My Honest Review on DAM Exhaust

Discussion in '8th Generation 2014-Present' started by Katastrophe, Jul 29, 2017.

  1. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    Hey all.

    First off, no I don't work for DAM in any way, shape or form, I'm just rewarding some great people with some great words.

    Long story short, I wanted a nice exhaust to compliment the bike. My top picks were the Arrow and the Akra. I stumbled upon DAM and fell in love. Pictures don't do the exhaust justice. It is a QUALITY piece. Excellent craftsmanship. Welds of beauty. Drool worthy. I decided to go with the classic polished look as the bike (IMHO) deserves a bit of "bling". Well, I couldn't have asked for anything better. Everyone I ride with or who I've met on bike nights compliments this thing. Then again, the newer generation of the VFR is a rare bike in itself...that definitely has something to do with it. Yes, there are more thrifty options out there (and more expensive) but this piece is EASILY worth it. Shipping and ordering were also easy as pie and went according to schedule. The exhaust comes with a "sport" baffle, but that thing was gone the second I took the wrapping off. I haven't tried it yet and most likely never will.

    David @ DAM was a pleasure to work with and we exchanged at least 20 Emails because I asked every question in the book...which he was glad to answer. These pipes are custom made to order and like mine, can be had without an emblem on them. The emblems do look very nice, but I prefer the stealth look for my baby.

    As for the sound...I can't put it into words. Even a video doesn't do it justice. I will have some videos up very soon...cold start, idling, revs, fly-bys and some WOT runs from 0-200+ Kph. The exhaust is bloody perfect. I don't hear any droning or unpleasantness from it at all. It is perfect to cruise around in and to be honest, when tooling around town, never attracts unwanted attention. It is quite civilized. Cruising in 6th on the highway...perfection. Again, no drone...no unwanted BS with piling on the miles. Once you give it the beans, though, it really wakes up and sounds fantastic. It really is the best of both worlds. I'm truly smitten by this piece.

    For now, here are some pictures of this beauty. Also, yes...the bike is brand new (had 1 Km when I took these photos)...very fresh indeed. I've only got about 1000 Km's on it at the moment (many more to come) but every one of those Km's had been this beauty installed. Cheers!

    Also, yes, the pictures are HIGH quality...
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    ...I guess this website doesn't allow zoom on the pictures. Too, bad. I posted this on the "other" forum, too...so you can check out the zoomed in pics there.

    :)
     
  3. thtanner

    thtanner New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Messages:
    215
    Likes Received:
    144
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Map
    Looks much better than the super generic Made in China brands like Delkevic that get undeserved praise.

    Looking forward to hearing a vid or two!
     
    Katastrophe likes this.
  4. Joey_Dude

    Joey_Dude Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2007
    Messages:
    1,956
    Likes Received:
    13
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Location:
    North Georgia
    Map
    I don't like this review mainly because it's well, honest. Can you throw in some lies just to make it more entertaining?
     
  5. A.M

    A.M Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2015
    Messages:
    2,840
    Likes Received:
    525
    Trophy Points:
    158
    Thanks for sharing a great review and that exhaust is simple, sleek and sexy!!
    Awesome you posted it on the other site too...great share!

    I was able to zoom in on your high quality, amazing photos of your new exhaust and basically new pefect moto.
    When I open a thumbnail, in the upper right hand corner there are two buttons: an arrow pointing up to the right and the X.
    When I click the arrow, it enlarges the photo then I can zoom in even more.
    I'm doing this on a PC so I'm not sure if it works the same on mobile.

    If you want to insert the photos large into text, when you attach a photo there are two buttons just to the bottom right of the photo:
    Thumbnail and Full Image
    If you click "Full Image", your sexy pics will be so huge under your text.
    Tips for next time if you wanna. :)

    And I be with thtanner...a vid would be music to our ears!!
     
    1badb0y likes this.
  6. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2008
    Messages:
    2,245
    Likes Received:
    270
    Trophy Points:
    83
    Location:
    Platte City, MO
    Map
    Not my cup o' tea, but you're the one who has to be pleased. I guess I'm just one of those oddballs who don't care for the short "zoomy" cans. It does look better that a lot of other shorty exhausts though.
     
  7. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    Ah, so you can zoom in...not quite as much, but enough. My mistake, thanks for pointing it out!
     
  8. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    Hmmm...

    It scares kids, causes the old to run in terror and attracts the opposite sex like a magnet! Actaully, these aren't entirely lies...plus the pipe makes you ride like a maniac when you get some open road. :)

    I'll post up the dyno graph, too. It's not my personal dyno, but was sent to me from DAM.
     
