6 Exhausts. 3 Yamaha R7s. Which One Sounds BEST?! 🔥

6 Exhausts. 3 Yamaha R7s. Which One Sounds BEST?! 🔥

Three Identical Yamaha R7s Hit the Dyno — Now the Exhaust Battle Begins

You guys have been waiting for the Yamaha R7 exhaust testing.

Well...

I think I accidentally came up with an even better way to do it.

I've been collecting exhausts for this R7 project for a while. We've got expensive systems, mid-priced systems, and cheap Chinese exhausts.

The original plan was simple:

Put an exhaust on my R7.

Dyno it.

Take it off.

Install the next one.

Dyno it.

Take that one off.

Repeat that process over and over until Aaron and I hate each other.

But then something happened that I couldn't have planned if I tried.

Three Yamaha R7s showed up at MotoBros.

Same bike.

Same color.

All stock.

And suddenly our exhaust comparison got a whole lot more interesting.

Look at All These Damn Exhausts

Before we get to the surprise, let's talk about what I've collected.

We've got a bunch of exhaust systems sitting here waiting to be tested.

We've got:

Yoshimura.

LeoVince.

M4.

SC-Project.

And some cheap Chinese systems.

One of the Chinese exhausts I ordered is basically trying to look like an Akrapovič.

And when I opened the box?

Oh my God.

The packaging immediately told you what kind of adventure we were about to have.

Then we pulled the exhaust out.

And I started laughing.

From a distance, the thing actually does a pretty convincing job of copying the appearance.

Carbon-looking pieces.

Similar shape.

Similar overall idea.

Then you start looking closer.

Yeah...

We're going to have some fun with this one.

Cheap vs. Expensive — But We're Actually Testing Them

That's what I want this entire R7 series to be about.

I'm not interested in sitting at a table, holding two exhausts and telling you:

"This one is better because it costs more."

We're putting them on the motorcycle.

We're going to hear them.

We're going to ride them.

We're going to dyno them.

We're going to tune the bike.

And we're going to see what actually changes.

Some of these exhausts cost a lot of money.

Some don't.

I spent the money on the SC-Project because I wanted it in this comparison.

We've got M4, which you guys know I already like.

We've got Yoshimura.

We've got LeoVince.

We've got the cheap stuff.

And we're going to work our way through them.

The Used Test Exhausts Will Be for Sale

There's another benefit to this whole project.

I obviously don't need six exhaust systems for one R7 when we're finished.

So we're going to sell the systems we don't keep.

One customer already claimed the Yoshimura.

He originally brought in a cheap Chinese exhaust, and I told him:

Why don't I make you a deal?

Take the Yoshimura after we're finished testing it, let me tune the bike, and we'll make the whole package worthwhile.

Done.

So if you're local, or even if you're not local and want to send me your ECU where applicable, keep an eye on what we're doing.

As these exhaust tests are completed, we're going to have deals available on some of the systems we've used for the testing.

I'm not trying to put them back in boxes and let them sit on a shelf forever.

Let's get them onto motorcycles.

Then This Happened...

Okay.

Here's the surprise.

Bam.

Three Yamaha R7s.

Not three random R7s.

Three of basically the same bike.

Same color.

Sitting next to each other at MotoBros.

Mine is in the middle.

One customer happened to bring his in.

Then another customer came in with another one.

And somehow all three ended up here at exactly the right time.

You can't plan this stuff.

And this completely changed how I could do the exhaust testing.

Why Having Three R7s Is So Useful

Originally, every exhaust test required me to keep tearing my motorcycle apart.

Stock exhaust off.

M4 on.

M4 off.

Yoshimura on.

Yoshimura off.

Chinese exhaust on.

You get the idea.

Now?

One customer is getting the Yoshimura.

Another customer is getting the M4.

That means we can install those systems on their motorcycles while I use mine for the rest of the comparison.

That's fewer unnecessary installations.

But before we touch anything, there was something I absolutely wanted to know.

How close are three stock Yamaha R7s on the same dyno?

That's information we can actually use.

So we strapped all three bikes down.

R7 Number One Hits the Dyno

Fans on.

Bike strapped down.

Let's see what she makes.

We ran the first R7.

Then the second.

Then mine.

And this is where things got interesting.

The numbers were incredibly close.

We're talking about three separately manufactured motorcycles producing results within roughly one horsepower of each other during our baseline testing.

Two of the customer motorcycles ended up at approximately:

65.57 horsepower

And mine?

66.19 horsepower.

So naturally, mine is better.

Obviously.

It's scientifically proven.

Okay, okay.

We're talking about roughly half a horsepower.

