08 Akro Mid Pipe Arrived..!!

[Maccarocks]

Well the mid pipe for my 08 ZX10 finally arrived (actually just before I headed off to Eastern Creek)

It fitted perfectly, as you would expect Akrapovic parts to fit... They have used the same outlet size, which utilizes the stock graphite gasket which also fits perfectly, and the other end is sized to slip over the main pipe, metal to metal. All this is great, but they did not include any clamps for these fittings..!! this was apparantly a stuff up from the place that shipped them... so they are sending the clamps now..

I tried to use the stock clamps packing up the front pipe just to see if it would work, but it leaked really bad.. and even the rear clamp which is supposed to be the correct size just does not clamp properly.. you can tighten it till a vein in your temple bursts and it still not be tight..?? Anyway, through some excellent advice from 'Triway'..(from this forum and great mate as well) I attended a local engineering workshop and got some excellent clamps that really do work...!! Did the proper install using some silicon, and these clamps pull up nice and round and hard.. perfect fit.. squishing the excess silicon out.. they look great, very pro and not one single leak, the system sits firm and solid.. and the sound is awesome... that ugly heavy box really soaks up the exhaust note we all love so much...

Anyway, Akrapovic states that just the use of this link pipe will add an extra 2 hp across the entire rev range, with the use of an Akrapovic slip on, or in my case a Leo Vince SBK Race pipe, the total gain is 9.5 hp..!! This is without any other mods.. Unbelievable (considering we really dont need any more power, but it's great to have it.. and I just love to free the beast of its restrictions). next thing is to get rid of the stock air filter and that will do me for this bike. Macca

[SoundGuy]

Great write up mate, thanks for the info.

Any chance you could pm me with the details of where you got it from ?

Cheers

[Maccarocks]

PM Sent..!!

[danzx10r]

just a question mate.. is there anything actually in that box????
i have read that it has nothing in it, just find it abit odd.

[Maccarocks]

Hi Dano...

Well the box (Pre Chamber as it is actually called) for our Australian bikes is basically another muffler... It is full of steel - perforated inside, yes you can see through it, the pipe is reduced in diameter and the rest of the box just acts as a silencer. It is quite heavy, and combined with the stock muffler weighs something like 8.5kg's.. In fact I am going to put the two together and actually weigh it for those who really want the accurate facts.. cause they are very heavy..!!! It is the same as running two mufflers in a row... just to make it very quiet....!!

I dont know why they made this box so big and heavy really...?? but the bottom plate bolts onto it and that finishes off the look of the bike side profile.. The akrapovic pipe allows for the bottom plate so the bike still looks good side profile without having a gaping hole there like on some other systems.

The USA Pre Chamber actually has a secondary catalytic convertor built into it... (I have a cut away picture of this)... as their emmisions laws are much more than ours... So they have to run through 2 x cats.. which produces much heat and soaks up much HP...!! This is why the yanks call it a 'Cat Box'

Getting rid of this box opens up the pipe so it is actually the same diameter all the way through with no resistance to the flow right through to the muffler.. Just like most performance exhaust systems. The total gains verses the weight drop are definitely worth it....

Macca....

[Wattie]

so is the 2HP gain that Akro talk about, a gain over the Yank box? or the OZ box?

our box may have 1hp already on the yanks.

but as you say, the weight alone would almost be worth it.

[zx-10r]

is that pipe titanium? I have felt the akra full system on a dirt bike, shit, the titanium one is a fuk load lighter + 5x stronger than steel (i just made this figure up, BUT i know it rips shit on steel, woooooo )

its hard to imagine that there is actual technology in the shape of an exaust pipe.
Have fun with it, allways good to have something to fiddle with

[danzx10r]

sounds like a good investment lol.
i have akrapovic slip on at the moment and it does seem pritty quiet so does it make it louder???
what other bits have you done to your beast macca???

