| Author | Message | ||
     Bloose |
I was at a track day at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet IL this past weekend as mentioned in another post. The Monday before the track day (the following Sunday and Monday Labor Day weekend) I decided I wanted a little more sound from my bike on the track. Out on the track with the in-line 4's it is near impossible to hear the 1125R. An increase in HP was also on my list of desires.  With these goals in mind I called Tuesday and ordered a Barkers exhaust (based on the great results from the exhaust shoot out post here on Bad Web) an Erik Buell Racing pump gas ECM and a K+N air filter from Amazon. With time not on my side I knew there was a lot of potential here for this stuff not to arrive in time. I called and talked to the people at Barker's. The guy I talked to was supper nice but didn't instill a lot of confidence in me that things would go smooth. A long story but not important because the muffler was in my hands by Friday just as promised! The next item to stress about was the ECM. Unfortunately I could find no phone number to call to contact Erik Buell Racing. So I placed the order with a request that they contact me if they couldn't ship it immediately. Even though Erik Buell Racing is only a couple hours from me I paid the few extra $$ for 2nd day shipping. I had a shipping confirmation within hours of placing the order! It arrived in two day just as planned! The last item was the air filter from Amazon and it also arrived in two days no problems. I had everything in my paws by Friday and set to getting it all installed. First off the exhaust came with no instructions. But it did come with two stickers. Installation was pretty simple though so not a huge deal but an "installed photo" would have been nice just to give a clear idea of where to mount the hanger. Removing the factory can was harder than putting on the new one but even that went pretty quick. With the muffler installed I moved on to the ECM and then the air filter. Once it was all installed it was time to fire up the bike. (on a side note I bought the quiet core for the muffler). I thumbed the starter button and the bike fired immediately! Sweat sound, not too loud not too quiet, just right. Actually in my opinion the sound and DB level is perfect! I took it for a quick spin and everything ran perfect so I loaded it up for the track day to come on Sunday. Now is the most important part of this post, how the bike ran at the track (I ran it at the track with the Quiet core removed). After the first session and a few laps into the second I was comfortable with the track layout and that my tires were warm enough to feed the bike some throttle. When I did the only thing that ran through my head was "holy S**T". This setup really woke this motor up. So much in fact I had to spend the rest of the weekend moderating my right hand to keep the front tire planted. Too much throttle at too low of an RPM was causing the front tire to come unglued all weekend! Now we're not talking sky high wheelies here, were talking the front tire skimming the pavement which in turn was causing a horrible shimmy in the bars. This tire skimming was possible in 1st 2nd and 3rd gear! The power was truly impressive. For the first time at a track day I wasn't being passed by people with less skill but faster bikes. I was being passed plenty, but the people who passed me were better riders than me. They were passing because of rider skill not more HP. So, the bottom line here is if your wondering if you should go with this setup I give it both of my thumbs way up. I cannot say how the exhaust works without the ECM or filter but the whole package works great. I'll also mention that at times the bike was bit hard to start. It would turn over but not really fire. Then I would release the starter button wait a second and try again and it would fire right up. Not a big deal but something you should be aware of if you plan to get this setup. As a side note I've never been impressed with the price of MC exhausts, this one is no exception. $450 for a muffler and a pipe is outrageous. Unfortunately that is the going price and in comparison to other exhausts for this and other bikes this one is actually a pretty good deal. With that said, though I think the price is steep, I'm happy to say that for the high sum I got a product that does what it says it will do and exactly as I want it to. I guess thats the price of happiness! HTH, B | ||
| Sparropie |
sAME SET UP. sAME RESULTE! | ||
| Mountainstorm |
