BenR
New Member
Last fall I taped the exhaust from the rear of the cat to the front of the muffler hoping for a tiny reduction in noise, and for the fun of it. I didn't have any expectation of noticeable power increase. Although not a speed demon, it's kinda nice to know max speed. Before the addition of the exhaust tape, having done 5 or so speed tests, with slope and wind subtracted, top speed was pretty close to 98mph +/- 2mph. (Overhead power on a bike is kinda helpful on steep grades when riding interstate speeds in posted limits of 80mph in the thin, high altitude of the Rockies. One stretch of three steep grades in particular limit the bike to a max speed of 75mph.)
Anyway, after taping the exhaust the bike seemed rather willing to go faster than normal through the winter. So, now that it's summer, I took the bike to a specific stretch of quiet road that's perfect for testing, where I performed the first few tests after break-in: Result: One direction 106. The opposite direction on the same stretch, 102. Average: 104mph. Nothing else on the bike has been changed other than some weight added, like engine guards. I still can't believe that short stretch of tape would make any noticeable difference, but the gain all year wasn't imagined. So, I checked it again. The gain is real. Go figure.
Anyway, after taping the exhaust the bike seemed rather willing to go faster than normal through the winter. So, now that it's summer, I took the bike to a specific stretch of quiet road that's perfect for testing, where I performed the first few tests after break-in: Result: One direction 106. The opposite direction on the same stretch, 102. Average: 104mph. Nothing else on the bike has been changed other than some weight added, like engine guards. I still can't believe that short stretch of tape would make any noticeable difference, but the gain all year wasn't imagined. So, I checked it again. The gain is real. Go figure.