FMF Exhaust ?

[utvols]

I hear alot of talk about the Ti4 exhaust on all the Yamaha forums but not any specifics as to wich one. There are several people that mention the Q but I have not seen any ride reports on how it compares to stock in performance and sound.

After looking through FMF's new catalog there appear to be several options for the WR. With a 14'', two 16'' and a 17" can I was wondering if anyone can pass along their experience with FMF exhaust. I would really like to see a ride report on the FIM model. This looks like it has good potential based on what I have read about Euro sound requirements.

Ultimately I am looking for the quietest performance exhaust I can find. I am not unhappy with my WR's performance but I can not stand the noise of the stock exhaust and I do not want to resort to another plug for the sake of noise and at the expense of power.

Thanks for any reply's

[captain_S]

Ok,i run a full fmf Q-system with power bomb,i spent a long time thinking about witch system too try,the Q-muffler has built in spark aresstor fine for the woods but i did notice with the header pipe it has no guard fitted too it like the standard pipe has,i run around stubble fields from time to time and with the front wheel kicking up straw onto the header pipe there is a risk of fire with this(when i first put it on i went out for a quick lap of the field and when i pulled up i`m sat there getting this burning smell!,looked down and there it was a little peice of straw stuck on the header,burnt real good it was,i was not concerned about it going on fire on the bike but more so if it fell too the ground and began too flame up,with a lot of straw bouts around this would not be a good thing!,so be aware of this if you run around any fields at harvest time)when i put the system on the bike it looked real good,but when the muffler was hot i noticed a lot of tiny little surface cracks from around the rivet holes running all the lenght of the end can(just a by product of the manufacturing process nothing terminal,but too me was a bit scruffy looking,you could polish them out easy)it also comes with a quiet insert witch has a little smaller out let,or you can buy the bigger outlet from fmf,i found that the smaller out let makes the exhaust note echo inside the muffler,and i did`nt like it,so i made up my own full size outlet and in my opinion is not really any louder but sounds much better(made it so i can fit my own discs too help defuse the noise just a little)i don`t like loud bikes on the trail but like it just loud enough too let people know you are there!.Sure it helped my bike to to run a little better over the whole range,but in my honest opinion i would advise you to go for a white brothers pipe or some thing that you can tune with discs for power/noise reduction,i was tempted to go for a supertrapp but a local bike shop mech told me they were not too good i`m not so sure,my advice is that the fmf pipe`s are good,but unless you are kind of handy with metal working tools go for somthing tunable with discs!,hope this helps you out a little!

[yamaharichey]

Good question 'Utvols" (what ever that means). I have been leaning towards the FMF titainum with either the 16 or 17 inch with the smallest end cap, it will be quieter and I assume have more tourque. I don't care about how much it helps the upper end cause I hardley ever get there, I just want grunt. I can't see changing the head pipe its already titainum and when I've done it on my other bikes I couldn't tell much difference. And it looks like it will save about five or six pounds.

[utvols]

I bleed both orange and blue.

Orange for the University of Tennessee Volunteers

Blue for my WR450.

I ordered the FIM muffler with the stainless mid-pipe. I will give a report next week after I have a chance to ride and jet on it a little. Just hope all works out well. It gets a little old being the first to try stuff. I guess thats the price you pay for new toys. ?

[beezer]

But we do appreicate your reports.

[YamaGeek]

UTVols, anxiously awaiting your report. I too 'think' I want the FMF Q' but haven't found good reports on it. I want more power but not at the expense of being way to loud.

True BLUE here! ?

Thinking of trying out Royal Blue one weekend this summer. About another hour on the road from my normal riding spot.. Have you been there?

[Steve_WR400F_#61t]

The Ti4 stuff is pretty good from what I hear. I've got a friend with one on a YZ250F & it was a big improvement throughout the powerband. Think it's a 16" version and it isn't too terribly loud but not quite 96db's. Probably more around 98-100. I think if your worried about sound you should look at the 17". It should a tad quieter. I don't know if they make a quiet-insert thing for it though.

As for thier "Q" pipe... I'd run from that one. I know three people with them and each one has had problems. They are quiet and you do get a little performance gain. However, they aren't made too well and tend to fall apart. Rivets have come out and the pipe just falls apart from there. One had rivets that were too loose & rattled around until big holes are in the body of the can. And another one separated from the pipe. Each one of my friends got new replacements, but one had his new one for one ride and it broke again, end cap fell off. He's going with a Dr.D now.

If your worried about sound, look around. Yoshimura, ProCircuit, Big Gun, & Dr.D all have quiet inserts for their systems. In Nevada I haven't had to worry about it yet & won't until sound restrictions start overflowing to here from Califorina. I know it's a matter of time before we're required to meet the 96db limits too. If I were to buy one today it'd be either the Big Gun or the Dr.D. They're both really well made and don't cost too terribly much. If money wasn't a factor, I'd probably get the Yosh. But it's about another 100 bucks or so over the others.

