FEATURES:
- No need to drop the rear shock to install header
- 3 to 5 horsepower gains when properly tuned (pre-mapped PCV available)
- O2 bung optional for those who prefer to tune or run autotune products
- Increased throttle response and speed to power
- Fits with oversized and/or studded tires
- Clamp style mount
- Fits 2016-2018 year models
- Optional Add-Ons: Spark Arrestor, Ceramic Coating
BARKER'S ENGINEER COMMENTS:
To develop this pipe we performed our initial testing with Bryan Bigelow, AMA Grand National Champion & Kold Kutter Ice Racing Champion. Bryan shared that many of Flat Track Racers were moving up to the new KTM motor and finding very good success. With this in mind we got to work developing a new exhaust system. Working with Bryan on several different header diameters allowed us to test stepped vs. non-stepped pipes to dial in the setup we were after. We were able to get invaluable feedback from a National Champ like Bryan.
Bryan’s background in Flat Track racing is what led us to design the pipe to fit any Ice Racing bike out there. We made sure our design kept the header super tight away from the front tires. This way, riders with oversized front tires with ice picks wouldn’t have any fitment concerns. Furthermore, we made sure our pipe would clear the widest ice tire out there like the MASSIVE Ice King tires on the rear that barely fit in the swingarm. Our background, however, is mostly in MX so we also kept that in mind to ensure we had a rock solid pipe that would work in all conditions.
When it came time to discuss the results of the pipe, Bryan was extremely happy, noting that our pipes easily beat stock and the FMF systems on the Dyno. One of the main things Bryan commented on was about our system’s speed to power. Dyno’s can measure many ways, and although sometimes controversial due to the variables involved, we like to also measure power over time instead of your normal curve just showing RPM/power.
Any professional in the industry would agree that you need to know what you’re doing when it comes to the dyno. Bryan has had much experience dynoing some of the top Flat Track bikes out there, and he utilizes this power/time measure along with many others during on-track testing. Focusing on peak power only shows so much, if the pipe gets to peak power a half a second faster, you’ll already be in the corner before the guy with the slower to power bike would. Not only did our pipe win on power/time, it won all over on the dyno: time, peak, and just plain power gain over the whole curve.
When the pipe was completed we installed the system on a handful of racer’s bikes to truly test the durability. After a few tweaks, we’ve got a rock solid pipe that will provide years of performance and power increase.
Bryan sets up many racers and tunes their bikes in his shop, he’s very specific on his tuning and setup. Not everyone is near a Dyno though or wants to spend the money to dial their bike in so we went back to the Dyno this time at LaBaron’s Powersports on a different bike with Alex Galeczka, where his mastermind got to work building a Power Commander 5 map for our pipe. This allowed us to see a different bike on a different dyno and confirmed our previous results with Bryan.
This time it was a 2016 KTM 450SX-F or as some say 2016 & ½ because it’s the newer model KTM’s. We started with stock again and honestly the mapping on the stocker is a touch lean in certain spots but not too bad. After dropping the rear shock and almost dismantling the entire bike just to get the stock header off we installed our pipe (no need to drop the shock anymore to remove your header ours fits without removing it). Just installing our pipe alone with no tuning yielded only slight gains maybe a horse and a half throughout the curve. However, the AFR went very lean so we would not recommend running our pipe without tuning, flashing, or installing a fuel controller. We did notice though that although we didn’t see a lot of gain in the RPM/power graph if we moved to time, it showed we got there about a half a second quicker. Throttle response was also noticeably better.
After tuning the pipe to the proper fuel-air ratio we were able to pick up on this bike almost 5 full horsepower! You could argue that there may have been another horse or two if we tuned the stock system, which may be true, but our goal is to show you on a typical KTM 450SX-F if you installed our pipe along with the PC5 with our tune this is what you should expect to gain. We did however really want this to be a fair test, and luckily this bike already had a new Pro-Circuit pipe that we were also able to run against. After a few runs, we could see that the Pro-Circuit pipe also required some tuning to bring it where it needed to be. So we fully tuned the Pro-Circuit pipe to the proper AFR yielding some good gains to show a fully tuned Pro-Circuit Pipe vs. our fully tuned Barker’s Pipe.
So what we have here in the Dyno graph is the stock baseline, then the fully tuned Pro-Circuit Pipe and then our fully tuned Barker’s pipe (click the image to enlarge).
DESCRIPTION:
At Barker's, we have an extreme amount of dedication and respect for the off-road lifestyle. And we understand that owning and maintaining a performance vehicle is no joke. That is why you can expect only the best in Barker's craftsmanship and design. All Barker’s exhaust systems carry a limited one-year warranty against defects in workmanship and/or materials. See Barker's Terms & Conditions.
MAINTENANCE:
We recommend that you monitor and check the packing in your muffler after every ride. The length and time your packing will last will vary depending on how and where you ride. When you first notice any sign of the packing depleting within the can, it's time for a repack. Packing will wear out slowly over time, starting at 100% packed. It is normal for an absorption style high-performance muffler to lose packing but once you lose more than about 10-15% of your packing it will deplete faster and faster since it can now move around in the can. It is imperative you do not allow the packing to deplete too far. If your muffler becomes very loud or you hear rattling around inside the can you have completely depleted the internal packing and should not ride the machine until the muffler is repacked with a fresh pillow. Order new packing before you need it!
The Barker's Exhaust Complete Repack Kit is designed to make repacking your Barker's Exhaust Can simple.
