Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128313
Video Game Addil:t!i Unlea!ihed Zip- Ty Racing's Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipe [Jon't Get [Jinged The idea of stainless steel exhaust pipes doesn't sound all that strange. After all, stainless steel isn't nearly as exotic as, say, titanium . In fact , the idea of stainless steel pipes actually sounds like a good one : The metal is strong, looks good and doesn't rust. But if stainless steel is such a good idea, then why haven't all of the aftermarket exhaust-pipe makers already gone that route? Well, it didn't take long for parts-designer Ty Davis to find that out. "I wanted to have something that no one else had," said Davis, the founder of Zip-Ty Racing(ZTR). "I've tried different materials before, like my ceramic [coating] pipes, and then I thought, 'Why not stainless steel?' " Davis asked his pipe builder, Randy Blevens, from Flow (Corona, California), to build him a stainless steel exhaust pipe for his YamahaYZ250 two-stroke with the notion that t hey would eventually be sold. Blevens was a litt le reluctant at first, know ing that creating a solid we ld out of stainless stee l was brutally to ugh. But he went ahead with Davis' idea anyway. "Sure enough , our original prototypes all cracked right away, just like Randy said it wou ld," Davis said. "But we finally figured it out, and now they don't crack at all." To prove it, Davis offered us up one of his new stainless steel exhaust pipes to try on our Yamaha YZ250 test bike. Davis feels that stainless steel has many advantages over traditional steel exhaust pipes. "First of all they're stronger," Davis says. "Y can run a thinner wall, which , harou monicswise , resonates better and creates better power. I believe it has something to do with the way the sound waves, air, bounces off the steel. With stainless steel, you can run a thinner wall without it getting dinged up so badly. ';4.Iso, sta inless steel allows you to have that 'works' look that everyone wants , but you don't have to worry about it rusting or having to put oil on it every time you wash it. A Iittie bit of Scotch Brite once in a while is all you need." So far, we 've found Davis' words to be right on the money. The Zip-Ty Racingsta inless steel pipe provided ou r yz with a noticeable power gain across the board. According to Davis' own dyno graph , the stainless steel pipe, along with his ZTR Signature silencer, increased horsepower mainly from midrange on up. Peak advantage is three horsepower at 8500 rpm . We've gone on a couple of rides on ou r yz with the stainless steel pipe. includinga rock-filled WORCS race , and a single ding is yet to be found. nor any cracks . Scuff marks - yes - but no dents or any signs of damage. Davis says he has four races on his pipe and only has a few noticeable dings on his pipe. But stainless steel definitely has its disadvantages, mainly cost. "Stainless steel is hard to work with, very laborintensive to build," Davis says. "We can only prod uce one or two pipes a day." Expect to pay around $550 (gulp!) for one of Zip-Ty Racing's new stainless steel exhaust pipes, but at least you have a much better chance of making it through a race season wi th one pipe , and that cou ld make the pipe cost effective, especially if you mount up some kind of pipe guard like Davis does on his bike. "Hey, these things are expensive; I don't want to take any chances," he says. Currently, ZTR only makes the sta inless steel pipes for the YZ250. For more information, On Tuesday, February 24th , maybe the most highlyanticipated motocross console video game went on sale at reta ilers throughout the country, MX Unleashed. Ever since the pairing of supercross series sponsor THQ and Rainbow Studios (which developed Motocross Madness and Motocross Madness 2 for the PC) was announced, people in the know have been antsy about the potential of their finished product. Ifyou've been at any of the supercross races so far this year, you may have stopped by the THQ display and played a demo version of the new game . And ifyou're like us, you were impressed . The real version features over SO tracks , including supercross, nationals and freeride environments, as well as both twostroke and four-stroke bikes (even a 50ccracing option) and a top-loo seeded career mode where you start as an amateur and work your way into the pros . The physics engine is actually divided into independent bike and rider animations , and the player (you) is in essence controlling the rider, which is controlling the bike. That makes for a much more realistic riding model . You can select authentic gear and equipment from the top manufacturers, set records, race an airplane (and a few other vehicles) and even take control of other vehicles present in the game . This game is really, really fun. So much so that it's possible the motorcycle industry as a whole may become less productive over the next few weeks because of all the time soon to be spent playingvideo games . MX Unleashed retails for $39 .99, although if you're not careful, it may cost you your job or your wife or girlfriend . For more information, see your local video game retailer, or visit www.thq .com . To cast your vote, log on to www.cyclenews. com. WEb INSiYE Cyclenews. com r eader poll question of the week This year's Grand National Cross Country Series is one of t he most competitive ever, and with the popular Palatka, Florida, round coming up, who do you think willwin the title? Rodney Smit h already won th e first round in Texas. F. Barry Hawk Jr. G. Jason Raines H. Fred Andrews I. Robbie Jenks J. Doug Blackwell A. Rodney Smith B. Mike Kiedrowski C. Steve Hatch D. Shane Watts E. Brian Garrahan K. Scott Summers L Chuck Woodford M. Cole Calkins N. Randy Hawkins O . Jimmy Jarrett On-line poll results from last week Which of these 2004 open-class sportbikes inte re sts you the most? contact Zip-Ty Racingat 760/244-7028. Stainless Steel: Fo rm and fun ction don't come cheaply. Honda CBRIOOORR Yamaha YZF-RI Total Replies : www.cuclenews.com 540 451 (35.93%) (30 ,01 %) Kawasaki ZX- IOR 392 Suzuki GSX-RIOOO 120 (26,08%) (7 ,98%) 1503 CYCLE NEWS . MARCH ~ 200.d 85