MXA PRODUCT TEST: WHITE BROTHERS CRF450 ALUMINUM PRO EXHAUST

On Apr 19, 2006

WHAT IS IT?

An exhaust system for the CRF450ÿ that was developed with Team Honda’s help.

WHAT’S IT COST?

$595.95(714) 692-3404.

WHAT’S IT DO?

In the 2004 AMA 250 National Championships, virtually every factory four-stroke rider was using a White Brothers exhaust systemthat included Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Windham, Chad Reed, Tim Ferry, Craig Anderson, David Vuillemin and Heath Voss (Fonseca, Byrne, Tortelli and Hamblin were on two-strokes). In 2005, Windham, Reed, Ferry, Vuillemin and Voss were joined by Fonseca and Preston on the White Brothers bandwagon (Ricky Carmichael defected to the Pro Circuit camp).

No matter how you cut it, slice it or dice it, the White Brothers have dominated the top ranks of CRF450 and YZ450F pilots. They have achieved this by catering to the intense demands of Team Honda and Team Yamaha. When you build pipes for factory riders, you don’t just build one and call it quits. You build new specs constantly. A factory team can, and will, test as many as 30 different specifications in a season. If Kevin wants more bottom, he gets a new pipe to test. If Chad wants more over-rev, he gets a new pipe. The process is intense, but the outcome is exacting.

The White Brothers Carbon Pro is the pipe of choice for every factory rider, but the MXA wrecking crew decided to test the Aluminum Pro. Why? Three reasons. (1) It is identical to the Carbon Pro in performance and dimensions. (2) It is more durable in the hands of backyard mechanics than the carbon version. (3) It costs a lot less than its exotic brother$300 less.

WHAT STANDS OUT?

Here’s a list of things that stand out with the White Brothers CRF450 Aluminum Pro Exhaust.

(1) Performance. This baby works! It churns out more horsepower, across a broader range, with better throttle control and more torque than the stock CRF450 exhaust. It didn’t take the MXA test riders more than one lap to figure this out, but we followed through with our test protocol of switching back and forth between the stocker and Aluminum Pro multiple times. Each time we rotated back to the Aluminum Pro we grew to like its charms more and more. It was better everywhere. The extra torque was really noticeable at low rpmand allowed test riders to lug the CRF450 out of turns without downshifting. The midrange was beefy, meaty and juicyeven if you flubbed the drop of the gate, the Aluminum Pro would pull you back to the front of the pack before the first turn. On the top-end, the White Brothers pipe wasn’t as free revving or as flexible as the stock CRF450 pipe, but it had the magic combination of slowing down the revs, expanding the midrange and making the top one seamless extension of the whole. Very sweet.

(2) Muffler design. The Aluminum Pro’s canister is unique. There are no welds. Using a process similar to forging, the can is pressure slammed into its shape and then CNC-machined. The can is brush finished and clear anodized. The advantage of a one-piece muffler can is that it has no seams or welds to crack. Plus, there are only bolts where the can is attached to the mid-pipe.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK?

It’s not the lightest exhaust system, but that is why the White Brothers make the Carbon Pro.