machines of today are in a much higher state of tune than before
bikes like the Yamaha R1 in street form outpace anything Kenny Roberts had. The
need to retune for the street is virtually unnecessary; anyone needing more power o
public roads should be locked up. However, pride of ownership, occasional track
days, and the indefatigable spirit of the hot-rodder motivate us to improve our
machines. The aftermarket exhaust producers have responded with a great
innovation: the slip on cannister. Giving the rider slick racebike looks and a snarlin
sound, the machines owner can retain the stock downpipes and collectors (always
good idea, one we will explain later) while getting a more sporty appearance. A
Muzzy, Yoshimura or Aracapovic slip-on gives instant cred on the street. A
minimum of rejetting is required and the economics of replacing part, not all, of th
system is a smart choice as well. With a lot of great pipes available, the slip-on is a
wise choice for the street.

Full race systems are completely different beasts. Their purpose is not to keep the
rider compliant with local noise regulations or provide a wide power range. These
pipes are for making big power in a narrow rev range on the track. To explain how
they do this, lets go to Monza.....

Pierfrancesco Chili is motoring down the straight after the Ascari chicane. He has
only moments before shifted into third gear. His body has become less dynamic as
his need to shift his weight to help the bikes rear tyre gain traction while keeping
the front from wheelieing has subsided a bit. He is running, at lets say 12,500
RPM. We freeze the action. The piston is near top dead center. As the piston rises,
we see the exhaust valve is opened; the burnt mixture is leaving the cylinder, being
scavenged out of through the exhaust valve, around the valve stem and into the pip
Two distinct forces are moving the mixture out into the atmosphere. The first is
obvious; the piston moving at force pushes the air out. The second force is not so
simple. But herein lies the secret of a great exhaust; If we use the sound waves
created by the combustion process, we can use the sound waves to suck out the
burnt mixture and draw in more unburnt fuel and air than otherwise possible!

Let us go back to Monza and forward the action a nano-second. The piston is at top
dead center. The intake valves are opening, with the virgin mixture of gas and fuel
waiting eagerly behind the valves, ready to be consumed by the powerful Suzuki
motor. For about 50 degrees of crank timing (as opposed to about 30 degrees with
street cams), the intake and exhaust valves are all open. From the airbox and on
through the canister, there are no mechanical blockages stopping the flow.
However, there are still forces at work. The a properly designed airbox is providin
some pressure to push the mixture in to the cylinder. The cylinder itself is
practically stopped at the top of its range of motion. What we need to compliment
the filling of the cylinder is for the pressure generated by the sound wave to pull th
mixture currently residing in the intake. The manufacturers make race pipes that do
this.

How they do it is a little "black magic" and plenty of research and development
work. In a certain RPM zone a pipe will cause multiple carburettion, which is the
sound wave pressure blasting the burnt mixture back into the intake valve area, thu
pushing the unburned mixture backwards and sending the engine in need of a
suppository. The crud mixes with the gas and air and makes combustion difficult.
The motor may stammer and not produce maximum power.

The same pipe in a different rev range will also create the positive effect we spoke
of before, causing the "happy mixture" to be sucked in to the cylinder at a rate
greater than atmospheric pressure. For about 500 RPM we have a supercharger
effect.

The problem with this great state of nature is that it is fleeting. Because the waves
travel at the same rate all the time and the valves work at various speeds at differen
RPM, the good and bad zones must be "tuned in" by changing the shape and
dimensions (therefore altering the harmonics) of a pipe. The key to a good racing
pipe is to keep negative carburettion in an RPM zone where it doesnt matter (say
4000 to 4500 RPM) and the positive pressure in an area where it helps (say 13,000
to 13,500 RPM).

The main focus for tuning in the pulses is the collector, the area where all the
downpipes are welded together. We must remember that the sound waves are
eternally vibrating from one end of the pipe to the other while the engine runs. The
pulses from neighboring cylinders vibrate backwards to our cylinder on Chilis bik
as well. A designer has to consider them as well. With a four-into-one pipe, we hav
one collector. A four-into-two-into-one has extra collectors, and these pipes are
sometimes used to create a "torque-ier" result by canceling out waves. One collecto
will create a positive wave and another a negative wave.

The canister on a race pipe is not as significant as the downpipes and collectors,
although it has two vital functions. It is part of the harmonic make-up of the system
and FIM regulations require the Superbikes to be at less than 105 decibels. The
canister does some nominal silencing, just to "take the edge off", a bit like an
after-work cocktail.

The end result is that full-race systems and street systems are very different. The
race pipe is designed to work extraordinarily at a small rpm range on the track,
while a street system is fabulous for all-round duty. As Chili accelerates down
toward the Parabolica, he has that little extra power to make a pass, of hold one off
And that is what R&D is all about!

Evan Williams