Answer Products Silencer And Spark Arrester

Answer Products silencer and spark arrester

EVALUATION

ot that long ago, real racing bikes didn’t have silencers. Everybody knew that. Silencers robbed power, so if a bike came with a silencer, the speed secret was to pull it off. Now, thanks to the years of running wide open exhausts, many good riding areas are closed. Times change and now all bikes come with silencers and they manage to be faster than anyone would have imagined 10 years ago. That’s progress.

When silencers first became mandatory, lots of companies jumped into the business. Then lots of them jumped out.

One of the survivors is Answer Products, which has been selling excellent repackable aluminum silencers for years. The Answer silencers are attractive, quiet and long lasting. Some of those silencers have come with integral spark arresters and now there is a clamp-on spark arrester available from Answer Products.

The clamp-on spark arrester is a useful product. It makes easy work of converting a motocrosser to a forestlegal bike. And when it’s added to a regular Answer motocross silencer, it is quieter than most combined silencers and spark arresters. Most combined units take away silencing area to make room for the spark arrester. The add-on unit doesn’t.

Just slapping a spark arrester onto a silencer has not always worked well. Normally the add-on spark arrester is an effective way to detune an open bike. The new Answer spark arrester doesn’t rob power. Why, we’re not sure. Answer Products, naturally, doesn’t want to give away any secrets. The Answer spark arrester uses a Krizman bullet-swirl design, which is common, and it has a larger outside cover so it can fit over standard MX silencers. We suspect the increased area around the swirl device is what keeps exhaust flowing through the spark arrester and keeps the power from going away. Installed on an IT490, the bike ran as well with the spark arrester as without it. The only noticeable difference was a reduction in noise.

Installing the add-on arrester is a 5 min. job. It requires a flat blade screwdriver and a pair of heavy duty snap-ring pliers. Remove the end cap from the MX silencer. The inner part of the arrester, the part with the bullet-cone, is installed in its place and held there with a steel snap ring. An aluminum spacer sleeve fits over the raised ridge in the silencer body’s end. Then the aluminum arrester cover slips over the sleeve. The spacer sleeve and aluminum cover have two small holes, each about a quarter inch from the end of the pieces. These holes must be aligned as the cover is slid over the spacer sleeve so tiny steel balls fit into the holes. A stainless steel hose clamp holds the steel balls in place and keeps the parts together. It’s a neat system that won’t fall apart half way through an enduro.

Answer silencers and arresters are available at motorcycle dealers. Silencer prices vary with application, but generally cost between $35 and $55. The add-on spark arrester sells for $26.95. El