Akrapovic Racing Exhaust
Akrapovic Racing Exhaust
CW EVALUATION
From Slovenia, with love
IGOR AKRAPOVIC, ONE OF THE most respected manufacturers of racing exhaust systems, has been crafting high-performance pipes since 1990. His original goal was to give consumers the same level of quality that at the time was only available to factory racing teams. Fit, finish, durability and, above all, performance were his mantra. By 1999, all of the teams running Japanese bikes in the World Superbike Championship were using pipes of his design. So it came as no sur prise that Kawasaki rec ommended an Akrapovic (a-CROP-oh-vich) pipe for our 2006 ZX-6R track bike. We ordered the stain less-steel Racing, which features conical hydro
formed 4-into-2-into-1 headers and a cylindrical link pipe held together with sleeve joints and silicon-shielded ten sioning springs. The muffler is titanium with a carbon-fiber end cap. A full-tita nium version called the Evolution ($1666) is also available. Ease of installation lived up toAkrapo vic's lofty reputation. Attention to detail
and craftsmanship were top rate, and every joint went to gether with no hassles for a snug fit. Aligning the header pipes of an after market system with the exhaust ports. on a four-cylinder sportbike can be a headache, but the Racing setup fit per-
fectly and was easily secured using the stock hardware. Fit, finish and ease of installation are mi nor selling points to racers; to them, perfor mance is what really matters. On our other wise-stock 636cc Nm ja, the results were im pressive. It wasn't just the 4 additional top-end horsepower or the 1.5
ft.-lb. increase in peak torque that made us smile-nearly anyone can make a pipe that produces more peak power. Rather, it was the broad spread of power. From 6000 rpm all the way up to the 14,600-rpm
redline, the Racing outperformed the stock exhaust, with a substantial increase through the midrange, vital for good drive out of slow corners. What's more, we realized these im pressive results without swapping the stock air filter for something less-restric tive or remapping the fuel-injection. As they say on TV, but wait, there's more. The Racing weighs 12 pounds less than the stock underseat-exiting system. So not only does the pipe improve the bike's power-to-weight ratio, said weight is removed from high up, resulting in a noticeable and welcome improvement in handling. If you're in the market for a beautifully constructed, easy-to-install exhaust sys tem that offers excellent performance, look no farther.
DETAILS
Parts Unlimited P0. Box 5222 Janesville, WI 53547 608/758-1111 www.akrapovic-exhaust.com Price.. .$1264
A Instant, bolt-on performance A Substantial weight savings A Top-rate fit and finish ,~owns v Must order sight unseen from a Parts Unlimited dealer v No U.S. technical support v Performance doesn't come cheaply