[Dan_from_HB]

Mine is a Q and has held up just fine. I know if you don't loosen the whole headpipe first, then install the Q, then start at the front and tighten everything front to back, you can put massive stress on the rivets and welds.

My buddy has a Ti model on his 250F and it's great. Almost as quiet as my Q, and way lighter.

The only power change I noticed from my Powercore 4 was a slight increase right off idle. Everything else FEELS the same. I have no measurements to back this up. Both the Q and the Powercore 4 had substantial power increases over stock with baffle, and maybe slight increase over stock without baffle. Both were quieter than stock without baffle, both are louder than stock with baffle.

My experience.

Dan

[Tennessee_Thumper]

I bleed both orange and blue.

Orange for the University of Tennessee Volunteers

Blue for my WR450.

?

[utvols]

Just to clarify I did not order the Q but FIM model they list in their 03 catalog. I am trying to find an exhaust that is quieter than the stock muffler with the baffle removed. At this time the only noise requirement I have to deal with is the one in my own head.

Until we as a group of consumers quit buying these loud exhaust the manufacturers have no incentive to stop making them. I have been as guilty as anyone in the past of owning the most obnoxious noise makers on the market. It should not be necessary to shove a butt plug in my exhaust to make it quite. The FMF FIM model does not use a plug to achieve a quieter note.

I road raced a GSXR 1000 with a Ti M4 race exhaust that was only marginally louder than the stock exhaust. A single is going to be more dificult than a twin or inline 4 to make quiet but it can be done.

[yamaharichey]

But a four stroke dirt bike sounds so bitch'in with an open exhaust, its music to my ears but as hard as it is to beleive some people don't like it. so I guess your right. Just remember "Why ping when you can thunder!"

[utvols]

The only problem with your bitchin exhaust is the day is fast approaching where the only place you can listen to it is the privacy of your own garage. As much as I hate the idea of not being able to enjoy the exhaust noise level of my choice the time has come for all of us to do what we can to minimize our presence when riding.

It strikes me as funny that the AMA has a 96db rule for all off road events and my options for meeting this are shoving a butt plug in my exhaust. Surely the exhaust companies can provide us with an alternative, but not before the magazines and riders quit promoting exhaust systems that can not crack 100db. I live in a part of the country that now has zero riding areas open to the public within a two hour drive of my house. Noise is one of the biggest factors the tree huggers use to get rid of us.

I remember the days when everything I owned had to have the exhaust opened up so it would run fast. Maybe I am starting to show my age but now I am good for about five minutes of appreciating the sound of a finely tuned motor before it starts to give me a headache.

If someone can convince the tree huggers to wear earplugs I am all for putting my loud pipes save lives bumper sticker back on.

[sjw]

I put a Q on mine and like it alot.what jetting do you have? I havent took out the snorkel,should I ? I live in fresno so we should be pretty close on specs.THANKS

[Rich_in_Orlando]

I just have to add my 2 cents here.

I got an FMF Megamax II about 2-1/2 years ago with a quiet core insert solely to cut down on noise. It is tuneable and a few pounds lighter than stock. It did reduce the noise considerably and I was happy with the power it made. Low end grunt was much better than even a stock muffler with the baffle removed. Those are the positives.

The negative is that it was a piece of junk. I lost count of how many times the thing literally fell apart while I was riding. I had to have the core welded back together once and all the allen head machine screws that held the can on fell out. I constantly had to replace them. I finally had to start riveting the thing together because the screw holes got too big. I used steel rivets and they would fall out. The aluminum can would stretch around the holes and then they loosen up and fall out. I must have drilled 15 holes around the end of the can to try to keep the endcap on with rivets. It didn't fit well either. The muffler burned a hole in the right side panel, regardless of whether the heat shielding was still in the panel. Just this past weekend I finally got fed up with it and put the stock muffler back on and I ordered one of those new GYT-R baffles. At least I have peace of mind that the muffler will stay together while I'm out riding. I'm not planning to buy another FMF product again.

[Dan_from_HB]

Sorry you've had problems. Sounds like you got an early megamax when they just started to make bigger mufflers with both end caps riveted on. Many of the early 2 stroke muffs had front end caps that were welded on, so they held up fine regardless. The first big 4 stroke muffs were all suspect. Even the early Q had its issues if everything wasn't installed just right.

Mine works great with stock jetting on my '00WR400. Everything's as tight and quiet as can be. And I do tend to bounce these things around quite a bit.

Dan

PS: Did you ever contact FMF about warranty on your pipe? They usually bend over backwards to help out.