Well I agree with everything except the price being high. You can get this set up for $400 from Puzzled on BuelletinBoard if you are a member of that board. And if you feel the price is steep then I guess you must really feel annoyed when paying a dollar for a cup of coffee  We all know it only costs ten cents to make  There is no less expensive slip on available for the 1125r. The discounted price of $400 is lower than a shipped HMF off fleaBay. I love mine. Makes the 1125 into a real Buell. | ||
| D_adams |
Pricing on exhaust systems vary wildly. Some range as high as $3600-3700 for full systems and they're not much longer than a slipon for the 1125. Akrapovic is a perfect example. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/5/88/7317/D PITEM/Street-Bike-Complete-Exhaust-Systems-Akrapov ic-Evolution-Exhaust-with-Hexagonal-Muffler.aspx  Check the MSRP on them. Yeah, it might be a Ti pipe, but still. Is it really worth that much? For a whopping 10 hp more over stock and the torque curve all over the place, they want $3700.  That's on what most of the world considers the top bikes for racing. Maybe I should build one for them and send it off for testing to see what I can get out of them.  Nahhhhhhh, I like Buell better. $450 for a pipe that makes at least 17 hp more than stock, I'd say you got a good deal on what you bought. | ||
| Jng1226 |
That's on what most of the world considers the top bikes for racing. That's why Akrapovic costs so much, they have to PAY to SPONSOR all those top teams running the exhausts, and that cost is passed on to the consumer. Most top brands that do a lot of advertising/sponsorships (Alpinestars, Arai, etc.) have lower value-for-money because their retail prices have to compensate for their massive marketing budgets. Barker is selling their exhaust through a much more limited distribution channel (no 2-tier distributors) so less margins added to the product combined with nearly zero marketing cost results in a relatively inexpensive price for a product proven to deliver results. In this day and age with easy access to dyno testing and custom mapping tools (PCIII, E_B_R Race ECMs, etc.), most anyone that knows what they're doing can make a decent exhaust with each designer's personal approach to aesthetics and technology. Akrapovic is like the Rolex of exhausts. You can get a Timex that keeps time just as well, if not better, but it doesn't have the same cache. Buell riders are thankfully smarter than that and measured performance is usually what counts with us! | ||
| Dannybuell |
Jng1226 - +1 | ||
| Bloose |
I paid $450 for the Barkers because it is black. I could have saved $50 going with polished but polished aluminum down there doesn't look good long, at least the Jardine on my XB didn't. As I said in the world of motorcycle exhaust systems $400 ~ $450 is a bargain and when I figure the setup does exactly what I want it to do (sound good and make the bike faster) it's not the end of the world. What I'm looking at is the fact that a very high end stainless after market muffler for my car is around $100. For that it will be as I said Stainless, welded, and likely chambered. A somewhat complex piece for 1/4 the price of a MC system. Then the pipes I have from the headers are 2 1/2" SS with an X pipe and I think that was $175. And that is not a cheap setup it is all SS. For mild steel I could have spent about $100 for everything. I obviously know this is all about economies of scale but that doesn't make me any happier about it. The bottom line is, if you are looking to fork over $750 for an exhaust, ecm, and air filter, this setup has to be about as good as it gets IMHO. B | ||
| Bloose |
P.S. If $450 was really that much of a scam I could start up my own exhaust company and sell them for 1/2 that. But that fact is, if I or most anyone wanted to do that we would likely sell them for the same money and may make just enough to justify the effort but likely not even that. So ignore my crying! I get it, I'm just cheap so I don't like it. | ||
| Mountainstorm |
And honest Is it really 17 HP? How about that. My stock bike dynoed 130...holy cow do I really have 147 now?  Might explain why cruising along at 117 MPH only takes a tiny bit of throttle. | ||
| D_adams |
Individual results may vary, but from the asb shootout it showed about that. I'm sure you've read it all, there were 4 systems that hit 16+ hp. I think that equates to maybe a 13% gain in power? Of course, with a higher starting point, that does make it tougher to obtain. | ||
| Rhinorear |
Just scored my Barker for $380.55 delivered | ||
| Rhinorear |
Can any one tell me if the Barker fits an 1125R with the fairing kit? Thanks! | ||
| Blk09r |
I have a Barker's on my R with the fairing kit. Fits perfectly. | ||
| Ratsmc |
