Undertail vs. Side Exhaust System?

**Zed** · 31st July 2005, 09:04

Aimed mainly at sportsbike riders, which exhaust system do you favour and why - the undertail or the side muffler design?

Personally I think that while the undertail is a tidy finish, the muffler cannot be admired as much because it is not as visible as the side muffler. I enjoy the look of the traditional side muffler, especially the aftermarket look!

In saying that, I think I will always have a soft spot for the old original Ducati 916 undertail exhaust!

**James Deuce** · 31st July 2005, 09:09

Also from a purely technical perspective, the exhaust length is tuned better with a side exhaust, and there's no up pipe bathing the rear shock in heat.

**DEATH_INC.** · 31st July 2005, 09:21

I don't mind the original 916/955/996/998 setup,and even the new R1 is sorta ok,but the monkeybutt exhausts on the cbr/zx's looks cheap and crappy.And adds weight /heat etc right where you don' need it.
There will be those that say it aids aero's,but the muffler sits in the wake from your leg anyway,no no real gain there anyway......it's just a trend thing...

**Zed** · 31st July 2005, 09:24

Originally Posted by DEATH_INC.

but the monkeybutt exhausts on the cbr/zx's looks cheap and crappy.

I knew someone would say it!

Trying not to offend current undertail owner's.

I notice that Suzooki hasn't incorporated the design into their sportsbikes. I wonder why?

**stanko** · 31st July 2005, 09:42

I quite like both,
Old saying "Nothing new under the sun"

**FEINT** · 31st July 2005, 09:44

Undertail exhaust has a lot more bends and is longer than a side can. Side can also allows you to have MORE storage space! The '05 ZX6R have close to nothing when it comes to storage.

Side Can is better in my opinion. Not restricted by space and it doesn't leave the pillions ass BURNT......

**sAsLEX** · 31st July 2005, 10:03

Originally Posted by DEATH_INC.

There will be those that say it aids aero's,but the muffler sits in the wake from your leg anyway,no no real gain there anyway......it's just a trend thing...

It would also add weight up high where you dont want it, which is why suzuki made that triangle one on the thouh to bring the weight in closer to the centre while keeping it lower down, plus the shape helps with the aero side of things as well

**Zed** · 31st July 2005, 10:08

Originally Posted by FEINT

Undertail exhaust has a lot more bends and is longer than a side can. Side can also allows you to have MORE storage space! The '05 ZX6R have close to nothing when it comes to storage.

Side Can is better in my opinion. Not restricted by space and it doesn't leave the pillions ass BURNT......

Hey that carbon Two Bros side can looks familiar!!

My Blackbird has next to no storage either, and I have two side mufflers!! I have to take out the toolkit if I want to use it as storage, which I do sometimes (yesterday I did)...just hope I don't break down and need to use the tools!!

**Coyote** · 31st July 2005, 10:21

I prefur the under engine style. I might be able to make my own system if I got some second hand header pipes

**zadok** · 31st July 2005, 10:23

Undecided. I like both. The undertail certainly looks tidy and I guess in case of an 'off', would prevent damage to the 'normal' side mufflers.
Just a thought: some mufflers on some sports bikes can be quite beefy. There would be no room for the that displacement in an undertail presumably, which would make for different mapping and performance characteristics. Make sence?

**XTC** · 31st July 2005, 10:38

I really like the undertail system on the aprillia 450 dirt bike.

**Toast** · 31st July 2005, 11:00

Like Jim said, adds weight...and worse still, heating the of the rear shock in some cases...no damping is just plain scary.

Having said that, if buying a new 600, it'd be a Kawi 6R. So long as the manufacturers can do them without suffering too much, I'm gonna complain (the '05 6R supposedly doesn't suffer at all against its competition).

**pritch** · 31st July 2005, 11:35

Suzuki designer Hiroshi Iio said,

" First of all we wanted it lower and closer to the centre of the bike, the triangular shape was necessary to acheive maximum banking with the pipe lower. It will now lean to 53 degrees. If you draw a line from the rear tyre up to the pipe you will see how much lean you can acheive because of the new shape that wouldn't have been possible before.
Also the design is much more aerodynamically efficient compared to a more normal style exhaust."

BIKE April 2005

**Coyote** · 31st July 2005, 13:23

Plus they warm up your seat, that's a luxury you don't even find on the throne*

*Toilet

**onearmedbandit** · 31st July 2005, 13:41

Originally Posted by alarumba

Plus they warm up your seat, that's a luxury you don't even find on the throne*

*Toilet

Oh yes you do, in Japan that is. Wonderful invention it is too. Went to a friends house over there, light turns on when you walk in and the lid lifts up. Push a button and the seat lifts as well. Do your 'business', toliet flushes itself, lowers both the seat and lid. Put your hands under the tap, the water comes on at just the right temp (once again, you touch nothing), move hands under soap dispenser and it automatically deposits liquid soap in your hands, wash hands then dry under automatic hand drier (that feels like it removes the top layer of skin). Leave toliet and shut door and the light turns off. Simply amazing.