my letter to santa was obviously well received & read. and apparently santa agreed that a mille needs more air, in and out. got me a ’99 style intake boot and a set of dual titanium akras. nice going, santa. 😉
the pipes are very well made. the downpipes are stainless steel, the header pipes and the cans are titanium. special chip and chain tensioner are supplied with the pipe, plus you get to retain the side stand in the original position, which is very handy (unless you want to strap a race stand to your back).
first thing you notice is the – how do i say this – ‘solid’ noise. not obnoxious, but with a certain … presence. imagine a a man with a very big drum in a large tunnel, drumming away at a steady rhythm. got the picture? the bike seems to be most noticeable at around 2000 – 3000 rpms, then the sound becomes increasingly aggressive, but not really a lot louder. i think. but the i’m the one with the helmet on.
what is also noticeable is the weight reduction. about 3 kilos net, but mainly the fact that there isn’t a 10 kg weight pulling the bike to the right is a huge bonus.
oh, and of course the most important thing: performance. well, my butt dyno (*) says there is definite improvement from about 4000 rpm, and then as far as i went these days (in the wet and cold). much stronger pull and no ‘hole’ at around 5500 rpm.
(*) butt dyno: a dynograph is an instrument used to measure torque and horsepower figures. a butt is what you use to sit on. a butt dyno is a somewhat less scientific way of measuring power output through the impression the bike’s seat makes on the rider’s butt. 😉
i did not change the eyes, though. no way in hell. or have you seen a bike look like this? any other bike?
thought so.
and no touching these italian lines, either!
love her!