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Aftermarket Cans and Full Systems
Blackbird
Cans Autopsy! |
Just what is this all about? Well it seemed that there was demand to know what exactly is in a Blackbird can, and whether it is possible to drill it out to make the cans a bit noisier….Please note that we do not recommend it nor condone it.! We’ve had members enquiring and here it is - click on the link below! . |
“I have a standard 1998 Carb Blackbird and now I think it is time to change the cans for something a little louder but not too loud. As the marketplace seems to have a wide choice of cans available which ones in your opinion are the best either road illegal or not to improve both sound and performance?.” Can choice is opening a can of worms, so many to choose from, so thanks for your difficult question! I’ll start with answering your query about actual CHOICE before going into performance side of things. Best thing is to simply find a set you like the look of, therer are so many such as Ovals, Rounds, Tri-Ovals, etc etc’. Then find a material you like, Ally (often soft metal that looks dull and cheap and always needs polishing!), Anodised (coloured metal, better finish than plain alloy), Stainless Steel (much better for longevity, durability and looking shiny), Titanium (very expensive but light and good for posers) , Scorched Titanium (heat treated titanium that looks rainbow coloured), or carbon fibre.Alloy is cheapest, and is ideal for those on a budget…but having said that will not perform any worse than expensive scorched titanium cans. This is the predicament here, you are paying for looks rather than performance, so the choice is YOURS! Just go with your budget and the ones you personally find most attractive…… Road cans or Race cans……? . Race cans drastically improve the sound of your bike as you will know, however they are illegal. If the cans are excessively loud (such as D&D, Erion, G-Force, Art) you may well be asking to get pulled by the coppers, there is reports of Police issuing fines for race cans now! But bear in mind there are a few race cans out there that are not so loud (Yoshimura, Micron). They will not really help performance to the extent that you will notice, as it is usually only about 3bhp total, but they do sound good, there is no denying that! If you do fit race cans to your bike, then you will need to fit the original cans back on for MOT. There is no doubt however that race cans are best, they are even cheaper than the road legal version of the same can (if the manufacture does them).Road cans are also worth a look at. They do sound louder than the original cans but the loudness is a safe level and you will not get caught with ya pants down (as so to speak) by Mr Plod if he’s in a shitty mood! Road cans are slightly more expensive. Following a can query in our Outpatients section of our forum Gizzit wrote: "Road legal after market cans will be less restrictive than OE dude, for a couple of reasons. They wont have cats in the link pipe and are ultimately designed (good ones this is) for performance. The standard Honda ones are designed to pass stringent noise and emission regulations. The best you can get is probably Akrapovic. They do a system with removable baffles that still sound sweet with the baffle in and it does not restrict the can too much. Alternatives are brands like Remus, Yoshimura etc. These will all cost you in the region of about £700.00 for 2 cans! If you want a cheaper alternative, you could try Scorpion, Fuel, carbon Can Co. etc. Don’t have the same performance figures or kudos of the more expensive cans but are still pretty good, will release a few ponies and will sound better. If you want even more power, go for a full system. The risk here though is that it may make oil changes a pain in the arse and may also mean the removal of the center stand (ask Chuff, he had this problem)." Single sided can (4-2-1) issue There's
always been the issue when choosing a 4-2-1 system for the Blackbird,
in that the centre stand has to be removed as it rests against the
left can - this problem is NO MORE!!! |
"They were purchased to make the XX more individual and to
smooth out the throttle response and fix the flat spot, thereby slightly
improving the ride. Quality is second to none and well worth the money
spent on it. The fitting was a doddle with only a rudimentary understanding
of mechanics. All done in 2 hours, including fitting new gasket seals.
The only modification needed was to remove the centre stand but this
has not been a problem as the Abus tubular stand is safer and more
secure as it fits to the frame as opposed to the swinging arm".
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Blue flame Evos 
Scruffygit writes: "Bought them from Blue flame direct at the NEC show. Not too certain why I bought them as the only thing I went to the show with the intention of buying was a new pair of boots. Guess what the one thing I didn't get was . Not too certain about the look either - I actually prefer the look of the original cans - although the sound is much meatier now (baffles in). I have got her booked onto a dyno at the end of the month to see what the fueling is like and if she needs a PCIII. Build quality is ok although the original link pipes were about 6mm too long so that the mounting points didn't line up. Sorted by Blue flame by the simple expedient of hacksawing the excess off. The cut edge is a bit ragged and looks tatty but only if you are looking for it. Saddo that I am, I actually compared the weights. The total weight of the originals is 14.211 Kg, the Blue flames 6.993Kg. Since changed whole system to a motad stainless steel headers and Blue flame evo II road legal cans with 4 removable baffles Noisy when required, but easy at MOT time"  Chuff writes: "Although a previous Akropovic system owner I have since changed the whole system to a motad stainless steel headers and Blue flame evo II road legal cans with 4 removable baffles Noisy when required, but easy at MOT time Stick a set of blue flames on, removable baffles, ( 2 or 4 dependant on which cans u get ) and you can have them as loud or quiet as you want, no oil filter or side stand issues as you retain original headers, twice as light as OE cans if not more , all for a pair @ 440 ish if not cheaper" More information can be found at: http://www.blueflameperformance.com/ The best you can get is probably Akrapovic. They do a system with removable baffles that still sound sweet with the baffle in and it does not restrict the can too much. Alternatives are brands like Remus, Yoshimura etc. These will all cost you in the region of about £700.00 for 2 cans! Others cans and exhaust systems available in the market place The thing is there are numerous companies out there doing aftermarket cans for the Blackbird - and like tyres, they're very much a personal choice - but here's some links to get you going!!! Click on each picture or link to be taken to the suppliers site:
www.staintune.com.au/max/ |
In
the USA? Fancy viewing a selection of these cans and exhaust
systems, and get a discount too? Then contact Iggy at Exotic Sport Bike Not only do they stock a great range of cans and exhaust systems for your Blackbird, but you also qualify for a 5% discount.....just tell them IXXRA sent you - their range includes: Akrapovic, Art, Blue Flame, Micron, Staintune etc.... Click the logo to go to their site 
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| Have you had a particularly good experiences with exhaust systems - aftermarket cans....do a write up for us - let us know about it so we can add it to this page - click here to e-mail us |
 Last updated/reviewed February 08 |
