BMW F700GS/F800GS Akrapovic Slip-On Exhaust Review

BMW and Akrapovic are two European manufacturers both known for producing a product of high quality and refinement. Buying an Akrapovic slip on exhaust pipe for my BMW F700GS seemed like a no-brainer to gain a touch more power, make a little more noise, and lighten up my motorcycle a bit. Unfortunately, the Euro-4 compliant Akrapovic exhaust didn’t live up to the hype of the previous generation.

I’m Adrian from YouMotorcycle. I run a YouTube channel and blog focused on making content that helps motorcyclists.  I bought an Akrapovic exhaust pipe for my BMW F700GS and decided to do a comparison between the stock exhaust pipe and the Akrapovic so we could see what the differences are. The BMW F700GS is part of the F series, which includes the F650GS, the F800GS, and other motorcycles that use an 800cc parallel twin engine. If you have one of these F-GS motorcycles, this comparison will apply to you.

The first thing Adrian did was remove the stock exhaust pipe from his motorcycle. To do that you’ll need to remove one Torx bolt (size T45) and two springs that you can remove with pliers or a spring puller tool. The exhaust pipe will come off easily. Adrian then started the motorcycle to see how it sounded with no exhaust pipe. The motorcycle was loud and obnoxious, which wasn’t a surprise. It was good for a laugh before he quickly turned it off.

Next, Adrian installed the Akrapovic exhaust pipe. It comes with all of it’s own hardware, and an instruction manual with plenty of pictures to make installation easy. He used a few screws, washers, and spacers to secure the new exhaust pipe in place. It’s important to note that the new Torx bolt that comes with the Akrapovic exhaust is a T40, not the T45 of the stock bolt.

Once he had tightened everything up, Adrian took the BMW F700GS on the road to see how it sounded. His first impression was that the Akrapovic exhaust pipe wasn’t actually that much louder than BMW’s stock exhaust pipe. The tone was a little different, deeper, and of better quality, but the increase in audible volume was not substantial.

Adrian had heard that some of the Akrapovic exhaust pipes had removable baffles, which can be removed to make the motorcycle louder. However, this particular model did not have a removable baffle. In fact, the baffle was riveted in place, which meant that he would have to remove the rivets to take the baffle out. That wasn’t very easy, so he didn’t bother. He did notice a low drone that started to pick up around 3,000 RPMs. However, if you’re mostly going to be riding around city speeds, the motorcycle was quieter than he expected.

As it turned out, Akrapovic previously made a slip on exhaust for the BMW F650GS, F700GS, and F800GS that was Euro3 compliant. However, Akrapovic now only makes the muffler to Euro4 specifications, meaning the slip on exhaust must be quieter, and must have a baffle which cannot be easily removed, in order to be compliant. This substantially limits the potential performance gain, weight savings, and noise output of any Euro4 compliant exhaust.

Adrian had hoped that the Akrapovic exhaust pipe would be louder than the stock exhaust pipe, but that wasn’t the case. He thought that the quality of the sound was better than the stock exhaust pipe, but it was not substantially louder for the price he had paid. He had been looking for an exhaust pipe with a removable baffle so that he could make it louder for commuting through downtown chaos, and quieter when he went for long-distance touring. However, this particular model did not meet that requirement.

Do you get a performance gain with the Akrapovic exhaust?

With the Akrapovic slip on exhaust for the BMW F700GS and F800GS, you’ll gain about 0.5 horsepower at 8,450 RPM. You’ll also gain about 1.1 Nm of torque. Neither horsepower nor torque performance gains are very substantial. You would likely have to also add a performance air filter and a tuner to experience any noticeable performance improvements.

Will the Akrapovic exhaust save weight on the BMW F700GS/F800GS?

Yes, the Akrapovic exhaust will save you some weight, but this is also restricted by the Euro4 compliance requirements. The Akrapovic slip on will save you about 1.5 lbs over the stock exhaust. It isn’t enough to be noticeable while riding.

Adrian wasn’t completely happy with the Akrapovic exhaust pipe, but he wasn’t completely unhappy with it either. He decided to “love it and list it.” In other words, he would list it for sale and try something else as long as he could break even on the price. He didn’t mind trying something else because he knew that the sound quality was only going to be so good. He had some guys who do custom work that he might bring the motorcycle exhaust to in hopes they could modify it. He encouraged his viewers to hit subscribe to stay updated.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for an exhaust pipe that is substantially louder than the stock exhaust pipe, the Akrapovic exhaust pipe may not be the best choice. However, if you’re looking for an exhaust pipe with better quality sound, the Akrapovic exhaust pipe might be worth the investment.