Two Brothers V.A.L.E. System Review - 6th Gen

[whiteboyslo]

Pics and sound clips to come.

So, as you may be able to tell from some of my other recent posts, I picked up a used Two Brothers V.A.L.E Titanium system a little over a week ago. Even though this is by no means a new system (used, but not ABUSED), I thought I'd share my impressions on it nonetheless.


First impression with exhaust still in the box: this sucker is light! The shipping weight on the entire package was a whopping 12.5 lbs. Looking at the exhaust pieces themselves, it becomes a little more obvious why these systems have the price tag that they do new. The canisters are just gorgeous pieces with a lot of CNC-machined components and magnesium tips (something i didn't realize until i had the pieces in my hand). The clamp system used to connect them to the pipes is pretty slick, too. I was a little skeptical they might lead to an exhaust leak, but so far so good. My only grievance is that the hardware is allen caps, which are prone to strip IMO. But, to be fair, the rest of our bike uses allen bolts all over the place, so you could argue they're just trying to keep the look uniform. Oh well. Beats the hell out of my old Suzuki GS that used Phillips head screws everywhere

The un-install: I've done a fair amount of exhaust work on cars and trucks before, but never on a bike. I went in expecting to have to wrestle with corroded slip-fits, seized or stripped bolts, and (being that it's on a bike) hardware at impossible angles. Thankfully none of this was the case. After removing the seat and getting a good visual on how exactly the stock system bolted up, I had the whole thing off the bike in about 30 minutes. I was extremely relieved when the slip fit on the stock system (near the cat) slipped off with little to no issue. A word of advice, though: In order to get the angle I need to worm the exhaust out, I had to remove the license plate and the light for the plate.

The install: Two Brothers install instructions (http://www.twobros.com/Cust_Service/...040xV_inst.pdf) were pretty good. Personally, I felt a few more pictures would have helped but aren't entirely necessary. If you can figure out how to get the stock system off, figuring out how to get the new system on is not a problem. The only time I really had to consult the instructions was to figure out how to mount the dummy canister. Other than that, the install was cake. I didn't even have to tweak anything to get the things to line up. They just did. Some advice: 1) the slip fit on the end near the cat can be a little stubborn. Use plenty of the supplied Black RTV Silicone to lube it up, then be a man and enjoy sticking pipe in the tight hole (sorry, couldn't resist). 2) The instructions tell you to leave all hardware loose to the very end. I'd agree with this, but just know that getting to all (4) of the allen bolts that hold the canisters to their respective pipes will be a little difficult, especially the top one on near the outside of the bike. Have plenty of different allen tools available. I used a combination of a T-handle, a socket with the allen key on it, and your good ol' right angle allen keys that you get with all that 'put-it-together-yourself' furniture. The size is 3/16".

How it looks: Sexy! The pics Two Bros have on their websites don't do them justice. Some might complain that the canisters don't fill up the void left by the behemoth stock system, but would you really want a system to be that much bigger and heavier anyway? Everything lines up just fine, too. The only thing I may change on the system itself is to put the silencers back in the pipes. Without them in, it's amazingly obvious that the LH canister isn't attached to anything. You can look right down the pipe and see the swingarm staring back at you. While I was at it, I went ahead and removed the grab handles and replaced them with the OEM covers as well. I'm going to try to make mine look like the bike in the Two Brothers pics as much as possible. The bike looks SO much better once you start to clean the junk off the back. Next mod is the fender eliminator for sure!

How it sounds: Again, sexy! Of course, exhaust sound is a matter of personal preference. Some prefer not to hear their system at all, and some would be perfectly happy running with open pipe right off the header. I come from a musical background, so I'd like to think I can make a distinction between 'noise' and 'tone'. This exhaust definetely has a tone. It opens up the system from stock so you finally hear what that V-4's been trying to tell you since day one: I'm unique and I sound DAMN good! The Two Brothers system does a great job of eliminating all the other noise and raucousness you don't want to hear. Since I really don't have a ton of experience with bikes yet, the best thing I can equate this is a Magnaflow exhaust. I've been a huge fan of Magnaflow for years because they do an awesome job of getting a tone out of your engine, not just noise like Flowmasters or Borlas. IMO, the Two Brothers system does the same thing for the VFR. It just sounds so.....exotic. I have never heard a bike on the road before that sounds like this, and it's nice to be unique. As far as volume, it's not the loudest system I've ever heard, but that's not my goal. At idle, it's only a little louder than stock. Get on it, though, and you'll be heard. I don't anticipate my system getting a lot louder since it IS used and presumably already broken in.

