Micron Serpent Exhaust

Micron Serpent Exhaust

Power under pressure

CW EVALUATION

BUYERS OF AFTERMARKET EXHAUST pipes are generally seeking improvements in four areas: appearance, performance, sound and weight. Micron’s new water-pressure-molded Serpent system aims to deliver on all counts.

Micron has studied exhaust-gas dynamics and used its findings to create the Serpent’s flared headpipes, which resemble the hood of a cobra. The unique shape is said to reduce the reversion, or back flow, present in conventional systems that is caused by centrifugal forces pushing spent gases to the outer radius of the initial bend. The thinking is that the reduction of negative pressure created by flaring the head pipes improves cylinder scavenging and exhaust gas speed, and allows maximum charge to enter the combustion chamber for increased power.

Enormous water pressure-75,000 psi, to be precise-is used to “mold” the pipes into the chosen diameter and

shape. This patented process, called “Hydratech” after the snake-headed Greek monster Hydra, minimizes welding, reduces weight by as much as 40 percent and eliminates unsightly seams that can inhibit the flow of gases and lead to joint failures.

Installation on a 2003 Suzuki GSXRlOOO-Open-class overlord for three years running-was identical to a conventional system. The detailed instructions were easy to follow. We also sampled Micron’s ShockWaver muffler, which uses a piggyback-style cylinder mounted atop the can to generate out-of-phase sound waves that reduce noise emissions by a claimed 2 decibels compared to the company’s standard race muffler.

On the CW dyno, the ShockWaverequipped Serpent produced a 6.5-horsepower gain between 10,000 and 12,500 rpm, and filled in the dip in the torque curve between 3000 and 4000 rpm. These are noteworthy gains. Also, the stainless-steel/titanium setup weighs 2.7 pounds less than the GSX-R’s stock Ti (with aluminum muffler cover) exhaust.

All told, the unusually shaped Serpent produces more power, is lighter, and looks and sounds different than stock. Is it enough to justify the $1250 asking price? That’s for you to decide. □

DETAILS

Micron North America, Ltd. 28W059 Industrial Barrington, IL 60010 888/963-1212 www.micronexhaust.com Price...$1250

Alps

A Trick headpipes A Lighter than stock A Available for most late-model sportbikes

Downs

▼ Expensive

▼ Difficult see part

▼ Loud, even with

canceling