Modifying stock headers

KNEEDOWN69

KNEEDOWN69

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I am getting bored as it is winter here and the FZ1 is in lock-down. Anyway, i am thinking about modifying my stock headers and slip-on to come up with a similar system to Graves. I have talked to my local Stainless Steel fabricators and they see no reason why this cannot be done. The only difference with stock over aftermarket is the length of the middle section pipes where is goes from 2>1. I gather to fit the exup valve Yamaha made them slightly shorter and the Graves & Yoshi headers are about 1 inch longer in that area which produces better mid-range?. My plan is to cut that section out and fabricate a pipe to bypass the exup and attach to my slip-on which is a Mivv. All goint to plan it will significantly reduce weight & boost mid-range power, eliminate the exhaust hanger giving it a under-slung style & for a fraction $$$ of a new system like Graves. Has anyone attempted this or though about it, some advice would be great.
 
Anyone ??? . Cmon surely someone must have thought about doing this mod, there is and easy 7-10hp to be gained easy from altering the header or is everyone just following the crowd and bolting on Yoshi-systems?.
 
If I was doing this I'd buy the Arrow header like what Ballmead has done. The thing is a work of art and will work with other brands of slip ons.
 
This type of project may seem easily done at first. Then you have to go out and get the same quality stainless pipe that the manufacturer has used (if you want it to last), find a good exhaust outfit that can bend the pipe without ruining it and fianlly weld the pieces together, all without wrinkles and bulges. I have seen some done but none looked half as good as the stuff the actual exhaust manufacturers have come up with. That's why they aren't cheap. If you go ahead with it, good for you and do a write-up of how you pulled it off.
 
Yes it would be easier to buy a set of aftermarket headers but i am looking at roughly US$500+ shipping, the total cost would be around NZ$8-900 on the bike. I have seen this done with a R1 header from the other forum so i know it can be done. From what i have read and seen pics of the only headers worth buying are the Yoshi or Dale Walker system for the reason they have a much longer mid section which gives the good mid-range gains which is where you ride most of the time especially on the FZ1. From posts that pro-tuner Ivan, he claims all the other full-systems are almost just asthetic and no real significan gains are to be had. I love the Graves system but also want the good mid-range gains of the Yoshi so the only road is to cut the OEM header just after it goes from 4>2, bin the rest and make 2 pipes roughly the same length as the Yoshi midpipes that form into 1 close to where the slip-on midpipe would normally attach to but i will attach my Mivv slip-on and weld a bracket and fasten it to the same position as the Graves. This is all in theory at the moment and Monday i will drop the bike off at the fabricators. As far as finish & looks go, you cant really see under the bike and anything will look better than the OEM. The fab shop specializes in Stainless Steel and produce excellent quality components. may end up spraying the system black or ceramic coating?.
 
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KNEEDOWN69 said:
Yes it would be easier to buy a set of aftermarket headers but i am looking at roughly US$500+ shipping, the total cost would be around NZ$8-900 on the bike. I have seen this done with a R1 header from the other forum so i know it can be done. From what i have read and seen pics of the only headers worth buying are the Yoshi or Dale Walker system for the reason they have a much longer mid section which gives the good mid-range gains which is where you ride most of the time especially on the FZ1. From posts that pro-tuner Ivan, he claims all the other full-systems are almost just asthetic and no real significan gains are to be had. I love the Graves system but also want the good mid-range gains of the Yoshi so the only road is to cut the OEM header just after it goes from 4>2, bin the rest and make 2 pipes roughly the same length as the Yoshi midpipes that form into 1 close to where the slip-on midpipe would normally attach to but i will attach my Mivv slip-on and weld a bracket and fasten it to the same position as the Graves. This is all in theory at the moment and Monday i will drop the bike off at the fabricators. As far as finish & looks go, you cant really see under the bike and anything will look better than the OEM. The fab shop specializes in Stainless Steel and produce excellent quality components. may end up spraying the system black or ceramic coating?.
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I know Ivan helped Yoshimura in the design and testing of the FZ1 header. I would think that the Arrow headers also have longer primary piping than the stock headers. Yamaha had to compromise on primary pipe length because of the catalytic converter. In order for it to be efficient it has to reach a certain temperature. This is accomplished by placing it close enough to the exhaust ports to quickly bring it up to the right temperature.

I have no doubt that a shop could modify the stock headers. Afterward a ceramic coating (silver or black) would help blend in and hide the additional welding.

