DO3 wrote:I don't know why people are getting all wound up about this pipe and it's advertising. I'm new to scooters but have been modifying my cars for years. In general it is rare to see "real numbers" (dyno charts etc) from an aftermarket exhaust. Also in my looking into a Stella or older Vespa I have never seen any dyno charts for pipes or even a full on head kit which is much more expensive and involved than a bolt on muffler. Very few aftermarket companies are willing to actually prove their hp claims. Also Genuine or Scooterworks is not the first company willing to sell you bolt ons that will void you warranty.
Personally I think the pipe looks nice, has been getting positive feedback so far and is very reasonably priced. I plan to buy one in the spring when I take the Buddy out of storage.
Bingo! And, I'd like to take this a step farther. Personally, I'll take the word of a person I trust over some arbitrary dyno numbers churned out by god knows who, got knows where. Dyno numbers are not, by definition, accurate, mainly because dynos (as I understand them) are calibrated to an "average" bike. Scooters are not your average bike. If you're thinking about performance parts your best bet is to arrange for a test ride on a bike equipped with those parts. Use your own personal butt dyno. While the butt dyno may exaggerate, the butt dyno does not lie.
As for the warranty, I'm mixed. The Buddy has a pretty good warranty and I'm hesitant to void it for a bit more power, so I'll wait. I think Ducati handles this issue unusually well. Their motorcycles come with fairly quiet stock exhaust systems, mainly to pass the DOT drive-by tests. You can purchase all sorts of aftermarket exhausts that pump up the performance, volume and looks but also void the warranty. However, you can also buy a Ducati approved system built by Termignoni that includes pipes and performance chip that does NOT void the warranty but still provides the look, sound and tunable performance increase.
Of course, the Termi system costs more than most of the competition...