FAKES ‘CAN’ KILL?

One area where all the exhaust firms agree is over counterfeit products. It’s pretty easy nowadays for dodgy folks to buy a pukka exhaust, make a cheap copy of it, including the badges, and sell it on eBay or elsewhere on the web. The materials won’t be the same, production methods will be as cheap as possible, and you’ll have no comeback if it fails. Austin Racing, Akrapovic and SC-Project all warn against fakes, saying you could damage your engine – or even yourself – with these cheapo rip-off systems.

Stefano Lavazza of SC-Project is very concerned over this. “The matter of fake exhaust systems is huge. It is a phenomenon of big importance which creates big damages to us. Fake exhaust systems are produced and assembled with very bad material, often in China, Indonesia and Malaysia by small artisans who have no tools or skills.

“A big problem related to fake products is the terrible quality of material and the non-existent reliability. Some fake exhaust systems use substandard brackets which connect the system to the motorbike. They’re not often suitable, meaning they’re prone to falling off, which could amount in a catastrophic accident. For this reason alone, it’s simply not worth buying fake products.”