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Carbon fiber or titanium exhaust?

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alien
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Location
on assignment
Moto(s)
Once in a while
Name
Ay Caramba
Thinking of getting a bike that happens to have under seat exhaust and would replace the stock cans. I like the look of titanium but CF may be cooler and therefore more comfortable to deal with.

I seem to remember back in the day that CF exhausts would discolor and become more brittle within a year or two of use. Is that still the case?
 
Yes. Carbon is a terrible choice for something that goes hot. Stay with titanium. And make sure to get a can that has a db killer option.
 
Depends on the bike. For underseat I would go with carbon. It's stays MUCH cooler and a fantastic choice for that. I always went with carbon so the damn thing won't burn me on accident either. For cans where heat isn't an issue, I'd go with any metal.
 
Ti is the way to go...

I've lost count the number of friends needing to replace the carbon can after a few years. They always do what they should have the 1st time: get the Ti can. :p
 
I figured a couple of decades of experience would have produced a more durable cf product by now. A google search didn't turn up much useful info.
Titanium looks tits but so does some of the carbon options. When they offer several choices it becomes difficult to decide.

;
 
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Big twins and singles are really hard on CF mufflers. I've personally seen (and had) a CF muffler rip apart after a spirited ride.

Then again, all those failures were some years ago now, so who knows. I do think CF for under seat exhausts is a nice way to keep the heat down, but I'd almost always go with Ti.
 
I prefer a combination of carbon cans and Titanium exhaust pipes... I like carbon
for its durability becuse Ti cans dents to easily...

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I used to always go Ti. Last 10-15 bikes have had carbon. The carbon cans stay cooler and if you accidentally touch them you don’t get burned like Ti. I also like look of carbon better. I never keep a bike longer then 1-2 years so I don’t know about longevity.

With R1’s I had and Ducati’s with under tail exhaust it is a noticeable heat difference when you go carbon.
 
Both of my bikes have carbon cans on them. Both are over 50k miles.

The carbon has lost some of it's color with age, but otherwise they work great.
 
Blankpage said:
I figured a couple of decades of experience would have produced a more durable cf product by now. A google search didn't turn up much useful info.
Titanium looks tits but so does some of the carbon options. When they offer several choices it becomes difficult to decide.

;
Click to expand...

Time will not change chemistry. Carbon fiber when exposed to hot exhaust gasses will eventually fail. Once the fiberglass packing gets blown out of the muffler the hot exhaust gasses are in contact with the sleeve and the clock starts counting down. If you keep up on the maintenance and repack the muffler before it all blows out, I'm sure they can last a good long time. On large displacement twins, with the distinct pulses in the exhaust flow the packing vacates more rapidly.
 
20K miles is likely the upper limit of what I'd put on a bike before something new catch my eye.
Carbon fiber will probably hold up fine for my purpose and yeah it does look pretty cool


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I have found that running carbon (Akropovic) on my rc51 has been not the best choice in terms of reliability. They look and sound amazing but the thumping of the big twin has caused them twice to pull apart where the carbon meets the titanium.
If your concerned about long term reliability, go with titanium.
 
What I picked up after working for LeoVince and Arrow distributors - I don't think I'd buy a full CF exhaust unless I was planning on flipping the bike in a year or two. They can crack very easily, their gloss can discolor, joints/rivet points are prone to cracking/chipping, and all of these potential issues are increased with the added heat of under-seat confinement.

That being said, this is in comparison to Ti. CF is, overall, very durable. Ti is far more durable. Ti dents, CF cracks. Dents don't tend to grow on their own.

Here's my Ti Arrow with CF cap. I love the look of CF, which is why I went with a cap. When it cracks that can be replaced (4 years on, it's almost due)

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(Nevermind he skull, it was for a memorial ride)
 
Hopefully this puts you in the right direction.
 

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ViperThreat said:
Both of my bikes have carbon cans on them. Both are over 50k miles.

The carbon has lost some of it's color with age, but otherwise they work great.
Click to expand...

That has been my experience. Similar miles about 6 years on the bike. I would not want titanium on an under seat pipes just for passenger comfort. But yes carbon does eventually patina. :teeth
 
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