I'm just talking trash.

Three Different Bikes — Nearly Identical Results

This was actually really cool to see.

Three separate R7s.

Different mileage.

Different owners.

Different individual motorcycles.

Yet our measured stock results were extremely close.

That's exactly why I wanted to establish the baseline before doing anything else.

Because now we know where each motorcycle started.

And that's going to matter when we start comparing exhausts and tuning.

Stop Obsessing Over the Final Horsepower Number

This is something I want you guys to understand as we go through this series.

When you're looking at dyno results, don't get obsessed with one final horsepower number.

People love saying:

"My R7 made X horsepower."

Okay.

What did it make before?

That's what I want to know.

Dynos can read differently.

Environmental conditions change.

Testing procedures matter.

Motorcycles vary.

So if one shop shows you 70 horsepower and another shows you 72, that alone doesn't tell you which motorcycle actually gained more from the modification.

What matters for what we're doing is the difference between our controlled before and after measurements on the same setup.

If we start at 65 and finish at 70 under comparable test conditions, that's the meaningful change we're interested in.

That's why we're establishing baselines first.

This Is Going to Make the Exhaust Comparison Much Better

Now we can start working through the exhausts.

The customers' bikes come first because I need to get their motorcycles finished and back to them.

So we'll start with the Yoshimura.

Then we'll do the M4.

After that, my R7 becomes the guinea pig.

That's when we'll start cycling through the remaining systems.

Cheap Chinese exhausts.

LeoVince.

The higher-end systems.

Everything we've collected.

We'll install them, listen to them, dyno them, and start building a real comparison.

I Want More Than a Dyno Number

I don't want this series to become nothing but graphs.

Horsepower matters.

But that's not the only reason people buy exhausts.

You guys want to know:

How does it sound?

How does it look on the motorcycle?

How difficult is the installation?

How is the fit and finish?

Does an expensive system actually feel like an expensive system when you're installing it?

What does the cheap exhaust look like after you get past the pictures online and actually have it sitting in your hands?

And once we tune the bike, how much did the motorcycle actually gain from where it started?

That's what I want to show you.

The Cheap Exhaust Is Going to Be Interesting

I'm especially interested in the cheap Chinese systems.

Not because I'm expecting them to magically beat everything else.

I just want to know what you actually get.

The packaging already made us laugh.

One of them clearly mimics the appearance of a much more expensive system.

But appearance is only one part of the equation.

We're going to install it.

We're going to see how it fits.

We're going to hear it.

We're going to put the bike on the dyno.

Then you can decide whether saving the money makes sense to you.

That's a much better answer than me sitting here saying:

"Cheap exhaust bad. Expensive exhaust good."

Let's actually find out.

Some of These Exhausts Will Get Killer Deals

Once we're done testing each system, several of them are going up for sale.

The Chinese systems are going to be inexpensive.

For some of those, I'm talking about putting together something around $500 for the test exhaust and tune, depending on the exact setup.

For the more expensive exhausts, I'm obviously not trying to lose a ton of money.

But I'll work with you.

On certain systems, I can sell the exhaust around my dealer cost after we're done testing it and give you a good deal on the tuning.

That's good for everybody.

I get to make the comparison you guys have been asking for.

You get real-world information.

And somebody gets a lightly used test exhaust and tune without paying the normal combined price.

Now the R7 Series Really Starts

This is the beginning.

We now have our stock baseline numbers.

Approximately:

Customer R7 #1 — 65.57 hp

Customer R7 #2 — 65.57 hp

My R7 — 66.19 hp

Those are the numbers we're starting with from this testing session.

Now we modify them.

And that's where things are going to get fun.

First up will be the customer bikes because I've got to get those finished.

Yoshimura.

M4.

Then we're diving into everything else on mine.

We're going to install them.

Dyno them.

Tune them.

Get some riding footage.

Listen to them outside the shop.

And figure out what you're actually getting for your money.

And Yes, You Better Subscribe for This One

Listen.

I've bought all these damn exhausts.

I've got three identical R7s sitting here.

We're putting every one of these things on the dyno.

Aaron is apparently going to have to spend enough time with me that we're going to become best friends.

If that doesn't deserve a subscription, I don't know what does.

I might have to start dancing.

Nobody wants that.

So hit the subscribe button and follow this R7 series because we're not stopping after one exhaust.

We're doing this until the project is finished.

Cheap versus expensive.

Sound.

Fitment.

Dyno.

Tuning.

Real numbers.

And a whole bunch of me wasting money so you don't have to.

Now let's get these customer bikes finished and start bolting on exhausts.

I'll see you guys in the next one.

Craig, MotoBros