Thunder Alley ???'s

[ca412686]

Hey guys, im looking at buying a new pipe and did alot of research on the forum here. It seems like im going to go with a Thunder Alley. I read somewhere that i wouldnt need the whole system because its made for the stock header? Did anyone else hear of this? Im just wondering what to get, full, or slip-on. I do plan on racing Motard next season as well. Thanks for the help guys.

Mike ?

[del_scorcho]

Yes, you can get just the slip-on and it will work fine with the stock header. In a previous post (1 or 2 yrs ago) someone spoke with Bob at Thunder Alley and he stated that there is no real benefit to swaping the stock header. Just the slip-on will be fine. Keep in mind that it is made from mild steel and not stainless steel. This means that you will have to 1) ceramic coat it or 2) spray it down with some WD-40 after washing your bike or else it will rust on you.

[chrome-crf]

The TA is a great pipe for moto-x or trail riding but for motard it lacks the top end pull that you need. The Jemco exhaust is definitely the best performing pipe you can buy. It has huge top end and still pulls like a monster down low. It is loud however Just look at the size of the opening at the end ?

[cowboyona426]

Mike, Bob builds his headers to stock 01/02 specs. The only time a header would benefit you is if you had an 00, because Bob's clear the oil filter cover. I highly recommend getting it ceramic coated, it looks great and improves the durability. One thing to note though, is that if you are in a hurry, don't order a TA! They are custom built and it can take 2-3 weeks or longer to get one. However, they are well worth the $$$ IMO, especially since I got mine cheap ?

[del_scorcho]

Damn!!! I can fit a 40 oz. of Old English in there. ?

[TimFurryBalls]

You can't beat the Jemco performance wise, however I have been finding a few little faults here and there after several months of hard pounding. I think the welds on the brackets leave a little to be desired. My bracket snapped off at the subframe for no apparent reason besides a weak bead. Also, the muffler sticks out so far that even with minor dumps, you can scratch the heck out of the can. Also, the muffler material is very thin and dents very easily, a swift kick with a boot by accident is enough to dent it in, unlike an aluminum or Ti can. Other than that, it can't be beat performance-wise. I'd give it a 10 for performance, an 8 for quality, and a 10 for price. ?

[DPW]

I'd get the Dr.D, www.dubachracing.com

[TimFurryBalls]

I bought a Dubach a week ago (just for the hell of it, plus it looked trick!). MXA gave it a five star rating. I rode it one day before our big race and went back to the Jemco. It's a great pipe, but it's not a dragster. More power everywhere, good bottom end. In fact, I'm giving my Jemco a break and using the Dubach now. I figure I mind as well use it. I like the lowboy look too! I'm waiting for Jemco to make a true low boy system. The Dubach is extremely well made. Two thumbs up for quality. I'd give the pipe an 81/2 if the Jemco was a 10.

[cowboyona426]

Dang TFB, you're a regular pipe whore! ?

[TimFurryBalls]

Yeah, I even still got my TA as well. I'm guess I'm a sucker for good "pipe"! ?

[Rich_Rohrich]

. I'm guess I'm a sucker for good "pipe"! ?

Then you'll want to take a close look at the Ti-Force? It's a work of art that actually WORKS

[cowboyona426]

I'll PM you my address. Next time you have extra money laying around, just send it to me ?

[TimFurryBalls]

Where is that pipe from? How does it compare to the Jemco? Yeah, Cowboy, you know me, so much money it's burning a hole in my pocket! Not!

[Rich_Rohrich]

Where is that pipe from?

The pipe is from a japanese company. I've never tested the Jemco so I can't tell you how it would compare. SFO first told me about the Ti Force pipe after the great results they had with it while testing pipes for Doug Henry's bike last season. Up till that point I thought they only made them for sportbikes. The pipe is so damn pretty I just want to hang it on the wall. I've seen a lot of pipes in the last 30 years but I've never seen one that had this level of build quality or attention to detail. I feel pretty guilty about hanging the ugly mild steel meg mid pipes I've built off of this gorgeous headpipe, but the search for power never sleeps so I'll just have to live with the shame. ?

[chrome-crf]

That Ti-Force is pretty nice Rich but you should really test a Jemco if you never have before. Check out this dyno run of the 300 dollar Jemco against a 750 dollar FMF Ti system. Pretty amazing comparison. Compared to the stock exhaust it makes 3 more hp on top.

[Rich_Rohrich]

That Ti-Force is pretty nice Rich but you should really test a Jemco if you never have before.

It's nice to see folks embracing the concept of pipes that work versus pipes that are pretty. It's even nicer to see that the little companies like Jemco can stay afloat as a result of them building performance parts instead of motorcycle jewelry like some of the big name companies. ? It's cool that consumers are getting wise to the real truth about pipes.

BUTTT, if I'm going to go with a meg design I prefer to build it myself. You can get some pretty interesting results when you build something other than the 8 degree diffuser and 6.25 inlet/outlet ratio that Jemco appears to be using. Don't get me wrong, the 8 - 6.25 combination is a proven design. Dirt trackers have been building them that way for years with great results. The Thunder Alley pipe uses an 8 degree diffuser and ~ 30 reverse cone with great success as well. It's just not the only way to build a meg especially on a YZF. The big YZFs (especially the 97x 60.1 444 engines) respond incredibly well to short head pipes, with very long shallow tapered megs attached. Lots of fun stuff out there to experiment with.

[Jeffro426]

Is that a bungie cord holding that on there??!? ?

[Rich_Rohrich]

Is that a bungie cord holding that on there??!?

Yep. ?

I hadn't finished the rear hanger when I took the pictures last night.

[TimFurryBalls]

That's awesome! Why don't the big name companies put that much research and experimentation into designing pipes that REALLY work? Btw, how's the db's of those pipes?

[Rich_Rohrich]

Btw, how's the db's of those pipes?

TOO HIGH with the megs. When I test on the street the guys at Chicago Harley complain.

That's the next step, quiet them down without killing off the extraction effects of the meg and the horsepower along with it. Not a trivial task, and quite possibly beyond my capabilities but worth the effort to find out. ?

The good news is the Ti Force is only about 100 db.