Help me decide (exhaust content)

[Greg_imp]

Greg, I appreciate the response. I do understand what you are saying about black bikes being a contrast in and of themselves, plus the contrast of different blacks. I'm simply not looking to completely black out this bike. I have looked this bike over many times and I am happy with what chrome is there (bars, bolts, etc). I just don't like that both the exhaust and fenders are chrome. I am only going to change one of them.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful because obviously you put a lot into your response but I have no desire to add chrome to this bike at all in any way.

Having said that, the knee pads and license plate mods are interesting to me and worth consideration. Thanks!

Now, for the exhaust. This is really the kicker I think: can you constantly hear the exhaust without having to listen for it? I can't hear the stock with my full face helmet, and that bothers me more than anything on the bike.

A little backstory that I possibly should have begun with: I came from an xr650l that probably had 20 mods done. Exhaust, carb work, changed fenders, tank, etc etc etc. I went nuts on that bike, but I was always 1 mod shy of being done and it bothered me.

So when I got on the market for a new bike I researched for a couple of months before I made my purchase. The CB1100 is perfect for me except for 2 things: too quiet exhaust and too much chrome. If the black yoshi exhaust fixes both then I am fine with doing only that. I bought the bike I wanted, it only needs a few tweaks. I want to enjoy riding this bike, not bogging my mind trying to figure out how to fix all these problems I decide exist.

Yes! I wear a Shoei Quest and almost always foam ear plugs. I can hear the Yoshi all the time. It sounds so good I wish I could ride without a helmet to enjoy it more. If I'm going some distance at a constant speed, 5th gear is usually below 3k and the exhaust note is a purr at that rpm.

The ceramic coated Yoshi runs cooler and I feel less vibration through the bars and seat, so I'm shifting at higher rpms than I did before. I'm assuming the vibs are lower because of less back-pressure.

The system runs cooler for several reasons: catalytic converters start working at 600°F, the PAIR valve adds air to the exhaust to combust and then catalyze un-burned fuel within the exhaust system which generates heat. Also, the O2 sensor input to the ECM results in a very lean running condition at lower throttle angles and below 5500 rpm. Leaner is hotter. The Yoshi does have a bung for the stock narrow band O2 sensor but some people bypass the sensor with an inexpensive plug.

Reports are that gas mileage is unaffected by the above mods; 50 mpg is typical, but lower if the increased responsiveness and exciting exhaust sounds cause one to grab handfuls of throttle at every opportunity!