It should be pointed out that the Akropovic pipe mentioned above is titanium. There is definitely some markup for the brand in there but the materials and fabrication cost for that thing are in a totally different category than any slip-on. | ||
| D_adams |
The materials cost for Ti is about 3x more than mid-grade stainless. Welding costs are higher also initially, you really need an enclosed chamber to do the welding and then the argon gas costs are higher as well since you have to use so much more of it. Even so, it was just to make the point that there are some _very_ expensive systems out there, a $400 pipe that makes a lot of power over stock is one helluva deal. It's all personal preference on what you want it to look like, sound like and what kind of power you'll be happy with after paying what _you_ think is reasonable. Drummer pipes are right at a grand, mine are a little under that for a different look, Barker's pipe is even lower in cost. | ||
| Bloose |
I'm sorry I even mention how cheap I am, I mean my feeling of the price for exhausts being high. This post was supposed to be about another customer tickled about the performance and service of the companies involved. Sorry about that guys. To the guy asking about the fairing kit. The exhaust after the factory headers is no where near the fairings of the fairing kit so I'm pretty sure any of the systems will work with them. As mentioned above the Barker fits for sure because I do have the fairing kit. BTW, $500 for the fairing kit which is just two pieces of plastic... Oh shoot there I go again. B (Message edited by Bloose on September 10, 2010) | ||
| Jng1226 |
BTW, $500 for the fairing kit which is just two pieces of plastic... I don't mean to beat a dead horse as I know you were joking (somewhat), but plastic molds are extremely expensive. Especially when they get as big as what would be necessary for the side fairing kit. Likely to be somewhere around $30K-40K. The per piece cost is cheap (say $40-$60) but then you have Harley, who requires dealers make a minimum 50% gross margin on parts and accessories. So you have the supplier who makes the part, invested in the tooling, who has to amortize that cost over the relatively few sets they will sell and make some profit. Then Harley buys those and sells them to their dealer at another 50% gross margin, then finally you have the dealer who sells it to you that wants another 50% gross margin on what bought it for. From actual cost of a product to retail, it usually works out that it's only about 10%-15% of the retail cost to make it. Our economy has historically been strong enough to support this chain, and that's why we're considered the richest nation in the world and things are so good here. Nowadays, perhaps the worm has turned... | ||
| Bloose |
I wasn't somewhat kidding I was TOTALLY kidding. B | ||
| Father_of_an_era |
Some of these exhausts are really expensive but you really have to do your research on each individual exhaust. Some have issues of reliability and some just sound like lawnmowers! But, if you found one that you like for a price you can live with and the performance you're looking for then, that just makes it all the better.  It took me several months to finally decide on purchasing the exhaust I purchased. One of the biggest deciding factors is that I couldn't find a single complaint. Plus, I like the fact that the exhaust is hand made. | ||
| Rt_performance |
now take that $350-400 you saved and get a gpr damper. now more shimmy setting the wheel down is more than worth it. I have the same set up for that matter Erik Buell Racing dynoed my Barker  to make the race ecm map | ||
| Jng1226 |
Rt_performance - The GPR is next on my list. That's cool that your bike is the "template" for the E_B_R Barker ECM. May I ask what their dyno figures were (HP/Torque peaks)? | ||
| Bloose |
Yes, a steering damper is next on the list! B | ||
| Mountainstorm |
I need an enthusiasm damper. I get so excited. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Mountainstorm - "I need an enthusiasm damper. I get so excited." The enthusiasm damper's around these parts have blue and red lights! :-) | ||
| Rt_performance |
Erik Buell Racing did not give me a print out but converted to a dyno jet was 129 hp. i think it was like 70 tq. I put it on a 20 power pull in a trailer and got 128 hp and 163mph before the rear tire spit out a nail and started to go flat. Since the damper install i can barely notice when the front wheel comes up and sets back down. | ||
| Mountainstorm |
Maybe the thread could be retitled: "How I Converted my 1125r into a Unicycle" | ||
| 09xblong |
still waiting on the Erik Buell Racing RACING ECM but couldnt wait for it all to come so i put on the Barker and the K&N. What a difference already!!! |
