Sandybike Spares Downpipes

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I recieved my set of downpipes from sandybike spares as my old ones were fubar, ill post a pic later.

First impressions, they seem ok/good. They are not full of holes and not made out of compressed rust...so thats a bonus from the start Forgot to weigh my original downpipes, but i would say these are a bit lighter, maybe 0.5-1kg lighter? The exhaust flanges (that bolt onto the engine) are sturdy looking, the welds are ok, no bubbling or pitting, but i have seen better. The inclusion of a removable bolt-on flange is nice if you want to fit a slip-on can. The link pipe is smooth stainless steel, with no monstrous weld seam like the original had. There are a few minor touches that indicate its a cheap (i.e. not a BEET titanium) exhaust kit, but these bits are hidden under the engine...so noone can see...but its really not a detraction from the rest.

When my engine gets back i will offer these up and see what the fit is like.

All in all, not bad for £189 (free postage, 2 year guarantee), lets see how they like winter salt and lets see if my crappy exhaust will fit...might need some gasket sealant...exhaust is going in the bin come christmas anyway.

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well they were a tight fit - the headers were spaced too close together so needed a good pull apart to get them to fit.

Other than that the link pipe doesnt come out all that straight, so the exhaust is not parallel with the side of the bike, but its not a big thing, and i can probably re-bend it at some point, just not right now
Original exhaust can fits fine, am looking forward to getting something better for christmas, will get all the carbs setup then report back.

[Tirpitz]

Forgot to weigh my original downpipes, but i would say these are a bit lighter, maybe 0.5-1kg lighter?

I'd be worried by that. Stainless steel is heavier than mild steel so if your stainless ones are lighter than the original mild steel something's not right at all. The original mild steel pipes are not known for being particularly thick either.

Assuming it IS stainless they're made out of that suggests they are made out of thin-section metal, which is not good.

Not trying to be negative, just saying that something doesn't add up good there.

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as i said i judged it on "this feels lighter than the one i chucked in the skip 2 weeks ago"...although the new one does not have the large flange that you bolt to your can that is on the original, so maybe that sheds some weight? just checked, 304 stainless steel is just a tad over 2% more dense than mild steel...so they are almost identical. although stainless steel is slightly heavier than mild steel (2.4% more), it is (on the brinell scale) >2 times as tough so can be structurally sound with less material, and therefore less weight.

they have a 2 year warranty anyways, and im covered under the sale of goods act for 5-6 years...so if they develop holes they will be going back

in any case they met my 1 criteria at the time...are they better than what i have on at the moment...and the answer was yes. plus they look nicer than the ones from delkevic, and were one of the cheapest around...im happy

[MrLuke]

It looks like the SS ones don't have the balancer pipes either so that would save some weight I imagine

[Tirpitz]

It looks like the SS ones don't have the balancer pipes either so that would save some weight I imagine

Yes, that would make a difference.

I was under the impression that the fuelling on the L was set-up for an exhaust with balancer pipes and also that they boosted power a little. I would be loathe to omit them.

I would possibly be interested in future in SS exhausts but I'd want the things to be a replica of what I was taking off. This firm have a very good rep in rebuilding and modding circles http://www.alldens.co.uk/ and will make a direct copy of the OEM system AND make sure it fits. Probably worth paying the extra if you can afford to do so - that's assuming they are extra, they might not be.

Because SS is harder it is also more brittle and can crack. Whether it does or not is down to quality. However, if I were having to pull headers apart to get them to fit in the exhaust ports I would expect the system to be thereafter under stress, which would increase the risk of fracture. So precision in the build does matter.

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? i didnt think any of the L models had balancer pipes, thought that was only H models ?

my mate james brennan is my local mechanic and ex-racer, he thinks they will be ok...thats good enough for me.

[Tirpitz]

? i didnt think any of the L models had balancer pipes, thought that was only H models ?

My L4 system is as it came out of the factory and has balancer pipes between cylinders 1&4 and 2&3. I thought it was the other way round - that the H didn't have them

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microfiche and manuals show only H with balancer pipes...

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a quick update, had these on the bike for just over 2 years now and done about 5000 miles through hot summers and snowy winters, minimal surface corrosion (easily removed with 2000 grit sandpaper), nicely blued at the tops only, no damage/cracks/holes...cant fault them at all.

[Damian120]

I have the same (ish) downpipes, from the same supplier too. Mine have about 3500 miles on after just over a year. My pipes are made from 309 grade stainless though, and are also straight thorugh pipes. Weight difference could also be down to the internal baffling of the original exhaust. I noticed the inside of the stainless part has this, hence why it looked so large!

[shaggy69]

No weight difference between similar gauge mild and stainless steel. L models never had balancing pipes although all the best race systems do Beet, MHP etc. Mild steel will always be slightly heavier due to the iron oxide (rust) once used. Sandy Bike Spares exhausts have always given favourable results on dyno, other than CBR600 pipes which omitted balance pipes of original, they are and need balance pipes....ZXRs are fine without