Yoshimura R&D of America has long been a powerhouse in the aftermarket world and for good reason. The US subsidiary of Yoshimura Japan has carved an indelible name for itself building performance parts for sportbikes since 1971, and its long and successful superbike racing history both here in the US and internationally needs no introduction. In fact, it’s virtually impossible to think of professional roadracing here in the US and not have the Yoshimura brand pop into your mind sooner or later.
Yoshimura’s long-standing relationship with Suzuki is just as impossible to ignore. The two brands have forged a fruitful partnership that has paid off handsomely in recognition, race wins/championships, and obviously sales as well. Enough so that the vast majority of GSX-R owners modifying their bikes have turned to the Yoshimura R&D of America catalog when they start looking for aftermarket parts.
Yoshimura has always been one of the innovators in the aftermarket industry, so when we saw the company’s GSX-R1000 Limited model on display at the recent Circuit of The Americas MotoGP race, it definitely piqued our interest: a lusciously deep custom paint job with numerous CNC-machined/gold-anodized crash protection pieces and accessories, one of the company’s Signature Series exhausts, and only 45 being built this year makes the GSX-R1000 a desirable bike for GSX-R fans. But the Yoshimura Limited represents so much more than its parts and paint job that we’re sure most don’t see the significance.
We know what some of you are thinking: “Big deal. There’s no real performance parts on it like a racing exhaust or pistons/cams or trick suspension. So what?”
It’s important to understand the premise behind the Limited. “The Yoshimura GSX-R1000 Limited is not meant to be a rolling display of our ultimate racing technology that would be out of reach to all but the most affluent enthusiasts and not be legal to ride on the street,” notes Dave Waugh, Yoshimura R&D of America’s director of sales. “And it’s not a moneymaker for the company by any stretch of the imagination. What it is meant to be is a very exclusive motorcycle that is actually within reach of our core consumer that can be purchased at a dealership and be fully legal to ride.”
That last statement is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. The Yoshimura GSX-R1000 Limited will be sold only through selected Suzuki dealers. And part of that aspect of being sold through a legitimate OEM franchise is the Limited qualifies for the same factory financing packages available to all other standard Suzuki motorcycles. The Yosh Limited also qualifies for the same full factory warranty as anything else in Suzuki’s catalog. That means a Yoshimura GSX-R Limited owner is covered for any and all defects in parts and workmanship for a full year—and that includes all the Yoshimura parts on the bike.
But it’s the “legal” term that makes all the difference here. In order for a motorcycle to be fully street legal in all aspects, it needs to pass all federal EPA (and in California, CARB—the California Air Resources Board state emissions entity—as well) standards. Normally when you install even a slip-on exhaust, you are technically in violation of federal law because you have “tampered” with the stock exhaust that was originally approved for use on that motorcycle, and that includes the muffler section.
The Yoshimura Signature Series exhaust that is on the Limited, however, fully meets or exceeds all EPA/CARB standards. This means it underwent a comprehensive test regimen by an EPA/CARB-licensed testing facility and completely passed all the requirements for noise, etc. It has the same stamped badge on it that states the exhaust system meets all federal standards as you’ll find on any stock exhaust system—only the Yoshimura system obviously looks and sounds a whole lot better than stock.
Getting an exhaust to pass these tests isn’t as simple as you’d think. This isn’t just a matter of corking up one of the company’s standard exhausts and calling it good. Don’t forget that the Limited is covered under full factory warranty, so that means the build quality has to be good enough to endure a year’s worth of weather and abuse without some part failing that requires fixing or even a complete replacement. “Most people probably don’t realize the significant amount of R&D resources that went into designing and building the Signature Series pipes,” says Erick “Big E” Bartoldus, communications manager for Yoshimura. “And it’s not just the federal test standards; we spent a lot of time on getting the exhaust tone the way we wanted.” Don’t think the Signature Series exhaust is some heavy-duty tank of a pipe in build, though; there are still considerable weight savings over the stock muffler in virtually every application Yoshimura offers.
One need only take a peek inside the company’s manufacturing facility in Chino, California, to understand the quality parts and construction that goes into those exhausts. There is very little outsourcing of parts for a Yoshimura exhaust; everything from the carbon fiber (the facility has a large autoclave for properly fabricating composite parts) to the machined end caps and other components (three CNC automated machining mills run on a constant basis) to the precision pipe bending and welding are all manufactured and finished in-house. “I think there’s probably a few bolts and nuts here and there that we have to obtain from an outside supplier,” Bartoldus admits.
Of course, the GSX-R1000 Limited owner will not only have an exclusive machine but also merchandising support from Yoshimura. This includes accessories such as a microfiber motorcycle cover and an owner appreciation package that features a carbon-fiber penholder with their name on it and a matching Limited Edition Badge attached. Waugh says the company also has many future benefits planned for Limited owners as well. Establishing a long-term relationship with the customer is one of the main principles behind the Limited.
