Shed some pounds, add some appearance, make some noise (or not) and add plenty of power…a slip-on is the way to go.

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Staff Writer

One of the most affordable ways to add power to your bike while shedding loads of weight, improving appearance and adding a high-performance sound is by installing a slip-on exhaust. There are many popular slip-ons, also known as cans, on the market from industry leaders LeoVince, Jardine, Yoshimura and Akrapovic, to name a few, with prices ranging from $250 to over $1,000.

These slip-ons are the perfect mate for your stock exhaust header pipe. OE manufacturers must find ways to meet the ever-changing emissions standards, and over the years many exhaust designs have been available, including long, short, under the seat, under the bike, dual and single. As a result of OE research, the stock header pipe on your machine has become very efficient, but the stock slip-on is usually heavy and lacking performance. By adding an aftermarket slip-on exhaust, power will surely be up, sometimes with gains near 10 percent over stock. Also some weight will be shed, and don’t forget about appearance…a slip-on is usually the most noticeable performance part on your bike.

Sure, for the most power gains, a full exhaust system would work best, but you must follow up with re-mapping of your fuel injection or re-jetting of the carbs. This can add to the costs of a full system, which are usually well over $1,000. But a slip-on will give you much performance to peak power numbers, while smoothing out the lower and mid-range power, without the need to tune your machines other hard parts.

As emission and sound regulations become stricter, aftermarket manufacturers are affected in how they design slip-ons. But many offer cans with removable silencers or baffles, so you can have a quiet machine on the street with modest gains, which keeps you safe around your town’s men in blue, or you can run the exhaust open at the track, allowing more power and a louder exhaust note.

And as for mechanical knowledge, anyone who can turn a wrench can install a slip-on. Some applications are a bit more daunting, such as an undertail exhaust, but slip-on’s usually take less than an hour to install.

When choosing an exhaust, do plenty of research before spending the cash. If needed, talk directly to the manufacture offering the slip-on so they can help you chose the right application for your specific machine. Remember, in the aftermarket performance world, you pay for what you get…but with a slip-on, the dollar-to-power ratio is excellent.