Delkevic Exhaust V-Strom DL650 2009

[Fat Rat]

I contacted the good people at Delkevic because there were conflicting opinions on this site (and others) about the compatibility of their Exhausts with the Suzuki DL650. I offered my 2008 V-Strom 650 as a guinea pig, to see if there were any issues. My bike is the X model which has a Suzuki Bash Plate (Sump Guard) and Centre Stand.

I selected the KIT09FK Stubby 350mm Oval Carbon Fibre Silencer


1. First Impressions/Unboxing Impressions

The Exhaust arrived well packed, I didn't weigh it but I can tell you it is significantly lighter than the stock Exhaust.




2. Initial Setup/Installation

Everything you need is included. The instructions are sparse, but to be honest, if you have taken your old Exhaust off then putting this one on is obvious.



The Delkevic Exhaust is light but feels like it is well made, the Clamps and interlocking pieces are good quality.



Everything goes together quickly and easily







3. Real World Testing (how did it perform)

The Silencer hangs from a bracket (supplied), the idea is that you can hang the various length Silencers that Delkevic sell from this single bracket. I went for the 350mm Silencer, I may drill another hole in the bracket to allow me to mount the hanger further back.







Does it foul the Centre Stand of the Bash Plate?

Well.....

The Centre Stand isn't a problem at all. There is a mounting point for you to transfer your stock rubber stop.



The Bash Plate?

It fits! It does need a very slight adjustment to the rear mounting bracket for the Suzuki Bash Plate, by adjustment I mean 10 seconds effort adding a slight bend to it, I dropped it into my Vice, a quick tug (oo er) and that's it!

The Exhaust does run close to the modified bracket, but no closer than the stock Exhaust did.





The sound.

I have uploaded a video clip, however, they rarely give a true reflection. It sounds great, just as a V Twin should, a real throaty sound. Even with the Baffle out it isn't silly. In fact, I am going to run it for a while without the baffle to see if it is too noisy at speed.



4. Manufacturers details

The Manufacturer and Supplier are Delkevic - http://www.delkevic.co.uk - 01782 338701

They provide a few options for the V-Strom including different shapes, sizes and finishes for their Silencers

Download a Dyno Graph here

5. Testers Summary

Delkevic Exhausts are priced very competitively compared to other brands, the quality seems good, however, the Silencer I have installed is blowing from one of the rivets, I will feed this back to Delkevic.

Delkevic say that mid range torque should be improved as a result of fitting their system, I will update this post after spending some time on the road.

The system comes with a blanking bolt where the Lambda Sensor goes, I have ordered an Eliminator plug from eBay, it costs a tenner and plugs into your loom in place of the Lambda Sensor and removes any F1 error.

UPDATE: Delkevic have asked me to add this note; I would always recommend retaining the Lambda sensor on anything other than a competition bike, the closed loop fuelling is far better suited to any road bike. A must do!





I chose the 350mm Silencer which I think looks right for the bike, however, others may be tempted by the shorter offerings.

Star Rating

I give this three stars because of the Silencer issues noted below

  1 star = piece of crap
   2 star = maybe I should have done more research before buying this?
     3 star = decent bit of kit for the money
       4 star = better than expected with some nice extras/features 
         5 star = does it have a sister I can marry?! (aka I will buy this again!)

[Fat Rat]

Update 28/12/16

After riding the bike for a few hundred miles I can honestly say the difference in performance is very noticeable. I haven't written a follow up before now in case my brain was playing tricks. The bike feels like it is breathing so much better, I am red lining in every gear without trying and it sounds great in very gear.

Paul from Delkevic called me today (to arrange for a replacement Silencer to be sent), he says this is very common feedback and it's to do with the way the balance pipe is configured.

Paul will be setting up a discount for members over the next couple of weeks, I will send out an email once it is in place 

[Fat Rat]

An update:

The first Silencer Delkevic sent me was blowing slightly from one of the rivets on the rear band, Paul from Delkevic quickly sent a replacement and collected the faulty unit. Unfortunately the second Silencer is the same, Delkevic are taking this seriously and have asked their Workshop Manager to investigate and report back.

I will update again once Paul has responded.

[Fat Rat]

An update regarding the Silencer issues. Delkevic have sent me three Silencers, one of which being a completely different design to the first two. All of them showed similar issues shown in the clips below. The blowing is slight and may be resolved as the unit expands over time. I have also included the response from Delkevic.

Once you have digested that, I will be adding a discount code for members in the usual place.






Hi Andy,
 
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to comment further on this matter.
I had a meeting yesterday with the Asia director and technical director with specific reference to this.
 
The issue has been identified as being generally affecting the latest Carbon Silencers and is primarily down to a change in the Carbon Fibre material we are now using which is not always allowing a smooth jointing surface between the caps and the inner silencer face.
 
This new Carbon material only came into production late last year which explains why this issue has only recently come to light. Sure, we would receive the very occasional complaint but given that we sell over 500 silencers per week, to receive one or two complaints very occasionally was regarded as an acceptable level and the fact that you received 3 with this problem meant that I had to investigate further.
 
Looking at the sales data over the last few weeks still suggests that this is quite an isolated issue. However, we have a remedy which is no more technical than a revised sealant which is more voluminous in its capacity with the added benefit of being more flexible. So far, this simple solution appears to be all that is required and this will be applied to ALL future production from 20th Feb.
 
What happens to any silencers which display the blowing issue?
 
In the main (and depending upon the extent of the leak) it is likely that through the numerous heat cycles and general use that most affected silencers will seal themselves, thermal expansion and ingress of combustion waste etc  and this issue may only affect silencers purchased after October 2016.
However, if an issue is reported with a Delkevic silencer of ANY construction and the silencer had not been damaged in any way (slid down the road etc!) and proof of purchase is available, then Delkevic would repair or replace the silencer completely free of charge within 12 months of the purchase date.
 
We strive to achieve the best possible quality at the best possible price and backed up with excellent customers service and  in the main I believe that we exceed in those areas. It is very unfortunate that occasionally a technical issue manifests itself with the customer but we are on with it and as I suggested earlier, I doubt this will affect too many units.