And it’s not just the bike owners Yoshimura is looking out for with this bike. In cities that have more than one dealership offering the Limited for sale, Yoshimura is making sure there won’t be a rival dealership right up the road vying for the same customer. “To the extent that those brick-and-mortar franchised dealers with the franchise signs out front are healthy, then we as a company have a chance to be healthy,” Waugh says. “We’re trying to direct the consumer to a dealership who has agreed to carry the bike, and protect the dealer, and cultivate the relationship once they get started.” And the basic concept behind the Limited’s showroom-legal customization process will form the foundation for a Yoshimura dealer support franchise program that will soon expand to other models (and possibly in the not-too-distant future, perhaps even other motorcycle brands).
The “published” suggested retail price for the GSX-R1000 Limited will technically be $18,995, but Waugh says, “We prefer to leave the determination of the final price up to the dealer. They’re the ones who are looking to attract the type of consumer who sees the exclusivity and value in the Limited.”
So why do we feel a bike like the Yoshimura GSX-R1000 Limited represents a landmark moment in sportbikes? Sure, there’s the obvious fact that it’s an exclusive and cool machine, but Yoshimura still garners the majority of its sales with the company’s full-on racing exhaust systems and racing parts and will surely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The company is still spending vast amounts of resources on professional racing to help develop performance products that will trickle down to the consumer and enable their bike to go faster. Yoshimura’s brand will always mean increased performance, and yet designing emissions-compliant exhausts sounds like a lot of work for very little payoff.
The reason is because sooner or later, the motorcycle aftermarket is going to have to show governmental agencies that they’re serious about being compliant in certain areas. Regulatory encroachment is already happening in certain European countries, and the aftermarket exhaust industry can’t just put its collective heads in the sand and hope that the governmental magnifying glass will always overlook us when we play. There’s already been some governmental scrutiny in the US (see sidebar), so it’s only a matter of time before the watchdogs take a close look again.
There needs to be a concerted effort to work with the regulatory agencies on various emissions matters, otherwise the impression of a maverick motorcycle aftermarket industry with a wanton disregard for vario
us environmental laws will only become fodder for some politician’s soapbox campaign. Our sport is too vulnerable at this point in time (especially in comparison to the much larger and more politically powerful automobile aftermarket industry) to garner any harsh looks from governmental regulatory agencies. It’s a specter we can ill afford to ignore. “For us as a brand, they’re an increasing part of our reality today,”
Waugh states about governmental regulations. “It’s a part of present, and if we want to have a long-term future, it’s a part of our future.” Yoshimura R&D of America is showing that it’s taking a leading role in ensuring that the sportbike aftermarket remains vibrant and healthy for that foreseeable future—at both the retail and manufacturer levels. The Yoshimura GSX-R1000 Limited is a very exclusive and cool machine that 45 lucky owners in the US will get to own, but it’s the concept underneath that speaks volumes about the bike’s value.
Government Aftermarket Exhaust Scrutiny
It’s easy to think that nobody is going to care about the racing exhaust you just installed on your sportbike because we’ve done it for so long that it becomes second nature. But contrary to common perception, just because we as an industry are “small fish in a big pond” doesn’t mean our sport won’t undergo governmental scrutiny from time to time. And the warning signs are already appearing that if we as a community—as well as a good part of the motorcycle aftermarket industry—don’t think ahead to the future, there could be some major bumps in the road ahead.
Back in 2010 just before he left office, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law called SB435, which basically made it illegal to replace the stock exhaust with anything that doesn’t have the federal EPA stamp on any motorcycle sold from 2013 onward. This California Senate bill was put together by a state representative who lived in an area frequented on the weekends by hordes of motorcyclists, and it’s been said that she grew tired of hearing loud exhausts. While for the most part this bill has been a largely symbolic gesture that has lacked teeth logistically, nevertheless it was signed into law and was a sign of things to come.
Then in late 2011, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in conjunction with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suddenly began taking interest in the amount of aftermarket exhausts actually installed on motorcycles in the state. Although this wasn’t the first time CARB started checking into this (one aftermarket manufacturer in addition to some Harley dealerships were fined heavily in 2007 for marketing/installing fuel controllers and aftermarket exhaust pipes on bikes right on the showroom floor), the fact that some aftermarket exhaust manufacturers—as well as dealerships—came under scrutiny caused a panic that resulted in many exhaust companies refusing to ship their product to California and/or fleeing the state entirely. Dealerships refused to touch any aftermarket exhaust, and sales of those parts plummeted (California is obviously one of the largest bike markets in the country), only adding to the economic quagmire that was enveloping the motorcycle industry.
It’s easy to assume that Yoshimura R&D of America’s development of its emissions-compliant exhaust line was a result of this, but that’s not the case. “We were developing our emissions-compliant exhausts long before all that happened,” Waugh states.
Now several states have enacted “motorcycle-only checkpoints” that have targeted motorcyclists at various events and rallies. While this is justified as being a “safety check” for proper motorcycle licensing, we’ve been told by numerous witnesses that the motorcycles are also checked for legality as well. There is work under way politically to try and get these checkpoints removed on obvious legal grounds, but the fact remains that we as a sport are coming under increased scrutiny. While it’s easy to complain about the unfairness of it all, it’s better to take proactive measures on this issue. And that’s just what Yoshimura is already doing.
