AUSTIN RACING V3 150MM

TESTED BY: Carlos

MILES: 4,000+

TIME: 6 Months

RRP: £849.99

WEB: www.austinracing.com

I don’t entertain a lot of proverbs, but for me ‘loud pipes save lives’ makes a lot of sense – and they don’t come much louder than this utter monster from Austin Racing. See, when I picked up my ‘termer for the year, I wanted something loud and lairy that would echo that stunning scream of a 600cc, and having always fancied a stubby, the 150mm V3 can and link pipe from Austin Racing seemed like the perfect tool for the job. Firstly, it wasn’t too much of a pain in the ass to install; although it removes the main cat, the high flow cat remains in place so it’s literally a simple case of dropping the stock piece off, and slotting the Austin Racing one in. It came with all the necessary bits and instructions needed, and best of all, the finish was absolutely stunning, from the laser-etched logo to the stealthy colour, it really did neaten up the ZX-6R – especially by today’s standards of exhaust monstrosities. With the pipe on, the Ninja sounded absolutely gorgeous, crisp, and insanely loud; I did a noise test on it at Cadwell and it read 112db, which isn’t too shabby. Mind you, if you want something a little more tasteful, it does come equipped with a baffle. The thing that has really got me about this pipe though, is the way the sound has changed the ride; when filtering through traffic, rolling through town or even alerting the other half to stick the kettle on when you’re still a mile away, it really has made a difference. I actually felt a hell of a lot safer riding with this much noise. Who needs eardrums anyway?