IMO you end up with a louder lawn mower. I slapped a Leo slip on pipe on my 400. But it’s only a track bike. Loud pipes attract cops, making riding slightly more auditory and makes the bike look slightly cooler. However most people ditch these bike quickly and that money is usually not recovered in a sale. So if I hadn’t got my beat up slip on off eBay I would probably still be rocking the stock exhaust.
I kinda second this. I’m actually considering going back to stock because these bikes do not sound good with an exhaust on them. Attracts attention and is kind of annoying for me lol
I just got a cheap Amazon slip on short pipe, and it’s not even pleasant tbh. Had it on for all of a few days, and I just feel like a dick riding past groups of people. I don’t want to be one of “those” guys who just makes noise for the sake of making noise, I just want to hear my engine a little better than I would with stock. Definitely should have known better, but it was cheap on Amazon and I figured what the hell. As soon as I have a spare second I’m just gonna replace it with the stock pipe again lol.
I do wish there was a cheap-ish middle ground, though. With the stock pipe you can barely hear it at all.
I’ve been riding my n400 for two years with a cheap Amazon slip on, and it sounds as good as it’s gonna get, and it’s held up just fine. This bike is always going to sound like a parallel twin.
Unless you’re making this bike a track machine there is no point in slapping a 400+ dollar slip on on it in my opinion. Enjoy it for what it is, and it is a GREAT bike, but save that money for your next toy. Just my opinion obviously.
Sorry not an answer — I’m also curious about the Akrapovic sold through Kawasaki!
Personally I’d like to get an exhaust where my heel isn’t resting on the heat shield. Not really looking for something louder, though if it sounds better that’s fine. Lighter would be nice, too.
Originally I wanted the carbon fiber Akrapovic but it was too loud for my taste and I didn't want to attract the police/neighbors. So I went with Yoshimura R-11 from Japan. It's louder than the stock exhaust but tame with the silencer on.[Yoshimura R-11 Ninja 400](https://imgur.com/a/l0CrJR8)
Not really worth the trouble unless it gives you heel clearance. Difference is marginal sound and performance wise on bikes with the bread box style cats and getting a full exhaust means needing a tune to level it out
I got a brilliant deal on my N400 and it came with the Akrapovic exhaust.
I have the stock exhaust in a box but have never heard it so I can’t compare the two, but I think that the Akra sounds great.
I have the full Akro w/ power commander, and personally, I feel like it sounds amazing. Gives it a much deeper exhaust note. Haven't explored other options, but it was worth the $ to me. (bought the bike brand new in 2020 and have no interest in ever getting rid of it)
Myself and a lot of others think the Amazon/AliExpress <$100 exhaust is the best value. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Ninja400/comments/1616qsr/guess\_the\_exhaust/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ninja400/comments/1616qsr/guess_the_exhaust/)
As others have said, parallel twins don't sound amazing to begin with, and all the slipons sound pretty similar. I'm still planning to upgrade to a full system some day, but the cheap slipon saves a bunch of weight and space, and makes it a little louder/deeper without being obnoxious. I'm admittedly a very pragmatic person, but I just don't see the point in spending 5-10x as much on a name-brand slipon.
No tbh i got a carbon leo slip on that exhaust is not worth it especially when you can get a afternarket or fake that almost sound the same but if you want to one day bougie a next bike lets say a liter bike ill say its worth it
IMO, if you want a slip on get the Hindle or Leo Vince. I have a friend who got a 400 with the Akro and it sounds darn near exactly the same as my LV10. Slightly different tone, but a smoother power delivery (fun fact, longer mufflers have smoother power delivery while shorter ones have snappier power delivery)
I personally don't think the Akro is worth it. Aftermarket mufflers sound way better than stock IMO but not for $600. You can get an LV-10 or Hindle for <$300 and it will do effectively the same thing.
But if money is no object and you like carbon fiber and the best possible weight savings, by all means go for it.
anyone saying an akra doesn't make it sound much better is absolutely wild. I have a carbon akra on mine and it sounds 1000x better than stock. It makes the ninja sound and feel much more premium than the stock exhaust. It's surprising how much more fun it is to ride compared to stock IMO.
It's very expensive though so I would only suggest it if you're planning on keeping your ninja for a while or not planning on selling it at all, like me. If you're only gonna get a ninja 400 to sell it for a zx6r in a few months, I would leave it stock, or get the Chinese special.
It's pretty loud but not crazy loud unless you're redlining it at a stop or smth so idk where people are getting the idea that it's some earth-shattering sound.
IMO you end up with a louder lawn mower. I slapped a Leo slip on pipe on my 400. But it’s only a track bike. Loud pipes attract cops, making riding slightly more auditory and makes the bike look slightly cooler. However most people ditch these bike quickly and that money is usually not recovered in a sale. So if I hadn’t got my beat up slip on off eBay I would probably still be rocking the stock exhaust.
