Marthy Tribute Exhaust.... Oh yeah!


sti491

Member
Many thanks to Martin for helping me with great tips how to best fabricate my exhaust system, and for providing Power Commander maps. As Martin would say, “Thanks Mate”!

I have a 2012 FZ6R I bought a few months ago with only 2,200 miles on it. Always garaged. It even smelled new. Now it has 3,400 miles on it.

Paying $500-1,000 for a full exhaust plus $300 for fuel management just seemed crazy. So I did it the Marthy way! Total cost: Delkevic DS70 CF, two small pieces of 304 stainless tubing, header gaskets, block off plates, Power Commander… $507. I got sort of lucky on the Delkevic can…. They sent me the wrong one. Then the replacement was missing the clamp, so it was a bit of a cluster. But Janeille, the Branch Manager was sympathetic and gave me a very nice “customer accommodation” discount refund for my troubles… Yay! Despite their order pickers being stoned, the can appears to be very high quality.

Yes, I felt a little trepidation hacking a perfectly good “Like New” exhaust to do this. However, I hated that turd of a cat. It’s the only thing about the bike I didn’t like. Maybe that's not true. I already changed the rear fender and turn signals!

I had to make 4 cuts: to separate the cat, for length and diameter on the 3” to 2” reducer on both ends, and to cut the angle on one end of the 90 degree 2” tube I bought. They say measure twice & cut once… which you can do with the reducer. The small angled piece though, is impossible to measure under the bike. So I eyeballed everything the best I could under the bike, hand drew a cut line with a Sharpie marker and cut it. All I have to say is I need to go buy a lottery ticket… each cut was perfect the first time. Seemed miraculous to me given the circumstances. I got even luckier finding a local welder that did ‘er up for me for $20. Tig. Not exactly “row-of-dimes” welding (he was recently certified), but definitely $20 worth. It's strong and air tight.

I couldn’t be happier. I doubt a more expensive full system would breath all that much better. Plus I have the satisfaction of doing it myself. The Delkevic DS70 CF can weighs 2.7 lbs, Call it 3lbs with the two very short 304 SS welded connectors. Compared to the OEM cat turd and air injection system I removed substituting Black Path block off plates, this is good for a 9lbs weight reduction per my scale… now, if I could just stick with my healthy diet this thing would fly! That stock cat is a boat anchor.

Pretty happy with my map switch and volt meter install too. I recently took a risk and spent big $ on a Lithium Phosphate battery. I’m still not sure that was a wise thing to do(?). They have mixed cool weather reviews so I thought an $8 volt meter was a good investment. It looks pretty cool there to me, where I can take a quick peak mashing the starter button. It balances out where I put my Power Commander map switching button on the other side. It does not take a picture very well, but it is a water proof digital red LED and matched the rest of the bike, and my gear indicator nicely.

So if you are not afraid of cutting things up on your bike, I recommend this approach. Price is reasonable all considering. Big weight reduction. It is loud! I’m leaving the DBK in for sure. Very deep throaty sound at idle, barks like a guard dog when you blip it.

Riding it is nothing short of transformational. Here are the highlights:

1. Noise: It’s most definitely loud! I left the DBK in, and after riding still have no plan to remove it. Went on a 2 hour country road shake down ride yesterday and nobody tailgated me! Around 4 pm when the sun was low I was just about to make a left 90 degree turn where a car was stopped. She looked right at me (she had a stop sign, I didn’t), she put her hand up to shade her eyes as she was rolling into my path. She could not see me in the glare (at least I knew it and was prepared to let her go). I blipped a downshift harder than I needed to. She jammed the brakes as she heard me. That would not have happened before! AT 60 mph it does not drone, and it seems to queit down as the the wind noise sort of cancels it out inside my helmet. At full song it is a beast. F1 fighter sounds. The deceleration and downshifting noises are joyful!

2. Performance: I had not ridden in several weeks and there was still some water patches from a recent snow melt, so the first hour of my ride I took it easy. The first thing that was very noitacable was the smooth throttle response and “ridabilty” improvement. Not that it was bad stock, but it’s better now. Secondly, instead of a nearly linear stock power curve, now there is a distinct surge of power maybe half to 2/3rds in the revs… I’m not sure I don’t watch the tach much. Maybe around 7,000 rpm? And I’m not talking when you hammer it either, just smooth cruising, rolling on the throttle. It is somewhat subtle. It’s not like you are going to do burnouts cracking the throttle, but there is a definitely a smooth, increased torque just cruising around. When you hammer it, well, sit forward… the front end gets light through 3rd! Full throttle midrange and top end is WAY stronger than stock. Not sure how much is the accel pump. I have it set at 75% throttle/for 25 revs/at 10% fuel add. I am thinking about changing it today to 70/30/15. If anyone with a similar set up has a recommendation on the best Accel Pump setting, please advise.

