Take One of These and Call Me in the Morning!

Dubach Racing Development is affectionately referred to as Dr. D. They are widely recognized as one of the premiere manufacturers of 4-stroke dirt bike exhaust systems. This shouldn't come as a surprise as the owner, designer, and test rider is none other than Doug Dubach himself. Doug's role in establishing 4-stroke dirt bikes is well known and so it was only fitting that his company be the first to have a complete exhaust system available for the new Honda CRF150R.

One of the first things you'll notice with a bone-stock CRF150R is the lack of low-end power. I was excited to mount this new DRD complete S/A system to see if this would offer up any ponies down low.

When you open the box you'll noticed a well packaged complete exhaust system. The system includes the header, silencer, and a U.S.F.S. Spark Arrestor.

The silencer has a removable end cap for quick and easy installation and removal of the included spark arrestor or the optional quiet core.

The stainless steel header has a great shape to it and doesn't interfere with the radiator hose or controls. It's well away from the motor which will prevent unnecessary heat transfer. It slips on to the mid-pipe and does not require a clamp as does the stock system.

Fit and finish are superb. The install was fast and simple and everything aligned perfectly. See installation notes below for details.

Results

All of the above means nothing if the exhaust doesn't perform well. If the low-end power of the stock CRF150R wasn't improved this reviewer would have been very disappointed. Fortunately, I was quite pleased. Starting the bike the first time after install was typical...very easy. The bike now has a much throatier race tone. With the spark arrestor installed the tone is subdued somewhat but still improved over the stock tone.

Out in the dirt, the increased low-end torque was very noticeable It pulled much stronger into the mid-range and beyond. This is exactly what we were hoping this exhaust system would accomplish. With the stock exhaust system low-end power was sluggish and rev'd slower to mid-range. With the Dubach exhaust system it has more power and revs much quicker. For a motor of this displacement there actually a lot of low-end torque thanks to this exhaust system from Dubach Racing Development. We expect even better results when we open up the intake and rejet according.

Installation

1. Remove the side panel to expose the silencer:

2. Loosen the header-silencer clamp, remove both silencer bolts and remove silencer:

3. Loosen up the two header bolts and remove header:

4. Install the DRD header and silencer. Keep the header loose until after the silencer is mounted. Note: The stock header/silencer clamp is not necessary it install with the DRD system:

5. Reinstall the side panel. All that's left to do is get to a riding area and be prepared to smile big.

Spark Arrestor

Accessing the spark arrestor is very simple.

1. Remove the three screws bolts on the end cap cover before removing:

2. Remove the two hex screws that secure the nozzle to remove or replace the spark arrestor:

CRF's Only Staff Review October 2006
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