So to sum up any real benefit/gain performance wize? I guess was it worth it $ wise?

no question about it. I had one of the very first ones for my bike from Akrapovic when they first brought them out,

These are excellent products that will serve you well,

I like them so much that I carry and provide them to my fellow Stromtroopers as a labor of love,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

__________________
SV Racing Parts
www.svracingparts.com
b.layton@svracingparts.com

The '12 Strom runs very well with the standard exhaust and the Akrapovic only makes it run marginally better.

But for me the combination of slightly better performance, less weight, better look and much much better sound makes it worth every $$$ - and then some!

__________________
Suzuki V-Strom DL650AL2 and Yamaha WR250R - www.bike-addict.dk - It's not what you ride but how you ride it

I agree..did not notice any real performance gain..however I recently started riding without the baffle in and love the sound so much I am on the throttle more and thereby am riding faster.. so there is a mental increase in power...with that..the weight savings and giving the bike a bit of character..YES it was definitely worth it ..

cheers for responses guys..... I am after a bit more noise as my Gixxer runs a single Yoshi and cat delete so it's quite loud. I rode the Strom the other day and thought the local postie was riding nearby.

Hey Guys,

This is my first post here.. but have been reading through the threads for the last couple of months. I bought a 2012 DL650A with the intent on going on some awesome adventures. Already got some planned for the year and am pretty excited!

With that said, about a week ago I bought the 2012 specific Akrapovic (after reading through all the headaches with the previous models stated as fitting the 2012 fiasco) and the fitment is great and I love the exhaust.

My only concern is, that it does not fit underneath the oem adventure racks that come with the bike. I've seen people ask the question, and people say "yea, it should fit" or "it has no fitment issues with the 2012", but has anyone on here actually gotten it to fit properly? I've even tried fitting it with the modifications that Blair has suggested with no luck. Even removing the bolts altogether yields any possibility of fitment, so I'm very confused.

I really like this exhaust, and it is everything I want... with the one minor detail. Any suggestions are welcome - I'd like to get this thing working with all my equipment, otherwise, it's not the right exhaust for me.

Here are some pics of my install.
I cut 3/4" off the pipe that connects to the muffler. Not the muffler flange! Has to be exactly 3/4"! Cut down the carbon fibre mounting strap for the muffler (so it does not stick up and hit the body work) and used the small hole in the bracket (after removing the threaded insert for the 4 mm bolt) to mount to the frame. Drilled out bigger of course to tightly fit the mounting to frame bolt. I shaped it using a burr bit in an air grinder. Don't forget to use the included 8mm spacer behind the bracket!. Smelly stuff. Next I elongated the hole for the forward mounting tab with a step bit. I did this last after everything else was tightened up. Stick the step bit into the hole and work it is a sideways motion until you reach the desired effect. I used shorter springs from old KLR doohickey kits as the akra ones are too long now since the big cut job. Slide the rubber spring covers off the akra ones and slide them on to the springs of your choice. I may look for beefier ones. Meh. Easy pesey. The racks clear the muffler end cap with 1/2".
Now to add another bung for the o2 sensor in the Dynojet PC5 and auto tune kit. Yes you need to use the old sensor and the new one that comes with the auto tune as per my conversation with Dyno Jet yesterday! Again if using the Auto Tune accessory with the Power Commander 5, you must retain the stock O2 sensor and also use the one that comes with the Auto Tune kit. So you will have two. Umkay?
p.s. wear gloves when cutting the carbon fiber as it will really get into your skin! I told you so.

Wow, thanks a bunch for the pictures and write up! I was thinking I had to do that, but was afraid to cut into brand spanking new exhaust.

This does sound like an easy enough fix, although, I'm a little disappointed that no where was it mentioned that it didn't fit, and was in fact told that it would fit with minor modifications.

Just wait until you notice the rivets buzzing when you blip the throttle! lol! Nice system but the rivets buzzing is kinda crappy. I'll probably squeeze in some high temp silicone into the rivet heads to quiet them down. Let me know if you need more pics or info. Now to get a proper couple of runs in to see how it will work power wise. And then more mods. Clear signal lenses are on the way and other small bits to keep me busy while it is snowing. Yippee.
Have fun!
GB

You know what, I've already taken the bike on a small trip and I did notice that. I was trying to figure out a way to quiet it down a bit.

Otherwise, love it! I can actually hear the bike accelerating now when at freeway speeds.

Thanks again for everything, I'll get started on this asap and report back!