3. Maps: I have 2 maps loaded: Martin’s AdvGear RevB, and the Dynojet stock FZ6R map, which they say was done on a Dyno and Delkevic says the bike with only the exhaust should perform fine & safely without fuel management. That map rides great. Martin’s map rides better! At first Martin’s map seems subtly better. But when your country road carving you realize it’s a lot better! It barks back deccelerating a bit more, an indication to me it’s definitely richer, as the feul tables show.

4. Mileage: I have never checked the mileage on my bike before. I set the odometer when I got gas yesterday, so we’ll see.

Once again, thank you Martin for all your advice and also the maps. I have to go ride now… ☺
 

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sti491

Member
Thanks! I am loving it. Have about 150 mi on it now. Incredibly more fun to ride. 42 mpg with mixed ripping on it and cruising country roads.
 

sti491

Member
Thanks Tex. Delkevic has a reasonably priced full system. I looked at theirs closely. Here was the thing for me: Their headers look EXACTLY like the sock headers. Look at the bulge where they collect. Looks the same as cutting off the cat using the stock headers. My CF can cost $161, the two pieces of 304 SS pipes $32, and $20 welding cost. $213 total. That is very cost effective.

Appearance is a personal preference, but I don't like how a small can looks hanging of the side of the bike with a long connection pipe. If I were going that route, I's get a longer can like a Yoshi. I REALLY like the small 9" Delkevic CF can tucked up under the bike. It makes the bike appear lighter (and it actually is!), because you can see thru the bottom frame/front swing arm area that the huge OEM Cat blocked. It leaves the side of the bike uncluttered.

It's all what you like though.

 

Bigj11

New Member
Looking good! After trying to contact Marthy 3 different times with no response, i went ahead and just made my own exhaust. I used the Delkevik stainless muffler similar to yours. I spent just at $200 for everything so i'm pretty happy.
 

texas09fz6r

New Member
I def like your system and your right it does look like they copied the headers exactly. I have a brother in law who welds/fabricates so I will ask him if he can cut/mod like this.

Thanks
 

sti491

Member
The most challenging part Tex, is getting those 3 short pipe cuts all the right angle... really it's just getting the one cut on the 90 degree right. The important part is to get the can tucked under there nicely, with a half inch clearance to the tire and swing arm. My finger is a half inch. I am close, and I love the positioning. You can place the can so the oval is vertical. I liked it horizontal, for the look as well as corner/ground clearance.
 

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Bigj11

New Member
Did you use an exhaust hanger on the muffler or is the entire header and muffler being held up by only the header bolts?
 

sti491

Member
Delkevic provides a nice enough strap type hanger I did plan to use. I even positioned the can so it was useable, albeit with some modification of the strap/hanger. It became a bit of a chore since I hung my can with the oval shape horizontal, which I think looks way better. Delkevic hangs all their cans on their pre-fit systems with the oval vertical.

As I was working on the strap, I realized how firm it was mounted without it. Before I hung the entire exhaust, I was thinking it would be too hard on the header bolts not to have a strap/hanger. However, the can only weighs 2.7lbs, and after thinking about it, there are 8 stout header bolts and the four ends of the header pipes are stuck inside the engine exhaust ports at least a half inch, so the bolts are not under any significant stress. It also looks better without the strap.

So, after grabbing the end of the can and trying to rip it of & shaking it, I realized it was not going anywhere. I decided not to add the strap unless it loosens up. I have checked it frequently in 200+ miles of hard riding and nothing has loosened up. Time will tell if I need a strap. So far so good.

It is VERY firm without the strap. It does not move or vibrate with the bike running, which surprised me.

Did you use an exhaust hanger on the muffler or is the entire header and muffler being held up by only the header bolts?
 

fz6rowner

New Member
The previous owner of my bike had Marthy exhaust installed, but without the hanger. As a new rider and new to bikes, I had no awareness of an exhaust hanger and its need. None of the mechanics that worked on my bike found the hanger absence a safety risk. I had the bike lowered shortly after I bought. Every so often the edge of exhaust Can started to scrape the asphalt. When I took it to the mechanic for a resolution, he simply turned the oval shape to a diagonal orientation so that the Can end where it was scraping got a little more clearance off the ground. For the amount of leaning I was doing initially that minor adjustment kind of addressed the issue. But a year later as I got more comfortable and leaned the bike more, the scraping resumed. One day when I returned home after a ride, the exhaust can was missing but the clamp and internal baffle were still on the header outlet. The exhaust can ripped from the connector pipe and fell off during the ride, but fortunately it didnt come under the wheel or between the chain. It would have been a major disaster if it did.

I contacted Marty for replacement suggestions and he said the previous owner should have installed it with the hanger. At his suggestion I bought the Delkevic ds70 and retrofitted it to the existing custom header, but this time with the hanger. The clamp connection could be sturdy but the Can can separate at other joints within its structure, like it did in my case. Also with such small clearance between the Can and the Tire, unless the can is firmly secured with a hanger there no way of ensuring the can wont move while riding, during bike maintenance, or a kick from the boots.