    A.M likes this.
  9. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    You best believe I'll have some video up ASAP! I just hope my other priorities don't get in the way...I don't want this to be a week-long tease, Haha.
     
    A.M likes this.
  10. A.M

    A.M Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2015
    Messages:
    2,840
    Likes Received:
    525
    Trophy Points:
    158
    No worries, just trying to be helps.
    Your photos are

    Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
     
    Katastrophe likes this.
  11. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2013
    Messages:
    3,522
    Likes Received:
    391
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Location:
    East Bay, California
    Map
    I have been waiting for awhile for the Euro rate to get better and to save up the $$. I think it is the best looking aftermarket can, and will add some class to an already great looking bike. Thanks for the review, looks great.
     
    Katastrophe likes this.
  12. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    Thanks! I see you have some nice shots of your own. I'll make sure to get some proper scenery for my next few, seeing as much construction zone of a new development isn't the correct back drop, Haha!
     
    A.M likes this.
  13. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    Oh, you won't be disappointed.

    +1 to the class of the bike comment. I've seen so many pipes that just don't do this machine justice. It's another reason why I chose the polished can.
     
  14. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    I get where you're coming from. A lot of the shorty stuff looks a bit too racy for this bike...but this one strikes the balance for me, IMHO. Plus, I wanted something that would show off the rear wheel more, which this definitely does.
     
  15. Corrugated

    Corrugated New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2008
    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    Cloverdale

    Great write-up, thank you! I'm currently running a Delkevic, but have been wanting to goto an Arrow..now I have a third favorite.....:)
     
  16. Bubba Utah

    Bubba Utah Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2016
    Messages:
    1,384
    Likes Received:
    324
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Utah
    Map
    Katastrohpe, Thank you for your post. I do like the pipe and I am glad that you are happy with it. It does have elegance to it. But, for me, it is to close in size to the original pipe. And trust me I do not want to look or sound like a race replica. At the U.S. price at $509 dollars this pipe is way to much for me without significant increases in H.P. . I would be interested if you dyno'd the pipe to see any increase for a slip on. the Delkevic pipe which I bought for $230 U.S. as a cheap "Chinese" made pipe via Tanner is great for me. Cheap means two things. Cost and-or Quality. I found the Delkevic to be a "Good Value" or cheap, and having quality after 4,000 miles. Time will tell. I did want to post the comparison of my pipe vs. yours on our bike. Again, I do like the elegance of yours! DSC_0068.JPG IMG_0131.2.jpg
     
    Katastrophe and GatorGreg like this.
  17. GatorGreg

    GatorGreg Honda Fanboy/LitiGator

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2016
    Messages:
    1,984
    Likes Received:
    342
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Orlando
    Map
    I can zoom in just fine using my iPad - in fact I can see a chica in some short shorts in the reflection of the pipe in the 4th pic :Eyebrows:. Pipe looks great - looking forward to some sound.
     
    Katastrophe likes this.
  18. GatorGreg

    GatorGreg Honda Fanboy/LitiGator

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2016
    Messages:
    1,984
    Likes Received:
    342
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Orlando
    Map
    That's a cheap shot at a cheap exhaust! :D The praise Delkevic gets from me is well-deserved. It cuts over 7 pounds, adds almost 3 hp, sounds incredible, and reveals more of the beautiful wheel. It also looks great IMO - I love the large slashed cut tip on the mini model and an unexpected benefit is how the connector pipe turns a bronze color to match the bronze colored wheels and other parts on my 8th gen. You can see the color change really well in Bubba's pic above.

    IMG_1574.PNG
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2017
    1badb0y and Katastrophe like this.
  19. thtanner

    thtanner New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Messages:
    215
    Likes Received:
    144
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Map
    I can't stop thinking how cheap it makes the bike look, personally. It's like the Walmart brand of exhausts!

    To each their own, but any time I see a Dek on an otherwise nice bike, I shake my head.
     
  20. Katastrophe

    Katastrophe New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    MB
    Map
    I hear you on price...but compared to other "premium" pipes, it falls in line...maybe even a bit cheaper (for me it worked out cheaper as I'm in Canada).

    I haven't personally put my bike on a dyno...TBH, I probably never will unless a header comes out or I get a tune. This is the dyno that DAM sent me. I believe the lines represent stock, DAM w/baffle (I think that is the sport baffle) and finally un-corked. I wasn't expecting much anyway, but the bike runs great (fueling seems spot on) and it gained some power and lost a bit of weight in the process.
     

    Attached Files:

    PetePower, GatorGreg and Bubba Utah like this.
Related Topics

Share This Page