 The stock exhaust system on the Kawasaki Z900RS is arguably one of the nicest looking factory OEM systems you'll find these days. Where most manufacturers don't put much thought into the overall look of a bikes exhaust system, Kawasaki really put some effort into it, and the result is something many owners don't really want to replace because it just looks so good, and matches the aesthetics of the bike so well. We agree it's a sharp looking exhaust system, but the issue we had with it was that it's just way too quiet. We're not fans of really loud exhaust systems, but there's definitely a happy medium where you can improve the sound of the bike without making it annoying. And for me, the sound of a bike is part of the overall experience of riding... again, not loud/annoying, but just something you can hear and that sounds good. Luckily the Z900RS / Cafe comes with a 2 piece exhaust system, and you can really improve the sound of the bike AND improve performance by just replacing the header portion of the exhaust and retain the very nice looking OEM muffler. This also makes it less expensive overall since you're not replacing the entire system, essentially just half of it. Akrapovic and Leo Vince both make a header for the Z900RS that will fit up to the stock muffler. We've tried both of them, and here are our overall thoughts and a comparison of the two...     Overall Look / Fit and Finish: The top two photos above show the Leo Vince header, the bottom two photos show the Akrapovic header. These two header pipes both look similar, but the way the tubing bends is slightly different on each. Overall fit and finish was excellent on both, and installation was pretty straightforward. One thing you will notice is a few more welds on the Leo Vince, compared to the Akrapovic. If you look at the photos of the two you will see what I mean. I don't think the Leo Vince looks bad because of this, in fact it sort of gives it a more industrial look. Both header pipes will turn a nice gold-ish color after you get some miles on them (the photos of our Leo Vince were taken just after installation, that's why it's not as gold-ish looking as the Akrapovic). One other minor thing, the Leo Vince header has mounting points for the entire stock heat shield (both pieces), whereas the Akrapovic header has a mounting point just for the rear piece of the heat shield. Sound: If you want to give your Z900RS a slightly more aggressive exhaust note, installing one of these aftermarket header pipes is the way to go! I don't really notice much of a sound difference between the two headers themselves, but in comparison to the stock header pipe, they both give the bike a more sporty sound without being overly loud. The sound level increases just enough to hear the bike at speed, which is exactly what I was looking for. Eliminating the cat typically will increase the sound level some, and in the case of the Z900RS, it's just the right amount. Click the video down below for a couple sound clips... Performance: We don't have any official dyno comparisons between the two header pipes on our Z900RS project bike, but we have put about 1000 miles on each of them. From a butt dyno perspective, I don't really notice much of a performance difference between the two, but in combination with the ECU flash we did on our bike, the addition of an aftermarket header definitely helps wake the bike up. These aren't race bikes, so increasing power was not our main objective, but I'm guessing we're getting the typical 10-12% increase in power/torque by doing the header pipe and a quality ECU flash. And the bike just runs so much better, especially at lower RPM's. Our bike had a hint of snatchy throttle when stock, but that's gone now. PURCHASE AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS: Click a link below... |
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