[sm=bangbang.gif]been there, argued about that.... [sm=closed.gif]

 

Who cares which is better buy what you like. It's like arguing whats better Chevy or Ford! We all know Toyota makes the best Vehicles!! ...lol

 

LMAO!!

And Kawi makes the best bike.

 

Green is Mean!

 

keep the t- shirt with ya when you ride , you never know when your gonna need toilet paper

 

For what it's worth, Big Gun has my mislabeled pipe and they tell me the replacement will be shipped tomorrow. They say I should expect it in 3-5 days.

At this point, I've had so much crap over this exhaust pipe that getting excited right now is too much of a hassle. [sm=insomnia.gif]

Check back with me in about a week regarding:
- If they sent the right head pipe, but they forgot the exhaust mounting bracket
- Did they throw in a free tee-shirt, and does it really clean up oil spills any better than Speedy Dry
- See if I give a sh*t about my right passenger peg

"What a long strange trip its been!"
- Grateful Dead

 

I don't care who you are thats funny. I hope the header fits.

 

I've also heard that using a bench grinder to remove a teenie weenie bit of material from the passenger peg will allow the peg to clear the Muzzy mid pipe....without having to dent it! I've seen a a few peeps running with the big gun in Japan and they look to be of poor materials/quality. They do sound pretty good though.

 

I FINALLY GOT MY PIPE!!!

It was 2 months of frustration and aggravation, but its finally over!!!

And just to put a ribbon on this package, Phil didn't disappoint me in demonstrating Big Gun's wonderful Customer Service! I opened the box and .... no T-shirt!!! (He said he would send me one, but he must have read Firedude's post about needing toilet paper while I'm out for a ride!)

You know, it's amazing how well the exhaust system fits when you have the right head pipe! It's almost as if they actually made this system for my bike!!! [sm=drooldude.gif] Everything fit right in place and bolted on perfectly. I think it took me all of about 12 minutes (I've slowed down a little due to lack of practice for the last month and a half.) After LordVngr had that trouble with his screws a little while back, I decided to check my silencer and took the opportunity to install the Vortex tip and spark arrester screen, so it was all setup. Big Gun Customer Service said they would also send me a Quiet Core insert for my troubles, but for some reason, I didn't think that was going to happen. Can't imagine why I thought that! [sm=smiley24.gif]

Anyway, I was concerned from the start about the noise level, and from everyone's posts, I wasn't too comforted that it wasn't going to be an issue. I was expecting it to be loud, and decided a "worst case scenario" would be my best first experience, since it would only get better from there. Rather than roll the bike into the driveway, I decided to start it in the garage. My wife came out just as I was starting it, so I figured that 2 horrified faces makes for a pretty good "worst case scenario" and kept it cranking.

Well, considering all the rest of the turmoil in this saga, the sound level was actually not bad at all! Not only didn't I think it was bad, my wife didn't have any comments at all about the sound level!!! I don't know if anyone else is using the Vortex insert, but I was pleasantly surprised -- yes, its definitely a bit louder than the stock muffler (I drilled both internal baffles, so the OEM muffler was slightly louder than the stock "Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!" ... ), but the tone now has a deeper, throatier "belching" to it (Definitely a much more manly sound!!!)

Next step: Road Test!

First impression: I exepected something more for $450 bucks!!! Yeah, it seems like there's more pull all across the powerband, but not "gobs of power" and no 3rd gear wheelies that I've read about. Then I turned out from my driveway and headed down the block to the first stop sign -- Ok, maybe there's a few tiny "gobs of power" (in Canada, those would be metric gobs). So, without getting too radical in the streets, it seems that there's a fairly decent improvement, but still nowhere near what other people were describing. I was pleased, yet somewhat disappointed.

In hindsight though, taking into consideration the lower sound level and lower than expected power increase, I'm thinking the Vortex tip, while effective on sound, really takes its toll on performance. Tomorrow I'll take out the insert and see if I can get those "Made in U.S.A" gobs of power that I keep hearing about. [sm=americanasmiley.gif] (I've never been a big fan of the metric system, anyway.) I'll have to think about rejetting (yet a 3rd time), as well, but I think I may hold off and get what little riding in that I can. (Don't want to waste what few good days there are left with the bike sitting waiting to be serviced by the dealer!!!)

From a looks perspective, well ... it looks like all the other Big Gun photos posted here ... what'd you expect?!?? (Seriously, I like the look ... if it was a Muzzy, I'd probably like that look, too. Either way is better than stock!!!) I like LordVngr's CNC endcap, but I'll stick to the anodized tip it came with. Subconsciously, I've started a "red accent" coloring scheme, and the standard tip goes along with that, so I guess I'll keep it.

I'll post tomrrow's impressions tomorrow.

Mike

P.S. - Anybody notice how I didn't mention anything about the passenger pegs? Is that "politically correct", or what?!?? [sm=smiley20.gif][sm=smiley20.gif][sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Glad you got your pipe Mike [8D]