re: Triumph Bonneville: My "Black Bruiser" gets ARROW'ed !!! Hi Everybody. I see a lot of interest in this thread around the Arrow 2:2 pipes and since its been about a couple of weeks since I changed my stock pipes (Bonnie standard, black - exactly like Avi's), I thought maybe my feedback on these mods could be useful for the uninitiated.
First off the looks - After-market mods are a very subjective matter, but I personally felt that the stock chrome pipes on the Bonnie (the reverse cone design) were disproportionately large for the rest of the beautiful machine. The peashooters on the T-100 look nicer in contrast. The stainless Arrows are a huge improvement in that respect. The slimmer profile and the steeper incline to the end-cans make the alloy-wheeled Bonnie look much more sportier and in keeping with the ride-behaviour. Besides, when it comes down to lubing the chain, I discover that there is now a added gap opening up to the chain-access area below the can, thanks to a sharper angle.
On the left side, the much-discussed 'kink' in the tailpipe just before it meets the 'can' gives the Bonnie an asymmetry that's as attractive as the offset fuel-cap on the tank. Some say its to accentuate the twin rumble by unequal exhaust routes but I agree with the lot that say that the kink exists to accommodate the kicked-up side-stand.
The sound - Nothing like the YouTube videos. NOTHING. My Arrowed Bonnie fires up under choke in the mornings and probably because of its basement location, the only way that comes close to describing it is that the bike 'blooms' awake in an angry and deep rumble. There's something 'rounded' about the exhaust note at idle, prompting me to use the term 'bloom'. Snap back the choke after 30 seconds and engine settles down to an almost breathless hum punctuated by the pop-pop-pop of the twin exhausts. Unlike the almost effeminate stock chromes, there is always a Big Bike thrum present in the Arrows, even at 800 RPM, even in the middle of a traffic light. And I know it gets through rolled up car windows and high up bus windows, by the way people turn from whatever they were doing to look at the bike.
However, its under acceleration that the Wolf drops the Wool. SPOILER ALERT: The Bonnies are not for peaceful/tranquil folk. 30 minutes out of the Accessory Shop and I was regretting the splurge of 63 kays. True, you part the traffic like the Red Sea with your approach decibels, but at the end of the ride that day, I had a headache worse than a hangover from bad whiskey and decided to put the baffles back in the very next day. The Arrows transform into blatting demons, sounding strangely similar to a Ducati, unsurprising given the pipes origins. The noise is sharp and wearing a nice full-face makes it somewhat bearable on open roads. But guess what? In the two weeks that I've had them, I've gotten used to these banshees and have learnt how to modulate the wrist to suit the music to my mood. They sound glorious if a little 'arrogant' and surprisingly, not as bad for the tailing vehicle (I checked on a relatively quieter KTM). But, keep the baffles handy. You'll probably thank yourself for slipping them back on during long roadies.
The performance: Now here's the pity. I think my ECU map has been botched up either during installation or thereafter. The guy was supposed to load the Arrow 2:2 tune over the stock and I think he did too, but my Bonnie is running frightfully rich lately. There's a prominent hesitation and the mileage is halved from the normal 23 kmpl in Delhi. I'm going to have to wipe and load the tune again soon at the workshop. Just waiting for an opportunity. I as a result, have no way of verifying if the performance bonus is worth writing about yet. But one thing is for sure, the stock jerkiness from idle-start is gone to a large extent. Hopefully, will be able to update in a week's time.
Other cool things: Well, the coolest other thing is er, how cool these stainless pipes run compared to the chrome ones. You could come back from a ride and still touch the end-cans gingerly, without loosing fingerprints in the process. You could wipe down the bike in half an hour, without leaving cloth and skin on the headers. And these pipes respond much better to a good rinse and wipe than chrome, cleaning out just like new every time.
The laser-etched Triumph logo over the exhaust ports are super-cool too.
Well, that's as much as I can recall on Arrows at this point. If you have anything specific to check, will be happy to respond. Happy riding everyone. |