Akrapovic
Encyclopedia
Akrapovič is a Slovenia
n manufacturer of exhaust system
s primarily for motorcycle
s, but more recently also for automobile
s. The company was founded in 1990 by Slovenian racer Igor Akrapovič. Akrapovič exhausts are used on motorcycles in Moto GP, Superbike,
Supersport
, Supermoto
, Motocross
, Enduro
and Rally Raid
. As of May 2010, Akrapovič systems have been used in a total of 38 world championships all across motorsport.
and titanium
.
In 1993, Kawasaki
in Germany tested the exhaust systems and in 1994, Akrapovič exhausts were first used in international competition, in the ESBK and WSBK. The company soon attracted numerous teams in the Pro Superbike championship, not only Kawasaki, but Yamaha
, Suzuki
, Ducati and Honda
etc.
In 1997, the company changed its name from Skorpion in Scorpion to Akrapovič and that year Akira Yanagawa
became the first racer to win a race using an Akrapovič exhaust on a Kawasaki bike. After a strong growth in sales, particularly from Germany, with a growth as high as 70% per annum, production capacity was expanded in 1999, moving location from a 450 sqm workshop to a then 3000 sqm factory in Ivančna Gorica
. This factory has since more than quadrupled in size to 13000 sqm as of 2010.
In 2000, the first world championship title using an Akrapovič exhaust was won in the WSBK when Colin Edwards
won the world championship title on his Castrol Honda SP-01. That year, the 600 SS class with Yamaha and Joerg Teuchert also won using an Akrapovič exhaust. Modifications made to the design saw the company enter into the American AMA Superbike and the Japanese All Japan Superbike Championship and then in 2002, the MotoGP class, forming an alliance with the Honda, Kawasaki and Aprilia factory teams.
As income increased, the company invested in new technology and modernization, upgrading computers in 3-D planning of configurations, programming of tools and computer-aided manufacture. In 2004, the company made its first contact with automobile industry and in 2007 developed and equipped an exhaust system for a Formula 1 race car. In 2007, the company changed its logo. Akrapovič is now active as a supplier in the Porsche Sport Cup, where Porsche cars compete at six fully licensed and unlicensed series. In April 2007, the company was awarded the Best Exhaust Pipe Manufacturer Award from German Motorrad magazine, winning 42% of the votes. The Company has since won the Best Brand award in every subsequent year with 2011 by its highest ever margin of votes.Akrapovic exhausts featured on the 2011 winner of the Dakar and in 2011 the tally of World Champions to 57.
who offer Akrapovič cans as optional factory- or dealer-fit equipment on the R1,
and MT-01
;
and BMW Motorrad
who offer an Akrapovič can as standard on the F800R,
HP2 Megamoto,
and as an option on most other bikes in their range.
The exhausts are also fitted on many Kawasaki
racing bikes, notably the Z1000 exhaust model as well as Honda
, Aprilia
and Suzuki
.
Many of the leading motorcyclists in the Supersport series are known to ride with Akrapovič fitted exhausts including Roger Lee Hayden
who has one fitted to his Kawasaki.
and titanium
in the company's factory which has its own titanium foundry
and hydroforming
machines.
The titanium foundry is located in an 800 sqm building at the main location of Akrapovič Company in Ivancna Gorica.
The casting process involves wax injection, X-ray radioscopy, and various chemical analyses, aided by CAD/CAM/CEA tools. The company also manufactures a titanium range called the Akrapovič Evolution; the exhausts are more expensive and can retail at over $1700.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n manufacturer of exhaust system
Exhaust system
An exhaust system is usually tubing used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes...
s primarily for motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, but more recently also for automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s. The company was founded in 1990 by Slovenian racer Igor Akrapovič. Akrapovič exhausts are used on motorcycles in Moto GP, Superbike,
Supersport
Supersport
SuperSport is a South African group of television channels owned by Naspers and carried on the DStv satellite platform. It is the leading sports provider in South Africa and Africa. It also provides sports coverage in many other African countries....
, Supermoto
Supermoto
Supermoto is motorcycle racing on a circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose...
, Motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, Enduro
Enduro
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on courses that are predominantly off-road. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges...
and Rally Raid
Rally raid
Rally raid, also known as cross country rallying is a form of long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days. Each day may require traveling up to . The length of the event can be 3–15 days...
. As of May 2010, Akrapovič systems have been used in a total of 38 world championships all across motorsport.
History
Akrapovič was established in 1990 as "Skorpion in Scorpion" by Slovenian racer Igor Akrapovič who had found that during his racing career there was a distinct lack of high-quality exhaust systems on the market to the public. He believed that the pipe walls were either excessively thick or that the technically superior exhaust systems were too expensive and difficult for the average customer to obtain. He designed his own exhaust system, which was sufficient to his requirements, based on the experience gained in the field of motorcycle tuning. Steel was replaced with materials such as carbon fibreCarbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
and titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
.
