Build quality is top notch, with everything fitting together perfectly. I decided to take time installing the system, and also removed all of my plastics for ease of access while installing as well as a good opportunity to get everything nice and cleaned up/ready for riding this year.
There is a note in the kit that states not to be alarmed the first time you start it and the first hour or so of riding because the ceramic coating smokes while it cures. They weren’t kidding, it was a lot of smoke for a while, but it ended up burning off.
Install was straightforward, although getting the optimizer hooked up to the injector furthest forward on the motor was kind of a pain (limited space to work with on getting the harness unclipped etc). The optimizer was pre programmed with all of the necessary settings for the 1000XP, which was nice and painless.
I rode for around 4-5 hours yesterday, and the exhaust kept the heat down much better than stock. The side plastics still get warm, but don’t burn my hand anymore like when I had the stock exhaust. It really isn’t too much louder than stock, but it definitely has a deeper rumble to it. I have a video, but the phone can’t really capture the true sound. Getting on the throttle results in a louder than stock experience, but it’s bearable because it really does sound good. This one doesn’t have the quiet core installed, but I can always add that later if need be.
If you’re looking for a good solution, I think the HMF may be the way to go if you’re willing to spend a bit of cash.
Also, it’s a very light system compared to stock as well, so that’s kind of nice too.
Some pictures below, I’ll update after a while with some pics after a few months use so we can see how the ceramic coating holds up.
