Why a high mounted exhaust?
Thread Starter
|
Junior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Why a high mounted exhaust?
I'm relatively new to sport bikes, but a high mounted exhaust doesn't make much sense beyond looks. They do look cool, but so does lower center of gravity. Forgive my ignorance, but why else would you want a high mounted exhaust? Unless, of course, you're somehow dragging it on the asphalt. 
Junior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From the horses mouth (Honda Worldwide | CBR1000RR | History - Episode 02)
Former Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) works rider Hikaru Miyagi: The CBR1000RR was the first in the series to feature the center-up exhaust pipe located in the tail cowl. This must have been tough to design, since you had to move a heavy part away from the center of the bike and also put it up high. What was your reason for adopting this feature?
Seventh-generation CBR1000RR Large Project Leader (LPL) Hirofumi Fukunaga: Just because it’s really cool!
Miyagi: That’s great. That’s what I wanted to hear! In the 2008 model, the exhaust pipe returned to the traditional side position, and I was rather sad about it. [Laughs.]
Ninth-generation CBR1000RR designer Toshiaki Kishi: Of course, from an engineering perspective, there were all kinds of merits and demerits to the center-up layout, and it seemed that people looking at it from other perspectives were having a debate as well. From both a functional and styling perspective, I thought it was about time to do something about this huge muffler protruding from the side of the most cutting-edge super sport bike of the era, and so I wanted to move it to the interior of the body. In terms of styling, this feature was extremely well received. I also think it was extremely exciting for riders that their favorite bike really captured the innovative image of the RC211V, which was winning race after race in MotoGP.
Miyagi: The center-up muffler was certainly stylish, but it had to have a lot of insulation around it, didn’t it? This has really stuck in my memory. The exhaust pipe is something that can get really hot, and since it’s located up high, you had to make sure that people couldn’t get burned. Even as you were struggling to make the whole machine light one gram at a time, you worked hard to ensure safety, which really made me feel Honda’s dedication in this area.
Seventh-generation CBR1000RR Large Project Leader (LPL) Hirofumi Fukunaga: Just because it’s really cool!
Miyagi: That’s great. That’s what I wanted to hear! In the 2008 model, the exhaust pipe returned to the traditional side position, and I was rather sad about it. [Laughs.]
Ninth-generation CBR1000RR designer Toshiaki Kishi: Of course, from an engineering perspective, there were all kinds of merits and demerits to the center-up layout, and it seemed that people looking at it from other perspectives were having a debate as well. From both a functional and styling perspective, I thought it was about time to do something about this huge muffler protruding from the side of the most cutting-edge super sport bike of the era, and so I wanted to move it to the interior of the body. In terms of styling, this feature was extremely well received. I also think it was extremely exciting for riders that their favorite bike really captured the innovative image of the RC211V, which was winning race after race in MotoGP.
Miyagi: The center-up muffler was certainly stylish, but it had to have a lot of insulation around it, didn’t it? This has really stuck in my memory. The exhaust pipe is something that can get really hot, and since it’s located up high, you had to make sure that people couldn’t get burned. Even as you were struggling to make the whole machine light one gram at a time, you worked hard to ensure safety, which really made me feel Honda’s dedication in this area.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
