[telemetry]

I have a 2006 S2R 1000 I started looking for a exhaust system everything from headers and complete systems too many to choice from. I am not looking to get the nosiest bike just something pleasent and deep. the Zard looks interesting. the idea of the sparks header and cored stock cans is possible If I could find a distributor for spark. I have read so systems have a clearance problem at the right heal and melt boots!!!!! can remember which. Any way the point was to get a list of exhaust mods and get comments on the plus and minus points on what is out there. GIVE UP A STRAIGHT UP HONEST REVIEW OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

 

[Archimedes]

All the systems, including stock, (save maybe the Termi low mount high exit) have a right heel problem. You can buy heel guards to protect the melting, but you're still gonna hit them with your right boot. Unless you do that funky Quat D exhaust that exits down low.

 

[DUCMONROB]

I find the Arrow full system is very nice. No fowling of your shoes on the pipes. If you want the most from your motor get rid of the cat/ udder as this restricts the bike alot! I have the carbon cans but you can get titanium baffeled cans in the Arrows.

Hope this helps
Aussie Rob

 

[telemetry]

I can feel the heat comming off the udder and it is winter it will be like sitting on a frying pan in the summer. so for the minimum I will get headers but looking there are so many systems out there. Keep the comments coming on your system with details if you had to do any thing else to get the bike to run after. I would like to hear from a Zard owner to see what they say

 

[Wanwo]

I have the Zard. Your saying 'not the noisest ... just something pleasant and deep', sounds to me like a very good overall description of the Zard. So, here's my review.

LOOKS: There's an element of subjectivity here, but I think the Zards are easily one of the best looking systems out there. Those 50mm fat pipes are just gorgeous. I have the titanium cans and their build quality is flawless. One sticking point is maybe the end cap design. It's different and some people think it's too different, but I quite like it and like the way it gives the exhaust an original look. Another issue is that the cans are quite long so if you have a tail chop they will stick out beyond the tail but this happens with almost any system.

SOUNDS: I had heard that the Zard had a deep note which is one of the reasons I bought it and in this I am not disappointed. It is deep, and don't kid yourself, it's loud. I rode with a guy on the weekend who had Termi slip-ons (no cat), the first time I'd seen the Termi on an S2R. I was really surprised. The Zard was louder and I liked the character of my Zard's tone better too. For me the Zard has three distinct sounds. There's the 'idle rumble'. This is very sweet. Because it's so deep it's not so offensive to the neighbors who'll have to listen to it starting up. All the same I am careful about starting it up too early in the morning simply because it's a loud pipe. Then there's the 'power on' sound. This is kind of a roar, quite typical to what you'd get with any good system on a Duc. You only get this sound when you're accelerating. Once you're cruising at any speed you'll barely hear the pipes because the wind sound it louder. And lastly there's the 'power off' sound. This is a note that comes in when you throttle down or use engine braking. It's a real booming sound and I love it - my favorite Zard sound.

BUILD QUALITY: Ah oh! Some issues here. Let me say that my build quality was perfect but I know another guy who's Zards came out of the box with a small dent in a can and a scrape on an end cap. So, before you hand over the cash, make a careful inspection of every part and you'll be okay. Another issue is end cap color. The titanium Zards ship with the silver end caps. The CF Zards use to ship with silver end caps then with black end caps. For the CF guys it turned out to be a bit of pot luck whether you got the silver or black end caps, so if you have an opinion either way you may want to make it clear to your dealer exactly what you want.

THE HEEL THING: Yep, unless you take measures there's a good chance you will melt your boot. I ride with a boot that has a soft rubber sole and many times I was leaving rubber on the pipe. I didn't want to hide the pipes up with any type of guard so my solution was to glue a two inch piece of black leather to the inside edge of the sole of my boot. I never had melting problems again. The leather may scorch a bit but it doesn't leave any mark on the pipe.

OTHER NICE THINGS: The 'Zard' sticker peels right off if you don't like it, not like some other brands cough<Arrow>cough. Also, the pipes will get hot, but the titanium cans never get more than pleasantly warm so passenger riding is no problem.

TILT: I need to qualify all I've said above by saying that I'm not keeping my Zards and will be changing to the Arrows soon. There's three reasons for this. I've gone back to liking the twin stack look. To me it looks a bit racier. Secondly, the Arrow pipes are a bit shorter and I think work better with the cut tail. Thirdly, I want a pipe that sounds a bit more crazy. I have a really good regard for the Zard's sounds but I want something even louder, and I really like the popping sound of the Arrows.

That's it. A full and honest review I think ;D

 

[desmoworks]

On that note, I've got a Zard system for your bike sitting here. It has removable db killers so you can choose the noise level. If you're interested contact me and we can work out a deal [thumbsup]

 

[spinned]

I have the Sparks full system. I wear a size 11 riding boot and I do not touch the heel, but I have heard of some who have. I think it depends on your riding style and whether you kick you feet around. In that case, you would get heel marks on any system.

I have also had the full Termi system. From experience, I think the Sparks is better in design and function and aesthetics. They are easy to buy though Chris.

 

[ddjones]

I have the Sparks full system. I wear a size 11 riding boot and I do not touch the heel, but I have hear of some who have. I think it depends on your riding style and whether you kick you feet around. In that case, you would get heel marks on any system.

I have also had the full Termi system. From experience, I think the Sparks is better in design and function and aesthetics. They are easy to buy though Chris.

Same here. I have the full Sparks on my S2r1K and have never burned my boot. And I ride on the balls of my feet.

I also had cored cans and a cat eliminator on my S2R800 and love the low loud rumble of the exhaust. I went with the Sparks for aesthetic reasons.

 

[2vtwin]

I have the ARC Frabrication SS, reverse cone megaphone with no baffles. He also makes full systems. http://arcfabrication.com/s2r.html I'm no expert but those that are say keeping the udder will also help wiith the torque curve. You can find pictures of this system on my bike here http://www.mad-ducati.com/GalleryShowTN.php?GalleryId=360. I plan to use the S2R on the track a lot and on the street very little so I did not get baffles. The quality is excellent and Doug is known for his work with some of the race shops, that is why I went with his system. I like the stacked pipes and I wanted to keep the passenger pegs, since I have rearsets on the M900, so that is one of the reasons I went with this system. The other reason is no ECU issues and no need for a PC, this is bolt-on. I have Termi's on my M900 and love them but when I wanted to buy back in September, there were fittment issues with the Termis, what else cna I add?