Honda RC213V Exhaust Design



To follow up on our look at the Yamaha YZR M1 exhaust, here is a look at how Honda routes exhaust on its RC213V.

As the RC213V uses a V4 rather than an Inline 4 like the Yamaha, the exhaust design is fundamentally different. With two exhaust ports on opposing sides of the engine, the RC213V does a pair of 2 into 1 pipes rather than the Yamaha’s 4 into 2 into 1. With the Yamaha’s exhaust we saw some noticeable changes over the past year, both in terms of the shape and design of the end piece and the length of the final section of the pipe.

The RC213V’s exhaust has remained fundamentally the same for the past several years at least, but there have been more subtle changes within the basic design.

Photos of a naked RC213V are exceedingly rare, as no manufacturer in pit lane is more diligent about making sure their machine never appears in public without side fairings on. Even shots such as the one below of Scott Redding’s 2014 RC1000V are rare, but I managed to find the bike uncovered at Phillip Island last year. I believe that the basic design of the exhaust is very similar on both bikes, so we’ll look at this image to speculate about what is going on with the RC213V.



There is a lot to look at in this photo! Notice first how the forward cylinder head, though not visible behind the frame and beneath the air box, must be very close to the upper radiator, leaving little room for the two forward pipes to attach to the exhaust ports. But attach they do, descending and becoming visible behind (from our view, in front of) the lower radiator.



The forward pipes then wind around the oil sump before joining into a single pipe and rising past the swing arm. Notice that the two pipes are not perfectly parallel, since the right side pipe has a longer route to the left side of the oil sump. The pipes are designed to end up the same exact length, which is necessary to keep the back pressure even on each of the two front cylinders.

The rear two exhaust ports are much closer to the rear of the motorcycle, which again presents the problem of how to keep back pressure even between the front and rear pairs of cylinders.



As the two rear pipes rise together, they join at the top of their climb into a single pipe, then wind around in order to make the 2 into 1 unit the same length in the rear as the unit coming from the front. The main image above shows another perspective of this, as does the next.

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