de cat yes or no

Triumph call it Secondary Air Injection (SAI), IMO if you disable SAI and the cat is still fitted then you risk damaging it (but that opinion is not agreed by all). If done there have been reports where the cat starts disintegrating causing a restriction in the exhaust and actually reducing power significantly!
The easy route to de-cat would be to fit the Arrow "low-boy" exhaust which comes with a complete new header system without cat, that route would also reduce weight and move CofG so would also give improved handling.
Personally I prefer the look of the high twin Arrows and it's fast enough (& handles well enough) for me as is.
Exhaust and de-cat mods aren't going to make much of a difference to engine performance on this engine on their own and I doubt you're going to feel much difference on the road.

 

I've read a few reports of people doing it,general consensus seem's to be it's not really worth the effort.
Not really sure if it might cause problems come MOT time.

 

At the moment emissions are not tested on bikes but it won't be long before they are included in the MOT, and as with cars it'll depend on age, for example the new Euro 4 bikes will have fewer harmful emissions than older ones with less efficient (or non existent) cats.

 

The exhaust is made big enough to cope with the cat. In my experience with the streetona would be to leave alone. otherwise you get into custom maps and dyno time, which can work out expensive and down to the skills of the mechanic.

 

Hi Mal, my answer to your question is, what do you hope to achieve by removing the cat? It's not like yours is a slow bike?

You can remove the cat and the Air Injection system, but if the bike is running great (as it should be) why mess with it? You can buy a new cat-less full system and you can remove the AI but then you'll need to remap the bike - is that the way you want to go? If you do decide to modify the bike kee the original parts in the loft or somewhere, just in case you need them in the future.

 

This is on my speed '94 2015-stock header(brand-new of e-bay) with cat removed and stainless re-welded,scorpion serket twin cans,arrow map installed by dealer-runs cooler,is smoother on throttle and engine braking too and sounds bloody awesome.I still have all my original pipe work so if there is any future financial benefit in emissions testing on my bike( ie no or little tax -like the bloke who lives in our street and drives summat diesel but pays no road-tax)then I would consider putting it all back but for now I'll just luxuriate in the awesome triple whistle followed by the mighty growl.These are just my own findings and opinions and I have no dyno read-outs etc to back it up just the felling I get riding the Bumble-Bee and isn't that what it's about?

 

I have done the same as Sventhrusta on my 2011 speedy, bought a set of header pipes of ebay and removed the cat with a Scorpion titanium low boy can and bmc filter, arrow low boy map installed. sounds great, seems pokier, lighter (the standard systems weighs a ton ) so les weight up top.

 

Indeed its the Bert Munro theory-less weight=free horsepower-my two scorpion cans weigh less than one stock can-stock cans,you can't give 'em away -I know I've got two sets of street triple ones and a set of Speed Triple ones FFS

 

Colin Chapman of Lotus fame was of a similar opinion and famously quoted "adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere"

 

I think his quote was "add lightness".
He pared things down so much they often broke with catastrophic results

 

That was just one of many, he also said that any car which holds together for a whole race is too heavy.
"Simplify then add lightness" is the one you're thinking of.

 

Hi Mal, see you found the forum, been on here for a while now, always good for some advice or a chat.

 

We will have to have a ride out when the weather picks up.

 

Ive just seen this post while searching for something else! However, long story short, some thieving little git knicked my last 1050 (2016) fitted with full arrow low boy, i bought a new 1050 (2016) with arrows under the seat, as soon as i rode it i knew it was underpowered! However! the Arrow system is larger bore and no cat, but the difference is amazing!