Delkevic provides a nice enough strap type hanger I did plan to use. I even positioned the can so it was useable, albeit with some modification of the strap/hanger. It became a bit of a chore since I hung my can with the oval shape horizontal, which I think looks way better. Delkevic hangs all their cans on their pre-fit systems with the oval vertical.

As I was working on the strap, I realized how firm it was mounted without it. Before I hung the entire exhaust, I was thinking it would be too hard on the header bolts not to have a strap/hanger. However, the can only weighs 2.7lbs, and after thinking about it, there are 8 stout header bolts and the four ends of the header pipes are stuck inside the engine exhaust ports at least a half inch, so the bolts are not under any significant stress. It also looks better without the strap.

So, after grabbing the end of the can and trying to rip it of & shaking it, I realized it was not going anywhere. I decided not to add the strap unless it loosens up. I have checked it frequently in 200+ miles of hard riding and nothing has loosened up. Time will tell if I need a strap. So far so good.

It is VERY firm without the strap. It does not move or vibrate with the bike running, which surprised me.
 
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sti491

Member
That is a fair concern and I share it. For the time being I am watching it carefully, checking it every ride.. I don't think my can can rub in a corner the way I have it mounted, tucked high and under, but I could be wrong. I may add the strap. Thank you for the insight.

Was your first can that came apart a Delkevic DS70... the way it is constructed it doesn't seem like it would come apart that way?
 
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fz6rowner

New Member
Not sure, it could have been a customized Danmoto exhaust. But it certainly was not a Delkevic.

That is a fair concern and I share it. For the time being I am watching it carefully, checking it every ride.. I don't think my can can rub in a corner the way I have it mounted, tucked high and under, but I could be wrong. I may add the strap. Thank you for the insight.

Was your first can that came apart a Delkevic DS70... the way it is constructed it doesn't seem like it would come apart that way?
 

sti491

Member
I am not taking anything away from your experience or point, I think it is a good point. That's why I am checking it every ride. I can see how grounding it with a 400lb bike in a corner with G-forces, etc could loosen it and cause a problem. So far so good. That DS70 seems like it is made like a brick, with great welds. But, the strap still may be in my future! I hope mine doesn't scrap because there is no way for me to tuck it any better.
 

Bigj11

New Member
sti491, That's exactly why i was asking. I installed the muffler strap on mine but it was not that difficult since mine is vertical. I think it might be a pain in the butt to mount the can horizontally while using the exhaust strap so you may not have a choice.
 

fz6rowner

New Member
I used the hanger that came with ds70 even when i had the exhaust Can under the bike (now i have it on the side). The oval was diagonally oriented. I used a metal strip with holes on either end and twisted it slightly along its length, so that the hanger bolt lined up on one end, and a mounting bolt on the other end. This other end was mounted to the same non-moveable ring hole where the oem exhaust was mounted. The horizontal metal strip held the exhaust firmly towards the header outlet and away from the wheel/chain.
 

sti491

Member
After your experience and talking to Delkevic, where they said they get about one customer per year that drops a can with no strap, and considering mine is right in front of the rear tire, I decided to add the strap. It was indeed a challenge, as I had to fabricate a hanger and completely re-shape the strap.

It is super strong now! Doesn't look too bad either! Thank you for your advice.
 

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xplumberx

New Member
Had a question.. concentric or eccentric reducer? Also did you use a short radius 90 or a regular 90? I am a pipe fitter by trade so this task should be a piece of cake. Thanks in advanced
 

sti491

Member
This is what I used:

Stainless 2" 90° Mandrel Bend Elbow - 1.5D Radius - 16GA/.065" Wall - 2" Leg - SS304 - Stainless Bros https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0778QYKPF/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_tai_NueGAbY44EVP3

2" OD to 3" OD Exhaust Pipe Connector Adapter Reducer 304 Stainless Steel

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/182580791192

It would have been nice if I could have got the reducer in the thicker wall 304 SS like the bend, but I could not find it. The way I ended up cutting the header mostly with a sawsall and an oscillating saw, and after cutting the reducer with a dremmel cut off wheel, the reducer fit just barely inside the header opening giving a nice purchase to weld.

Getting the angle right on the bend is tricky because it will not fit under there worth a darn to measure it. I eyeballed it and somehow got it right the first time. One trick I'll share that really helped me get the curve cut symmetrical which is really important, after marking where I wanted it with a sharpie, which was a pretty rough freehand squiggle, I use a hose clamp on the pipe, tightened down snug on the radius where I needed it, and dremmel cut it using the hose clamp as a guide. It came out literally perfect. I do not think I could have free handed it nearly that well.

Here are a few more picks of the parts for you.

Had a question.. concentric or eccentric reducer? Also did you use a short radius 90 or a regular 90? I am a pipe fitter by trade so this task should be a piece of cake. Thanks in advanced
 

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xplumberx

New Member
Ok now how do I go about getting Marthy's maps? I am doing the block of plates, k & n air filter, and this exhaust. Should be close enough I would think?
 


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