How it performs: I need a little more ride time to truly determine if there are some real power gains from this thing, but all I can say right now is that I'm noticing some different characteristics from the engine. As can be imagined, the low-end seems a bit weaker right now. I found myself having to feather out the clutch a little more when starting, although it may just be in my head. I'm honestly not terribly familiar with how our bikes calibrate the air/fuel ratio, so I don't know if it needs some time to 're-learn' itself or not. A Power Commander may be in the very near future just to fully take advantage of the exhaust (I also have a K&N and the snorkel removed). Where I CAN feel the difference is in the weight. My friend thinks it's in my head, but I swear I already notice the bike being that much easier to lean over. I don't think it helps that the stock system puts a ton of weight high up on the bike, which is way over its CG point.

So, there it is. Pics and sound clips to come shortly.

Mike

[06 VFR]

good write up - I'm interested in seeing the pics and hearing the sound clips.

[double-v-twin]

yep , me too

[Lgn001]

Nice review! Good presentation and detail. A gold star for you...

Do the sides of the mufflers stick out further than the stockers when looking down from the top? I'd like to provide some more clearance for soft luggage.

[whiteboyslo]

Originally Posted by Lgn001

Nice review! Good presentation and detail. A gold star for you...

Do the sides of the mufflers stick out further than the stockers when looking down from the top? I'd like to provide some more clearance for soft luggage.

hey, i know if i were in the market for an exhaust, this is the kind of info i would want to know. just paying it forward.

as far as pics and sound clips, my camera has gone MIA. i'm tearing apart the house looking for it. the pisser is i KNOW i had it yesterday.

anywho, i'll try to find it and get pics up ASAP. i think they'll answer your last question much better than words ever could.

Mike

[Mark5948]

do you have to run the cans flat or can they be angled up a little like the staintunes???

[whiteboyslo]

Originally Posted by Mark5948

do you have to run the cans flat or can they be angled up a little like the staintunes???

you DO have the ability to angle the cans quite easily. all you have to do is adjust the connection between the canisters and the pipes. there's not a ton of room to angle them up, but it is possible.

Mike

[whiteboyslo]

FYI, I'm going to double-post this in the 'Exhaust Review' section. I hope no one minds.

Mike

[whiteboyslo]

Pics and sound clips to come.

So, as you may be able to tell from some of my other recent posts, I picked up a used Two Brothers V.A.L.E Titanium system a little over a week ago. Even though this is by no means a new system (used, but not ABUSED), I thought I'd share my impressions on it nonetheless.


First impression with exhaust still in the box: this sucker is light! The shipping weight on the entire package was a whopping 12.5 lbs. Looking at the exhaust pieces themselves, it becomes a little more obvious why these systems have the price tag that they do new. The canisters are just gorgeous pieces with a lot of CNC-machined components and magnesium tips (something i didn't realize until i had the pieces in my hand). The clamp system used to connect them to the pipes is pretty slick, too. I was a little skeptical they might lead to an exhaust leak, but so far so good. My only grievance is that the hardware is allen caps, which are prone to strip IMO. But, to be fair, the rest of our bike uses allen bolts all over the place, so you could argue they're just trying to keep the look uniform. Oh well. Beats the hell out of my old Suzuki GS that used Phillips head screws everywhere

The un-install: I've done a fair amount of exhaust work on cars and trucks before, but never on a bike. I went in expecting to have to wrestle with corroded slip-fits, seized or stripped bolts, and (being that it's on a bike) hardware at impossible angles. Thankfully none of this was the case. After removing the seat and getting a good visual on how exactly the stock system bolted up, I had the whole thing off the bike in about 30 minutes. I was extremely relieved when the slip fit on the stock system (near the cat) slipped off with little to no issue. A word of advice, though: In order to get the angle I need to worm the exhaust out, I had to remove the license plate and the light for the plate.

