During the first day of testing for the Grand Prix of the Americas, Dani Pedrosa had a new exhaust on his second bike.
This one, relating only to the front cylinders of the Honda V4 engine, is notably shorter than the famous “stovepipe” and is cut at an angle, like on the Yamaha.
After the session, number #26 was not very voluble about this new thing, simply stating that he preferred the old one.
As a reminder, and basically, the shorter the pot, the more it favors power to the detriment of torque. The pots of different cylinders can have different lengths but must remain tuned to the harmonics of the engine.
However, shortening the pot is a bit surprising, at a time when Honda drivers are complaining of traction problems when accelerating...
Photo credit: MotoGP.com