Since fitting that exhaust to my old trusty workhorse I have received many comments and much praise which, actually should have gone to the people who made the system, choosing the can for the new bike was a no-brainer.
As I near my destination I listen out for the direction from my TomTom and miss the building, set back on the right you might shoot straight past, a quick u-turn and off again and I shoot past again – whoops what a spaz! Upon arrival you get to see the area designated for cars with a car park full of sporty looking MX 5's, Ford F150, various VW models and of course Audi's, with their name made in a performance car background the obvious choice was always going to move toward motorcycles which are Ian and Martin's passion.
On the far end of the building you find the motorcycle section, much smaller and filled with a plethora of parts for different models, perforated tubing, casings in the different finishes and Martin feverishly filling bags of link pipes to go out for polishing. At this point I am earlier than expected so trying, and failing to keep out from under busy people's feet I watch and chat about what each person is doing while watching intently on Ian who is busily packing wadding around a soon to be completed end can.
I am told that the quality of the wadding they choose to use is important to them which is around 20% more than the industry average and along with descriptions of the grade of metals used I get to form the opinion that quality over cost is a very important aspect of what they do at Pipe-Werx, as an example their carbon fibre casing is the best quality available and comes foil lined, something not adopted by a lot of their rivals. Choosing better materials does increase the cost for them to buy in but is worth the additional expense in the level of finish in the end product and while you would normally expect to see an increase in cost for using these materials it is not the case here and Pipe-Werx remain one of the best priced offerings on the market today.
The process of welding perforated pipe, fixing caps and spouts, filling wadding and riveting into the casing continues throughout the day and each can completed makes me just want to roll up my sleeves and have a go.
I look through various trays of components and spot one with the outlets partially finished, with immaculately welded ends you can see they are a cut above the usual cut and smoothed finish, something that Pipe-Werx offer on their lower priced brand – Hawk. What I find intriguing is that despite a lowered cost the overall build on the Hawk is very much the same, apart from a few minor finishing details such as the tig welded spout and laser cut pipe-werx logo they are essentially the same exhaust, no lower grade metals are chosen to reduce the cost and thus, the quality of the end product is just as high.
As the day progresses a number of different people drop by for jobs such as straightening bent pipes, enquiries on removal of built in catalytic converters and the phone buzzing with customers placing orders, this is a busy little facility indeed and having seen first hand the service given it is easy to understand why.
We get to looking at my bike, an 05 plate ZX10R, as I wanted to keep the sweep of the link pipe already on the system they begin taking the whole thing off to replicate this using their materials to all match, at this point it would be the easiest option to just let me have a new silencer that fits the existing end pipe but this is not what Pipe-Werx are about. For local customers they like to see the bikes come in in order to continually check fitment and keep a rolling development of sorts, for me they want the link pipe to match their exhaust so start by using the pipe bending machine to create a custom link pipe which is to be done in two sections initially in order to confirm the position prior to tacking in place and back to the pipe bender for the finished product. This new pipe is then set aside, ready for polishing and coupling with my new carbon can.
I am told that the link pipe is actually where most of the time lies and as a result they like to keep a good stock of different models ready for orders, on occasion they have a run on one particular bike when forum members post up pictures and links for example but typically they try and despatch the next day. Most end cans are able to be manufactured in around 30 minutes which is something I got to see an awful lot of during my visit, carbon, titanium and steel products in differing lengths and styles are expertly crafted and packed ready for their courier to collect.
We get to talking about future plans for the company, the product range to be expanded later in the year and I get to see one of their new slash cut outlets. That is to say, zero silencer to remove the exhaust and link pipe completely which is incredibly tasty and ever-so naughty too! I think I may have to see if I can get one for 'occasional' use.
Over the winter months is a plan for a revamp of their online presence to include a new website which will allow them to grow the reputation of the brand even further by selling directly, something I whole heartedly support as they currently use eBay to process sales as well as over the phone and this doesn't really reflect the quality of the company of the products they produce. As with most things though, putting out the volume of product they do in the warmer months does not allow any free time to concentrate on things such as the website so this has to wait until quieter times and with it their chance to fettle with, and come up with new exhaust designs – I can't wait.
Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to build my own can while I was there, to be honest it would probably have been crooked, bashed, banged and generally not up to their high standard so I am awaiting it by post, at least this way I get a completely custom link pipe, a customised can configuration and I know it will be 100% Pipe-Werx. I ride back to Sheffield having had another cracking day with a genuine British manufacturer with a good, solid approach to producing their chosen product – something I would love to see more of happening in these shores.
Be sure to pay them a visit on their website if you are looking for a really nice, well made and well priced exhaust : http://pipewerx.com
Pipe Werx Bike Exhausts | Phone: +44 (0)1704 895252 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
