Best 6 to 1 exhaust system for a 79 Z ?

[Kool_Biker]

Hi
What is the best performing 6 to 1 system available today for a 79 Z?

P1060067.jpg

I have installed an old Marshal on my bike.
I love the sound, no idea about performance but it is falling appart and therefore looking for a good permanent solution.
Any thoughts?

Cheers
Aris

[EMS]

I am not a friend of 6-1s, mainly because they give the bike an unbalanced look when installed. "Performance" is relative, Aris. It depends on where you want your "perfomance".
It will be a different exhaust for high rpm/top speed performance on European freeways or seat-of-the pants-feel, mid-range roll-on acceleration for twisties and riding with limited top speeds as we do in the U.S.
For the first, there is the "Schuele" exhaust, an elaborately tuned 6-3-1 header made in Germany, and for the second, I don't think there is a good 6-1.

[Don]

If I was half as literate as Mike, I would have (tried) written that, word for word

In almost any motoring effort, the 'best' horsepower anything usually gives you 5% or so at the very top of the RPM range, where actual peak horsepower is measured. If you're going for lowest quarter mile ET or the highest trap speeds, you're in luck because that's what these sorts of improvements give you

But if you want to ride it or drive it in the real world, a little more grunt in the midrange would be so much more useful . . . . and you'd actually get to make use of it everytime you ride . . . . not just when the law is chasing you home

But . . . . if you just *have to have* a 6 into one to off-balance your CBX, there is nothing like a Schule . . . . 6 into 3 into one carefully tuned equal length pipes and all in beautiful stainless steel

Don

[Kool_Biker]

Hi Mike, Don

Thanks for your speedy responses, I have learned something new; I'd never heard of Schule before. I looked them up in the web and their exhaust looks fabulous (not sure about the end can).

What European freeways chaps; I live and work in Greece, which is primarily about fabulously pretty empty secondary winding roads, where the sea and mountains intertwine - almost coexist. And my riding style is most certainly about midrange torque

Now that performance is settled, the two remaining reasons I would like to further look into 6 to 1 systems are, sound and low weight.
I would welcome more inputs, if any, please.

Thanks again!
Aris

[oilheadron]

I like the DG that came on my '79. They're very reasonably priced, it seems to have good midrange, sounds wonderful, but it apparently doesn't do peak hp very well (I say apparently because my bike is down on peak hp, but is running too rich). I suspect the bike will be within 3-5 hp of a normal 6-2 system when it's jetted correctly.

[Don]

IMO, the weight of the system is entirely secondary - It's down so low that it doesn't markedly affect handing . . . . removing 3 or 4 pounds from the bottom frame rail isn't something to shoot for, at least not to me - There are more important considerations

I agree wholeheartedly that sound (and looks) are what exhausts are all about. I've heard most all of them up close and personal and for my money, nothing comes close to the sound of the 6 into 6 Pipematers at full song - A short ride on my CBX every week or two gives me a much needed 'fix' and after that, the whole world is 'right' again. Second to the Pipemasters for me though would be the sound of the Schule . . . . but the Pipemasters are stainless too, sound better, look much better . . . . and they cost less. It was a 'no-brainer' for me

Pipes are a very personal thing - You should go with whatever floats your boat. One seasoned sailor once told me that "There is no sailboat so ugly that it won't bring a smile to *somebody's* face as they row away from it in the dingy" . . . . that smile tells you that you've bought the 'right' boat - CBX pipes are like that too

Don

[SteveG]

Aris -

Here is a fun video I made of a couple of CBX's playing around in Ohio. Just food for thought.

Steve

[Don]

The first bike in the video was my '79 with the Pipemasters, the second bike was Dan's naked '81 with a Kerker 6 into 1, the third was Steve's '82 with the stock Honda exhaust and the last bike was Mike's '80 with a Bassani 6 into 1

Don

[Rick Pope]

Personally, I like the sound of the Kerker best, but that can be drastically altered by the baffle chosen and the packing. The Bassani is second, to my ears. But it shows how we all have our favorites.

I have a set of Kerker 6-2 hanging out in the garage, trying to find a set of the old "Q" (Quiet) baffles for them. You can still get the other baffles, but the Q has been discontinued.

[oilheadron]

That Kerker sounds exactly like my DG (I believe that the headers may be exactly the same??).

[Rick Pope]

Kerker and D-G are not the same header. The D-G is a Bag-of-spaghetti compared to the Kerker. I think D-G went for that look to emphasis the fact that there are a LOT of pipes there. It does draw attention.

The Kerker is much tighter in appearance, perhaps a bit too tight. Thank heavens we have choices..

[Jeff Bennetts]

That Kerker sounds exactly like my DG (I believe that the headers may be exactly the same??).

Thats because they are the same, I'm not sure how the recent faux Kerkers are being passed off as a Kerker system, they are of a DG design with a Kerker can.

[oilheadron]

The bike with the Kerker seems to be running a little rich like my DG does, I wonder if it has stock jetting.

[mrcbx]

I really like my Winning.....

[Jeff Bennetts]

Powerflow in South Africa, produce a replica of the Bassani in SS. At the moment they don't ship to the USA but I heard that people in the US are looking into changing that.