The install: Two Brothers install instructions (http://www.twobros.com/Cust_Service/...040xV_inst.pdf) were pretty good. Personally, I felt a few more pictures would have helped but aren't entirely necessary. If you can figure out how to get the stock system off, figuring out how to get the new system on is not a problem. The only time I really had to consult the instructions was to figure out how to mount the dummy canister. Other than that, the install was cake. I didn't even have to tweak anything to get the things to line up. They just did. Some advice: 1) the slip fit on the end near the cat can be a little stubborn. Use plenty of the supplied Black RTV Silicone to lube it up, then be a man and enjoy sticking pipe in the tight hole (sorry, couldn't resist). 2) The instructions tell you to leave all hardware loose to the very end. I'd agree with this, but just know that getting to all (4) of the allen bolts that hold the canisters to their respective pipes will be a little difficult, especially the top one on near the outside of the bike. Have plenty of different allen tools available. I used a combination of a T-handle, a socket with the allen key on it, and your good ol' right angle allen keys that you get with all that 'put-it-together-yourself' furniture. The size is 3/16".

How it looks: Sexy! The pics Two Bros have on their websites don't do them justice. Some might complain that the canisters don't fill up the void left by the behemoth stock system, but would you really want a system to be that much bigger and heavier anyway? Everything lines up just fine, too. The only thing I may change on the system itself is to put the silencers back in the pipes. Without them in, it's amazingly obvious that the LH canister isn't attached to anything. You can look right down the pipe and see the swingarm staring back at you. While I was at it, I went ahead and removed the grab handles and replaced them with the OEM covers as well. I'm going to try to make mine look like the bike in the Two Brothers pics as much as possible. The bike looks SO much better once you start to clean the junk off the back. Next mod is the fender eliminator for sure!

How it sounds: Again, sexy! Of course, exhaust sound is a matter of personal preference. Some prefer not to hear their system at all, and some would be perfectly happy running with open pipe right off the header. I come from a musical background, so I'd like to think I can make a distinction between 'noise' and 'tone'. This exhaust definetely has a tone. It opens up the system from stock so you finally hear what that V-4's been trying to tell you since day one: I'm unique and I sound DAMN good! The Two Brothers system does a great job of eliminating all the other noise and raucousness you don't want to hear. Since I really don't have a ton of experience with bikes yet, the best thing I can equate this is a Magnaflow exhaust. I've been a huge fan of Magnaflow for years because they do an awesome job of getting a tone out of your engine, not just noise like Flowmasters or Borlas. IMO, the Two Brothers system does the same thing for the VFR. It just sounds so.....exotic. I have never heard a bike on the road before that sounds like this, and it's nice to be unique. As far as volume, it's not the loudest system I've ever heard, but that's not my goal. At idle, it's only a little louder than stock. Get on it, though, and you'll be heard. I don't anticipate my system getting a lot louder since it IS used and presumably already broken in.

How it performs: I need a little more ride time to truly determine if there are some real power gains from this thing, but all I can say right now is that I'm noticing some different characteristics from the engine. As can be imagined, the low-end seems a bit weaker right now. I found myself having to feather out the clutch a little more when starting, although it may just be in my head. I'm honestly not terribly familiar with how our bikes calibrate the air/fuel ratio, so I don't know if it needs some time to 're-learn' itself or not. A Power Commander may be in the very near future just to fully take advantage of the exhaust (I also have a K&N and the snorkel removed). Where I CAN feel the difference is in the weight. My friend thinks it's in my head, but I swear I already notice the bike being that much easier to lean over. I don't think it helps that the stock system puts a ton of weight high up on the bike, which is way over its CG point.

So, there it is. Pics and sound clips to come shortly.

Mike

[killerkingdon]

Killer Review on the Two bothers pipes....this is what consumers need to see before purchasing...I will be buying one of these now...Thanks