Exhaust Sliders for CB1100EX (World Walk)

[rdprdp01]

When I encountered the distracted Tesla driver at Whole Foods, my muffler was scratched. Although the scratches were visible only if someone focused intently on the spot in daylight, I could not let it go. I spent $700 USD on a new muffler and rationalized my excessive behavior by telling myself I now had a spare in case of another mishap. 

After installing the new muffler, I decided to explore adding a muffler slider to protect against future falls and mishaps, whether caused by others or by me. I started my research on our Forum. I noticed that many of our fellow members have muffler sliders that look great. That was comforting because I did not want to break the motorcycle's clean lines.

But I needed to better understand the engineering and materials that distinguish high-quality muffler sliders from those that might do more harm than good during a slide or fall. I was truly clueless about how to choose something that would look nice and protect one of my favorite parts of my motorcycle.

The analysis became even more challenging when I realized I could not mount the muffler slider directly to the motorcycle frame of my 2017 CB1100EX the same way I mounted the SW-Motech crash bars that had protected the engine and my legs so well. I had to find a “Goldilocks’ Solution” that would protect in a minor event but yield somewhat during a high-speed slide, because I was mounting them to the very thing I wanted to protect: the muffler!

I ultimately decided that the slider’s base must be relatively wide and made of lightweight yet rigid machined aluminum with an anodized finish to improve wear resistance. I wanted the metal to be strong enough not to collapse if I dropped the motorcycle or laid it down “gently,” but not so rigid that it could cause the motorcycle to flip during a high-speed slide. I wanted to pair the base with a slightly tapered, replaceable DURACON puck. From my experience in the energy industry, I knew that DURACON is a very hard, rigid thermoplastic with excellent abrasion resistance, a low coefficient of friction (so it slides on pavement rather than catching), and good dimensional stability. It also withstands repeated impacts reasonably well without shattering the way some harder plastics might.

I purchased exhaust sliders made by World Walk, which is a legitimate Japanese motorcycle accessories company, though it's a relatively small, niche brand compared to names like R&G or Evotech. The custom-made part was designed specifically for a CB1100EX:

https://japan.webike.net/products/23905445.html

World Walk uses Webike as a worldwide distribution partner.  I placed my order on a Tuesday afternoon, and the parts were delivered to my office on Friday morning. Please see the following pictures if you, too, are looking to protect your mufflers. I will document the actual install in a “How-To” thread next week. The install was relatively easy, but like all aftermarket parts, it required some creativity. I bought two sets: one to install on the motorcycle and another as a backup. I spent $60 USD per slider set and another $60 USD for shipping. No tariff was paid.

I welcome your comments about how they look, and if you have a better option, I would greatly appreciate the benefit of your experience on how I can protect my beloved motorcycle. As you may have noticed, I am always willing to add something to my ever-growing collection of spare parts! David

[peterbaron]

Sticking out enough for good protection.
Mine are very similar.

[Cormanus]

They look great.