Two Brothers Racing Exhaust System
Installing the Two Brothers Racing Full Exhaust System onto my GSX1300R Hayabusa
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| GSX1300R Hayabusa - Installing Two Brothers Racing Exhaust |
We had a long wet and cold spring which was great for yard work but not so great for sport bike riding. At 1350cc and 592lbs, however, the GSX1300R could hardly be classified as a sporty “sport bike” and in fact is often classified as a hyper- bike with more power and weight than a sensible rider knows what to do with. I haven’t as yet even put 1000kms on my Hayabusa before I realized that I needed to do something about the weight. (Of the bike not me.)
The weight wasn’t noticeable when riding but I found it awkward to handle when maneuvering in and out of the garage. To me it seemed like the 15lb exhaust canisters on each side were causing an over-center problem. When I leaned the bike over even slightly it felt like it wanted to go. The kickstand wasn’t helping in that it barely went over center and was easily knocked back when I needed it the most. I nearly dropped my beauty when the kickstand gave way and I was caught off guard. At first I thought that maybe I am just getting too old but that thought quickly dissapated.
Hmmm… What was I saying? Oh yeah.
I did some research on the net and found some useful advice from sites such as www.busanation.com and www.hayabusa.org. For one thing I wasn’t the only one having these problems. I started by putting the bike up on my new Pit Bull and filing a notch in the kickstand stop to allow for a better over-center locking. As for shedding the lbs I decided to go for the Two Brothers Racing Full Exhaust System. With the expectation of decreasing over all weight by 35 lbs and increasing the horse power by 12.3hp and the torque by 12ft-lbs how could I resist?
The most daunting part was removing the cowlings. Luckily I found a few excellent descriptions on the web by those in-the-know that helped me avoid breaking off fasteners and clips. Then I removed the horn and unbolted the radiator which was terribly awkward but pretty straight forward.
When I finally got around to removing the OM exhaust it was so unbelievably heavy I knew right away this was going to make a difference. Bolting on the TBR system took time and patience but was manageable using a variety of tools for reaching in through different angles. I tie wrapped the radiator out of the way and placed soft cloths in places where I might get chaffing or scratches to make it easier. The trick was to not tighten anything until the system was entirely in position.
I did this all in about two days but took my time especially when trying to refit the cowling.
After all that I started it up while Logan recorded a video to capture the sound. I let it warm up and then checked to see if the cowling was overheating at any place where the pipes were running close.
I liked the sound of the original exhaust but I love the sound of the TBR exhaust. It is not super loud or annoying. Just a purr and a rumble as you accelerate out of the gate and down the road. The system looks and sounds great.
The real test was in wheeling the new sport bike in and out of the garage. What a difference. It now feels like a sport bike.