Product Review:
BBR pipe
This is what BBRs website has to say about their pipe;
Whats the difference
between the BBR exhaust system and all the rest?
BBR uses a stepped, tapered
header which allows for both bottom-end torque and top end over-rev--the best of both worlds. Most of our competitors use
a straight header; this results in a one-dimensional powerband, all top end or all bottom end. Extensive testing with the
tapered design allowed us to come up with an exhaust system that both the secretary and Lance Smail can agree on. Why dont
the other guys use this setup? Because its expensive to do it right. The tapers and the quality of the materials used on the
BBR pipes are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Basically, by bolting on the BBR exhaust system, you are widening the
power spread considerably, cutting down on shifting and letting you ride a gear higher. Also, the CRF150/230F
exhaust accepts the stock endcap for stock level sound output.
How much does the BBR
exhaust system weigh and how loud is it?
The BBR exhaust system weighs
in right at 4 pounds, which is 2 ½ pounds lighter than stock. Most of our competitors pipes were one to one and a half pounds
heavier than ours. Our exhaust produces 96 decibels (measured at 20" from the outlet at a 90 degree angle, as per AMA requirements)
while stock is about 92. Our exhaust is noticeably louder than stock but not ridiculous. We have neighbors too. Unfortunately,
power and sound go hand-in-hand dont let anybody tell you different. Also, the CRF150/230F exhaust
accepts the stock endcap for stock level sound output.
Well here is my
review of the pipe;
When I ordered
my pipe they said it would be 2-3 weeks back ordered. Big dude..... weak there.
But to my surprise, 3 days later they called and said it shipped that day. Since
I live real close to BBR I got my pipe the next day. It was packaged very nicely
and came with 2 BBR stickers and a 110 main jet.
Installation was
very easy, if you took the stocker off you can get the BBR on. You will use all
of the hardware from the stocker to secure the BBR pipe on the bike including the clamp that holds the header on the muffler.
You can see visually
just how much bigger the BBR pipe is over the stock, and it continues to get bigger the farther back the pipe goes. (BBRs
stepped, tapered header design). The pipe looks way trick on the bike, and sounds
even better. The pipe is considerably lighter than the stock pipe and is much easier to work with because of it.
After you re-jet
your bike, you should be ready to fire it up. I already had the power up jet
kit from Honda, a UNI filter, a 12t front sprocket, and the diffuser and snorkel removed.
So I was a little worried that the BBR pipe wouldnt give me much of a difference in power. Boy was I wrong!! This pipe really woke up my bike. I immediately noticed power
gains throughout the powerband, especially a huge mid-top end boost. It pulls
much harder for a lot longer reducing the need for shifting. My bike now wheelies
without problem.
I did however notice
a small exhaust leak right at the head where the header bolts on. Over time the
leak went away with the build up of carbon deposits. Also if noise is a problem
for any of you, this pipe is way louder than the stock with the diffuser removed. I
tried to fit the OEM (stock) end cap on my BBR pipe just to see what the difference really was, but I wasnt able to due to
the welds on the inside of the muffler. If I were to grind down the welds, Im
sure it would fit, and not all BBR pipes may have this big of welds. (anyone who welds knows what I mean)
Overall I am very,
very happy with my BBR pipe, and at $299, (yes it is expensive, but only about $40 more than others) it is well worth the
money if you want to turn your crf150f into a crf150r. If anyone can find any dynos to show any other companys pipe compared
to BBRs, let us know. But I am confident that it wont beat BBRs. (BBR posts their dynos on their website for you to reference)
I would STRONGLY recommend this pipe to anyone with a crf150/230f.
