leo vince corsa exhaust
When it comes to exhaust systems on motorcycles, there are many different brands, preferences, and sound tones. What type of exhaust you choose generally relies on one or more of these factors. In this article, I will explain why Leo Vince was chosen as the exhaust brand for the Aprilia RSV4 1100 race bike.
Thanks to European based emission standards (sarcasm), motorcycle manufacturers are having to battle between power, performance, price point, and meeting emission standards in order to sell these high performance motorcycles for road use. One area manufactures are not shy to make sacrifices is weight. For example, the Aprilia RSV4 1100 standard exhaust system is well over 9lbs for just the muffler, pipe, and catalytic converter alone. Additionally, this bike comes with an exhaust servo that opens/closes based on engine RPM. The thought is to have the valve closed during low RPM and idling to reduce noise and emissions. Although not a bad idea, and some of that exhaust servo technology is even used on MotoGP bikes at times, it also adds more moving points, failure opportunities, and most importantly for a race bike, weight.
The OEM exhaust (original equipment manufacturer) on the Aprilia RSV4 actually sounds pretty decent once you’re in the higher RPM range. You can disable and remove the exhaust servo system, and you can wire lock the exhaust valve flap open as well to eliminate that stuff (pro tip for track use). However, that still doesn’t fix the problem of having over 9lbs of extra weight on the bike, especially on the outside. That is where an aftermarket exhaust comes into play.
Aftermarket exhaust systems have multiple benefits, but in my opinion, the greatest performance benefit is weight reduction and engine performance second to that. Specifically, the Leo Vince Corsa Carbon exhaust for the Aprilia RSV4 1100 is approximately a 9.5lbs weight reduction over the OEM exhaust. Losing nearly 10lbs on a motorcycle is a huge benefit. The Leo Vince Corsa exhaust system bolts directly onto the OEM Aprilia headers. Since the OEM exhaust has the catalytic converter incorporated into the exhaust pipe, vs the header manifolds, you reduce that additional weight and performance gain (highly recommend a custom or credible download tune map).
Coming from the car world, it’s not uncommon to pay $1500-$2000 for a full exhaust system. After all, it’s a lot of bends and material. For motorcycles, the exhaust system is much smaller, much less bends, and still comes with a hefty price tag with some brands reaching nearly $1200 for just the muffler and small section of pipe. Granted, the material used on a motorcycle exhaust pipe for aftermarket tends to be titanium which is more expensive than stainless like most car performance exhaust systems. It still doesn’t change the fact that spending $1000+ for a muffler and 3ft of titanium pipe doesn’t make you cringe a little bit. Especially when even a moderate crash could completely destroy that exhaust system.
This begs the question, what exhaust checks all of the boxes? I believe for the Aprilia RSV4 1100, it’s the Leo Vince Corsa Carbon exhaust. You get the performance gain, weight reduction, carbon fiber muffler, amazing sound, and a whopping price of under $400 shipped. Honestly, it’s almost too good to be true and likely sounds that way. However, after multiple race weekends and trackdays, I have not lost a spring, no leaks, no breakdown of the carbon fiber, and zero issues with the exhaust. What’s the catch? Well, it’s not the quietest exhaust system out there for sure. However, it’s not loud in a bad way. It sounds amazing! Where you may run into issues is if you are at a race track with very strict noise levels or as a street bike you are required to do sound testing (local laws may vary). Leo Vince does not list any decibel ratings on their website. In a basic sense, if you’re on the race track, wear earplugs. On the street wearing a helmet and not high in the engine RPM, likely you will have an enjoyable ride.
In summary, the Leo Vince exhaust checks all of the boxes for a lightweight, quality construction, and does not hurt the bank account if it was damaged in a race or trackday. If you’re looking for an exhaust that unleashes the sound of your engine, give the Leo Vince Corsa exhaust a look. This article was written independently, meaning Leo Vince did not sponsor or provide any exchange of goods or services for this article.
See their website for further details: Leo Vince Exhaust