Replacing the standard system with a new motorcycle exhaust system is probably the first modification most bikers make to their ride. Generally motorcycles exhaust are replaced for two main reasons.
One is to enhance the performance of your machine. Since generally one of the items that restrict the highest performance on a bike is the exhaust. Once this is removed and replaced with a performance system you will have significant horsepower gains.
Now generally you will have to have your ride remapped in order to take advantage of the removal of the restrictive original system. The other reason stock gets replaced with a new motorcycle exhaust system is the sound. Due to restrictions the sound of your bike is really baffled so it does not have that nice aggressive growl that most of us really go for.
With a new aftermarket exhaust the motorbike will run and sound way better. Also lets not forget that these new exhaust will be much lighter then stock. For example when I replaced my stock cans on my Ducati with some Aluminum ones I dropped almost 20 pounds of my bike. That is a lot of weight to loose on a vehicle that weighed 500+ pounds stock. This was an older model so re jetting was in order. This modification combined with some race carburetors made a huge difference.
Most of today’s motorcycles exhaust are designed to give you a great sound as well as performance. The stock exhaust is usually top of the line but due to government restrictions the systems take all the oompf out of your machine, or at least restrict what it is capable of. With so many makers of exhaust systems these days its hard to figure out what is best for your bike.
Here are some suggestions if you have a sport bike. Scorpion motor cycle exhaust are a great choice for most sport bikes. They make many top of the line exhaust systems. A variety of materials are used to make these motorcycles exhausts. Scorpion uses aluminum, titanium or carbon fiber.
Carbon fiber is the chrome of the sport bike world so it is widely used. This material is highly durable and lighter then plastic so it is a great choice when you are looking to reduce weight on any type of vehicle. Carbon Fiber is not only popular in the sportbike world but also many car enthusiast are using this material to use heavy fenders and hoods on their vehicles. Not to mention that some of the top makers of sports cars make sports cars whose chassis consist mostly of this material.
Your other choices for a quality exhaust for a sportbike are going to be an Akrapovic, Yoshimura, or a Jardine system. All are of quality and made from quality materials.
For Cruisers like a nice Harley Davidson there are several choices available. Since weight is not a factor for motor cycles of this type most of your exhaust systems consist of a chromed stainless steel.
More important in this application is the look, sound and lastly the power increase. Samson makes some really nice pipes for these bikes as does Vance and Hines as well as Supertrapp. For your metric cruiser crowd you have Cobra, Jardine, Hard Krome, and Vance and Hines. All of these manufacturers make a great product that is designed to give you years of trouble free service.