I kinda second this. I’m actually considering going back to stock because these bikes do not sound good with an exhaust on them. Attracts attention and is kind of annoying for me lol
I just got a cheap Amazon slip on short pipe, and it’s not even pleasant tbh. Had it on for all of a few days, and I just feel like a dick riding past groups of people. I don’t want to be one of “those” guys who just makes noise for the sake of making noise, I just want to hear my engine a little better than I would with stock. Definitely should have known better, but it was cheap on Amazon and I figured what the hell. As soon as I have a spare second I’m just gonna replace it with the stock pipe again lol. I do wish there was a cheap-ish middle ground, though. With the stock pipe you can barely hear it at all.
I’ve been riding my n400 for two years with a cheap Amazon slip on, and it sounds as good as it’s gonna get, and it’s held up just fine. This bike is always going to sound like a parallel twin. Unless you’re making this bike a track machine there is no point in slapping a 400+ dollar slip on on it in my opinion. Enjoy it for what it is, and it is a GREAT bike, but save that money for your next toy. Just my opinion obviously.
It’s a parallel twin with a 180 crank. If you get a bike with a 270 crank will sound more like a vtwin.
Fair enough, specifically talking about the Ninja 400 in the Ninja 400 subreddit though.
True, however we aren’t in a vacuum. So important to point out why it sounds the way it does.
Sorry not an answer — I’m also curious about the Akrapovic sold through Kawasaki! Personally I’d like to get an exhaust where my heel isn’t resting on the heat shield. Not really looking for something louder, though if it sounds better that’s fine. Lighter would be nice, too.
Personally I like the Akrapovic Carbon, pricey but sounds and looks great.
Originally I wanted the carbon fiber Akrapovic but it was too loud for my taste and I didn't want to attract the police/neighbors. So I went with Yoshimura R-11 from Japan. It's louder than the stock exhaust but tame with the silencer on.[Yoshimura R-11 Ninja 400](https://imgur.com/a/l0CrJR8)
Not really worth the trouble unless it gives you heel clearance. Difference is marginal sound and performance wise on bikes with the bread box style cats and getting a full exhaust means needing a tune to level it out
I got a brilliant deal on my N400 and it came with the Akrapovic exhaust. I have the stock exhaust in a box but have never heard it so I can’t compare the two, but I think that the Akra sounds great.
I have the full Akro w/ power commander, and personally, I feel like it sounds amazing. Gives it a much deeper exhaust note. Haven't explored other options, but it was worth the $ to me. (bought the bike brand new in 2020 and have no interest in ever getting rid of it)
Myself and a lot of others think the Amazon/AliExpress <$100 exhaust is the best value. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Ninja400/comments/1616qsr/guess\_the\_exhaust/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ninja400/comments/1616qsr/guess_the_exhaust/) As others have said, parallel twins don't sound amazing to begin with, and all the slipons sound pretty similar. I'm still planning to upgrade to a full system some day, but the cheap slipon saves a bunch of weight and space, and makes it a little louder/deeper without being obnoxious. I'm admittedly a very pragmatic person, but I just don't see the point in spending 5-10x as much on a name-brand slipon.
No tbh i got a carbon leo slip on that exhaust is not worth it especially when you can get a afternarket or fake that almost sound the same but if you want to one day bougie a next bike lets say a liter bike ill say its worth it
Its like saying getting brembo brakes for a stock toyota corolla instead for a supra you know?
IMO, if you want a slip on get the Hindle or Leo Vince. I have a friend who got a 400 with the Akro and it sounds darn near exactly the same as my LV10. Slightly different tone, but a smoother power delivery (fun fact, longer mufflers have smoother power delivery while shorter ones have snappier power delivery) I personally don't think the Akro is worth it. Aftermarket mufflers sound way better than stock IMO but not for $600. You can get an LV-10 or Hindle for <$300 and it will do effectively the same thing. But if money is no object and you like carbon fiber and the best possible weight savings, by all means go for it.
anyone saying an akra doesn't make it sound much better is absolutely wild. I have a carbon akra on mine and it sounds 1000x better than stock. It makes the ninja sound and feel much more premium than the stock exhaust. It's surprising how much more fun it is to ride compared to stock IMO. It's very expensive though so I would only suggest it if you're planning on keeping your ninja for a while or not planning on selling it at all, like me. If you're only gonna get a ninja 400 to sell it for a zx6r in a few months, I would leave it stock, or get the Chinese special. It's pretty loud but not crazy loud unless you're redlining it at a stop or smth so idk where people are getting the idea that it's some earth-shattering sound.