In 1993, Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Consumer Products and Machinery Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine is a division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries that produces motorcycles, ATVs, utility vehicles, jet ski personal watercraft, and general-purpose gasoline engines. Before the 2011 fiscal year it was called Consumer Products & Machinery...
in Germany tested the exhaust systems and in 1994, Akrapovič exhausts were first used in international competition, in the ESBK and WSBK. The company soon attracted numerous teams in the Pro Superbike championship, not only Kawasaki, but Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
, Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
, Ducati and Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
etc.
In 1997, the company changed its name from Skorpion in Scorpion to Akrapovič and that year Akira Yanagawa
Akira Yanagawa
is a motorcycle road racer from Japan. He won three World Superbike Championship races and finished on the podium on 20 further occasions....
became the first racer to win a race using an Akrapovič exhaust on a Kawasaki bike. After a strong growth in sales, particularly from Germany, with a growth as high as 70% per annum, production capacity was expanded in 1999, moving location from a 450 sqm workshop to a then 3000 sqm factory in Ivančna Gorica
Ivancna Gorica
Ivančna Gorica is a settlement and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Central Slovenian statistical region....
. This factory has since more than quadrupled in size to 13000 sqm as of 2010.
In 2000, the first world championship title using an Akrapovič exhaust was won in the WSBK when Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards
Colin Edwards II nicknamed the Texas Tornado is an American professional motorcycle racer. He is a two time World Superbike champion and has competed in MotoGP since 2003, now riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team in the 2011 season.-Early years:At the age of three, his Australian father, Colin...
won the world championship title on his Castrol Honda SP-01. That year, the 600 SS class with Yamaha and Joerg Teuchert also won using an Akrapovič exhaust. Modifications made to the design saw the company enter into the American AMA Superbike and the Japanese All Japan Superbike Championship and then in 2002, the MotoGP class, forming an alliance with the Honda, Kawasaki and Aprilia factory teams.
As income increased, the company invested in new technology and modernization, upgrading computers in 3-D planning of configurations, programming of tools and computer-aided manufacture. In 2004, the company made its first contact with automobile industry and in 2007 developed and equipped an exhaust system for a Formula 1 race car. In 2007, the company changed its logo. Akrapovič is now active as a supplier in the Porsche Sport Cup, where Porsche cars compete at six fully licensed and unlicensed series. In April 2007, the company was awarded the Best Exhaust Pipe Manufacturer Award from German Motorrad magazine, winning 42% of the votes. The Company has since won the Best Brand award in every subsequent year with 2011 by its highest ever margin of votes.Akrapovic exhausts featured on the 2011 winner of the Dakar and in 2011 the tally of World Champions to 57.
Partnerships
The company exports almost 99% of its products. The company partners with motorcycle manufacturers such as YamahaYamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
who offer Akrapovič cans as optional factory- or dealer-fit equipment on the R1,
and MT-01
Yamaha MT-01
The MT-01 is a motorcycle made by Yamaha since 2005, available in Australia, Europe, India, Japan and North America. It has unusual features with a cruiser-style air-cooled, overhead valve V-twin engine but sportbike or naked bike style frame and suspension...
;
and BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of the German company BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. The current General Director of the unit is Hendrik von Kuenheim....
who offer an Akrapovič can as standard on the F800R,
HP2 Megamoto,
and as an option on most other bikes in their range.
The exhausts are also fitted on many Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Consumer Products and Machinery Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine is a division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries that produces motorcycles, ATVs, utility vehicles, jet ski personal watercraft, and general-purpose gasoline engines. Before the 2011 fiscal year it was called Consumer Products & Machinery...
racing bikes, notably the Z1000 exhaust model as well as Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, Aprilia
Aprilia
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle company, one of the seven marques owned by Piaggio, the world's fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer.Aprilia started as a scooter manufacturer, but has more recently come to be known for its race-winning sportbikes...
and Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
.
Many of the leading motorcyclists in the Supersport series are known to ride with Akrapovič fitted exhausts including Roger Lee Hayden
Roger Lee Hayden
Roger Lee Hayden is an American professional motorcycle racer, the younger brother of both 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike Championship rider Tommy Hayden.-Career:...
who has one fitted to his Kawasaki.
Materials
Exhausts are constructed from materials such as carbon fibreCarbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
and titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
in the company's factory which has its own titanium foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and hydroforming
Hydroforming
Hydroforming is a cost-effective way of shaping malleable metals such as aluminum or brass into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces. One of the largest applications of hydroforming is the automotive industry, which makes use of the complex shapes possible by hydroforming to produce...
machines.
The titanium foundry is located in an 800 sqm building at the main location of Akrapovič Company in Ivancna Gorica.
The casting process involves wax injection, X-ray radioscopy, and various chemical analyses, aided by CAD/CAM/CEA tools. The company also manufactures a titanium range called the Akrapovič Evolution; the exhausts are more expensive and can retail at over $1700.
Further reading
- Akrapovič, I; Ambrožič, J., Najboljše izpušne cevi izdelujejo pri Akrapoviču: Igor Akrapovič - osebnost leta 2005
- Vadnjal, J., Akrapovič - tehnični in finančni genij