78' Intriguer pipe vs. 79-81' 440 Drifter Pipe Choice

[Tory944]

  It seems the 78' Intriguer and 79-81' 440 Drifters do not share the same pipe.  I see no difference in the engines.  The 78' Intriguer looks to be the better choice (in design).  Very similar to the Intruders and Invaders.  The Drifter pipe on the other hand is pretty typical of the Cats in the 70's (tin can with an outlet) lol.  I am wondering if this might be the reason for the "advertised hp gain" for the Intriguer??  I can't imagine Kawasaki would work "backwards" in their pipe design for that engine???  If you look at both pipes there is CLEARLY an entirely different design strategy.  Maybe Kawi used the pipe that was designed for the 77' Sno Jets as they were becoming their own identity??   Any thoughts?

  I am building a Drifter mod and contemplating whether there is a performance gain with the Intriguer tuned pipe.  Aside from it's size and added weight (maybe a couple extra pounds)...  I am scratching my head on this one.   

[Interceptor398]

I've never seen an Intriguer pipe so I'm not much help.

[Tory944]

Here is the Intriguer pipe... 

[Tory944]

I just ordered a service manual for the Intriguer on ebay.  I know the service manuals give charts on engine power curves for the specific model.  I was looking at the factory tach on the Intriguer and noticed Kawasaki has a "red line" at the 7200 +/- mark.    I took a look at the service manual for the fan 440 drifter and the power curves show a maximum hp rating at 6800 rpm.     So...    I suspect the Intriguer pipe was designed to run at a higher rpm than that of the drifter.  I am probably the only one who cares, but I thought it was interesting...  I'll let you know what the Intriguer service manual says when it shows up! 

[5kaws]

Hmmm you  might be on to something here.
The 80 jd trail fire 340 uses the longer pipe.  And not the short pipe like the drifter.
Also the  motor looks like the drifter motor.  Idk what the diff is between the both of them. Got me thinking now tho.   

[5kaws]

80 jd trail fire 340

[rminier]

 Interesting read, guys....it certainly looks like the Intriguer pipe is a more modern, sophisticated design.
  We cannot discount the fact that the Kawi Inviter and Intriguer were still "carryover" designs from the Sno Jet years.
  Kawasaki bought Sno Jet, and then got busy designing the new, in-house designed Intruder/Invader for their release in the fall of '77 for the '78 model year. They didn't update the new Drifter until the '79 model year.....an evolution of the original Sno Jet SST....and Kawi Inviter/Intriguer chassis.
  Never underestimate the influence of the "bean counters" in the accounting dept.
  The Intruder became the new, hot flagship for a fan cooler....the Drifter....which was once a remarkable performance sled when it was a Sno Jet SST....now became a family sled....with a much lower "price point"  in the marketing world. Not terribly surprised that the bean counters would have held their ground on some things to compete with the Yamaha Enticers and SkiDoo Citations of the day.
  Tory, you most certainly have the knowledge and experience to see which pipe gives the most HP.....my bet is on the Intriguer pipe. o

[rminier]

  Another thought....a post several weeks back when I discovered from looking at the parts manuals for the Invaders....the 340 and the 440 shared the exact same y-pipe and tuned muffler part numbers. I know....both motors shared the same 7800-8000 power peak.....but....this could not have been the "perfect" design for both motors.
 We live in the mechanical world with compromises.....whether you are designing a new Lear jet, Chevy Malibu, or a sled.....cost, weight, ease of manufacturing, ease of assembly in the factory, durability....on and on....
  I suspect Kawi went a bit more with the cost and produceability of the pipe when they designed the Drifter....
  Hence, I'm more inclined to bet on the Intriguer pipe...

[Tory944]

Would love to get my hands on all the "lost and discarded" test data from Kawasaki.  Today is "Drifter Day" for me as it is pouring rain and forces me to work in the garage...  lol.  So far, I've torn three engines down and two chassis.  I have already found some interesting facts (for the trivia gurus).  I'll post my findings soon!