Akrapovic 2025: Innovation Despite Euro 5+ Challenges

Akrapovič constantly strives to meet new regulations and offer its customers the best possible products and exhaust systems that delight them with their sound, performance, design, light weight, and high quality. The latest Euro 5+ standard has no direct effect on the volume level, but it is true that the level of permissible loudness of exhaust systems has been decreasing over the past decades. These are the rules we have to respect. A louder sound is not necessarily better. We are more focused on achieving a different sound colour and adding a different character to motorcycles with our exhaust systems.

We continuously invest in the development of technology to ensure that our exhaust systems meet the highest standards and that customers do not have to worry about our type-approved systems not meeting the regulations they were approved under. This is very important for us.

Igor Akrapovič was a motorcycle racer, and he already tuned motorcycles during his racing career to make them even faster. It was this passion for technology and constant improvement of motorcycle components that made him decide to start his own business and dedicate his future to developing high-performance exhaust systems. He initially focused on racing motorcycle exhaust systems, building a rich tradition of state-of-the-art products, from which he soon expanded into the mainstream motorcycle market, as well as the car market later on.

The company continued to develop, and the increasing demand for its products forced it to expand its premises, which it continually furnished with the state-of-the-art equipment required to develop and manufacture its products. The commitment to constantly invest in the development of products and the technology required to manufacture them has been inseparably connected with racing, which provides the perfect laboratory for testing technical solutions and materials. The first victory at a world championship race on an Akrapovič-outfitted motorcycle was secured by Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki) in WorldSBK in 1997, and the first world championship title won on a motorcycle featuring the Slovenian manufacturer’s exhaust system was recorded in 2000, when Akrapovič brand ambassador Colin Edwards triumphed in WorldSBK on his Honda. To date, the company has secured 190 world championship titles with its partner racing teams in various racing disciplines, along with numerous victories in FIM MotoGP, FIM WorldSBK, and FIM MXGP, and famous races like the Isle of Man TT, Nürburgring 24 Hours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, Dakar Rally, and more.

Three decades after its inception, the company is operating at two state-of-the-art production sites in Slovenia. The facilities at the company’s headquarters in Ivančna Gorica comprise an in-house titanium foundry, a durability dyno on which a robot rides the motorcycle, a metallurgical lab, an R&D department, and a racing department. The entire production, from tube making to final assembly, takes place in a large production hall at Črnomelj.

We use a variety of materials, including titanium, stainless steel, and carbon fibre. The combination of these materials allows us to design the best possible products by combining the properties of each material. Exhaust systems require the correct balance between various properties, strength, high temperature resistance, and lightness. We mostly strive to use titanium, which is comparable to other materials that are commonly used in developing exhaust systems with a light weight, which is the main advantage of this material. The choice of material is also determined by the intended use of the motorcycle we are developing the exhaust system for. If it is for track-day use, for example, then we place great emphasis on both performance and low weight, along with the look and sound, which are an important factor in any exhaust system. The choice of material is driven by the product’s requirements. In addition to the higher price of raw materials, we also have to take into account the fact that titanium, for example, is more difficult to work with, which we know how to do from decades of experience. This is confirmed by the 190 world championship titles, most of which have been won with titanium systems.

We will continue to strive to develop the best exhaust systems and offer our customers the best value for them. We will continue to develop systems that are aesthetically pleasing for the customer, provide a unique sound experience, and are compliant with the latest regulations, lightweight, performance oriented, and durable.

The ratio depends on the month. We aim for a 50/50 ratio between the OEM and aftermarket segments. Whatever the channel, our aim is to always offer our customers the best possible products. In principle, the OEM customers are very demanding, and the aftermarket customers benefit from this because Akrapovič exhaust systems are made to the same demanding OEM standards.

Racing has always been in the company’s DNA. Akrapovič has more than thirty years of experience in racing at the highest level of motorsport, with 190 world champions on two and four wheels trusting its exhaust systems to give them the performance and results they need. Racing teams and riders are our most demanding customers, for whom only a great product is good enough. We have always believed races are the best testing ground for our exhaust systems, and they have functioned like a lab for developing new solutions. We use race-proven solutions and materials to build exhaust systems for production motorcycles. Quite a few parts of the Akrapovič exhaust system for a production bike are made on the exact same machines as the Akrapovič systems racing in MotoGP, WorldSBK, MXGP, EnduroGP, and so on. If you have an Akrapovič exhaust system, chances are that it is also made of the same materials as the systems for these racing bikes, especially for off-road and sport bikes.

We work with motorsport teams to develop exhaust systems as part of a racing bike that must comply with the technical regulations. Our aim is to develop systems that meet the noise limits without having a negative impact on performance. A good example is exhaust systems in motocross, where over the last decades regulations have increasingly limited the volume levels, but our new systems have either maintained or even improved performance compared to the previous generation of exhaust systems.

Track-day goers are among our most loyal and passionate customers, and we strive to provide them with solutions that meet the increasing demand in this segment, considering that racetracks around the world are imposing stricter and stricter noise limits. If demand increases, we will further increase the development of our “track day” systems.