[Maccarocks]

Yes I do agree, that the 2HP gain would be from the USA box with the additional cat in the line.. we probably only gain an extra 1HP due to the pipe diameter being the same size of the main pipe and not reducing, plus the weight savings is huge. (considering most SBK teams are measuring the weight savings verses power to weight ratio's in grams sometimes.. this box and stock muffler is worth kilos in weight savings..!!) In any case, the gain is not the main thing, it just comes with the better exhaust breathing and what we just discussed in the weight savings... Really these bikes have so much HP, none of us mortals can get anywhere near the potential.. I just like the bike to run without the EPA restrictions. The engine runs better, less heat, breaths better and also gets a better fuel econony as well (if you can control that throttle hand..?? )

I am only changing the stock air filter for a high flow and that's all I am doing. The bike runs so smooth, so much accelleration power, I dont see the need to change anything else. It is a very well put together machine. And as far as the additional akrapovic pipe making it louder, well that is a definite ..!! It will make the system louder as the pre chamber muffler is now gone, but it is not too loud if you know what I mean..?? I have the LEO VINCE SBK race muffler, it has a 55 mm bore, and marked 'not for road use', only 'racing', and it has an excellent note, loud enough to be noticed by the motorists, and it surely does bark when i give it some, but it is not as loud as other pipes I have heard. But also remember, loudness does not always mean power..!!!! (Harley Riders..?? ) A tuned quieter exhaust will always run much better than a straight out un-muffled screaming raspy pipe..!! (unless you are riding a motogp bike that is..!! where a lot of tuning has gone into that with the engine running at over 15,000RPM most of the time..)

Macca.

[danzx10r]

i have ordered one but i wont have it for around a month. once i have got it ill run it on the dyno b4 and after and see what happens. the exhaust i got now is just the akrapovic slip on.
macca lets see some pics of the beast!
http://www.ksrc-au.com/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 5&start=20

[photomike666]

Do you have a PCIII? I'd expect pipe mods and air filter to give a lean mixture. I like the idea of the mid pipe. Does it replace the cat too?

[Blurr]

yep it replaces the lot Mike

The stock pipe weighed in at just under 10kg's when I weighed mine Macca. My M4 replacement came just in at a pissy 1.8kg

after the mod it stopped pulling to the right

[Saki]

yep it replaces the lot Mike

The stock pipe weighed in at just under 10kg's when I weighed mine Macca. My M4 replacement came just in at a pissy 1.8kg

after the mod it stopped pulling to the right

so stock weight is 178kg,so that means they are 170! Thats a huge drop in weight and DAM that is light for a 1L

[Maccarocks]

Hi all, I agree fully with the exhaust removal and the huge drop in weight.. The stock system, being that huge ugly muffler joined to the heavy pre chamber weighs so much, it makes you wonder why Kawasaki would even bother..?? There must be more efficient ways to quiet them down without all this extra steel..??? But the removal will definitely put this bike around the 170kg's flat..!! Awesome weight, and you can really feel it in the accelleration..!!

As far as the PC111 goes.. Yes I have looked into this, and I have done this addition with all my other bikes.. however, my very good friend from Morwell Kawasaki, who actually races this very model (Doing mid - low 1.30's at Phillip Island - so he is no slouch..!!) All he did was the air filter, full akrapovic system and the 08 ZX10 read 178 on the dyno.. no PC111. I asked him the same question, and he says that the PC111 would probably smooth things out a bit, but there is no noticable jump in HP.. These bikes where originally built to race, and the fuelling system is designed for the mods that we are all doing, hence the reason they are so powerful straight out of the box so to speak...

After doing the same mods on my 06 / 07 ZX10's... I had bad backfiring, and the PC111 installation definitely fixed that on these bikes... Hovever, just with the link pipe and a LEO VINCE SBK Race Muffler, I am having no backfiring problems, in fact it is very smooth on the accelleration and decelleration with the standard burble on the way down.. (this is with the stock air filter in).. I will be swapping the filter very soon, so I will monitor it and see how it goes then.. ??

Even if it does startbackfiring, I can do the 'marble' mod and block off the kleen air system to remove the popping if it comes, but I dont think it will.. I know that Kawasaki changed the fuelling system on this model, so I will see how it all goes... I really dont want to play around too much with this one.. it is so good as it is..!!

Macca