Hey another option is to try and pick up either one of these systems from eBay ;)

06-up Yamaha FZ1 hindle full exhaust system / headers | eBay

Used 06-08 Yoshimura FZ1 exhaust racing header pipe | eBay

Either way good luck with the project and keep us updated...
 
My mission became a little easier today after i popped into the local Supercheap auto and had a look at the exhaust components they sell. They sell a 2>1 collector box, this was always going to be hardest bit but to fabricate but i am 99% positive this can be retrofitted as the 2 inlet pipes are 50mm which is the same as the OEM. For NZ$50 it is worth a punt. As far as the headers on fleebay the shipping costs are stupid US$100+, i am not prepared to pay that ATM.
 
sounds like a good idea to me ,cant see why it would be any worse than the standard pipes ,
don't want to sound out of place but there is a lot of crowd following going on, with just bolt the aftermarket bits on ,but then its not a streetfighter forum lol
 
mac69 said:
sounds like a good idea to me ,cant see why it would be any worse than the standard pipes ,
don't want to sound out of place but there is a lot of crowd following going on, with just bolt the aftermarket bits on ,but then its not a streetfighter forum lol
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Well you need to understand that the vast majority of us don't have the time/skills/money to play around modifying the stock pipes. Plenty of tuners have already done their homework when it comes to this so why not take advantage of their products...just my :2cents:
 
For my 1125R I had a custom exhaust made for it. The total cost was obscene. I'm embarrassed to post what I spent. Materials are very expensive and labor adds up very quickly when doing custom work. For that bike there were no other options and the performance was outstanding.

For the FZ1 there are too many very good exhausts to even bother, unless of course your looking for project.

Between Yosh, Arrow, and Akra I wouldn't bother.

Sent from my MB508 using Tapatalk
 
Hellgate said:
For my 1125R I had a custom exhaust made for it. The total cost was obscene. I'm embarrassed to post what I spent. Materials are very expensive and labor adds up very quickly when doing custom work. For that bike there were no other options and the performance was outstanding.

For the FZ1 there are too many very good exhausts to even bother, unless of course your looking for project.

Between Yosh, Arrow, and Akra I wouldn't bother.

Sent from my MB508 using Tapatalk
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I agree there are some great exhausts & headers available for this bike, i believe i can get the same results or better & have a one off a kind looking system for 1/2 of the $$$ of a header. I have already started phase 1 of this project yesterday. After gaining some vital info off Ivan about the Yoshi header design i am now heading in a different direction. I have mounted the exhaust to the OEM collector box and have fabricated a bracket welded to the exhaust = I will post pics in a day or so = The end product looks great and the sounds awesome, about 4hr of fab time incl welding. Phase 2 will involve removing 70-75mm or 3 inchs from where the 02 sensor is housed and extend the header pipes by by the same. From the info gained this is the only real difference between the OEM from the Yoshi header. I think 3-4hr should cover this alteration. happy days !!!
 
KNEEDOWN69 said:
I agree there are some great exhausts & headers available for this bike, i believe i can get the same results or better & have a one off a kind looking system for 1/2 of the $$$ of a header. I have already started phase 1 of this project yesterday. After gaining some vital info off Ivan about the Yoshi header design i am now heading in a different direction. I have mounted the exhaust to the OEM collector box and have fabricated a bracket welded to the exhaust = I will post pics in a day or so = The end product looks great and the sounds awesome, about 4hr of fab time incl welding. Phase 2 will involve removing 70-75mm or 3 inchs from where the 02 sensor is housed and extend the header pipes by by the same. From the info gained this is the only real difference between the OEM from the Yoshi header. I think 3-4hr should cover this alteration. happy days !!!
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Looking forward to seeing the finished project ;)
 
well i think it looks the part , good job,different, cost u next to f all,and no one else has one like it:Rockon:
its not a bolt on part so a lot of pepole wont like it lol :D

im still pondering on the 02 akras,not long moved to oz and dont know any good ti welders here ,if i was still in scotland it would be on the bike by now,i think the angle of the 02-03 compared to the fz1 engine are different ,think id have to cut and re weld the spigots on the downpipes

but spot on job with urs
 
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ballmead said:
Looks good mate, now off to the dyno you go :)
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I have about 3hrs more work left on the headers, my next mission is to cut out 60-70mm from where the 02 sensor is housed and extend the head pipes by the same to make them the same length as the Yoshi system, this will be relatively straight forward. From a test ride, the bike feels more responsive in the low-mid range and pulls hard from 7k+, little more engine braking aswell. I will get it dynoed after i have finished the mods & finances providing.
 
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