Are MAC exhaust's any good?

thought I read somewhere where kirker bought out MAC I could be wrong

friend of mine has a 4 into 1 he put on several years ago and its still sounds and looks good
personally I'm not a fan but I dont have a valid reason.

I'm not a believer it cost more so its better theory have always been a V&H fan but obviously their quality has gone down as most things made these days

Newimperial wrote: Time has come for me to replace the exhaust on the Ltd. I See lots of MAC Exhausts on Ebay and wonder are they any good? Will I need to rejet if I fit one? Can I still get at the drain plug and the Filter. I have only ever fitted Motad and they are the business. Also what are Vance and Hynes like? Anyway thanks Guys

Heres my .02, based on my experience with Mac Exhaust.
Ordered and recieved a set for my '75 Z1-B 900 4n2's from Dennis Kirk ( This is all about 3 years ago) First set arrived bent to shit!! No packing at all in box!!, To their credit DK swapped them for another set.This set required modifications and had to make a bracket to fit my bike even though part number is correct, then the fit is so "Horrible" they leak,as a result of leak, they sound likeSH@! and turn the pipes Black. I wrote ( Twice ) to Mac complaining about all this ....NEVER heard a WORD from the A@#$%!! So, Buyer Beware, their product does not fit,May arrive bent and damaged because they do not use packing material, they leak and don't even think they will respond to a complaint. :S

ed spangler wrote:

Newimperial wrote: Time has come for me to replace the exhaust on the Ltd. I See lots of MAC Exhausts on Ebay and wonder are they any good? Will I need to rejet if I fit one? Can I still get at the drain plug and the Filter. I have only ever fitted Motad and they are the business. Also what are Vance and Hynes like? Anyway thanks Guys

Heres my .02, based on my experience with Mac Exhaust.
Ordered and recieved a set for my '75 Z1-B 900 4n2's from Dennis Kirk ( This is all about 3 years ago) First set arrived bent to shit!! No packing at all in box!!, To their credit DK swapped them for another set.This set required modifications and had to make a bracket to fit my bike even though part number is correct, then the fit is so "Horrible" they leak,as a result of leak, they sound likeSH@! and turn the pipes Black. I wrote ( Twice ) to Mac complaining about all this ....NEVER heard a WORD from the A@#$%!! So, Buyer Beware, their product does not fit,May arrive bent and damaged because they do not use packing material, they leak and don't even think they will respond to a complaint. :S

Ed, it looks like we have the same MAC's pipes. Keep in mind, mine are probably 20 yrs old and came with the bike. So, I wasn't the one that installed them. But you can see form the red arrow, they fit ver nicely in the back, and the headers in the front looked to align nicely as well with only one copper gasket per cylyinder and no leaks. I have since replaced this set with a KERKER 4-1 since I like the sound and looks of the KERKER much better (even though the MAC's are in much better condition). For me, these MAC's are better for curiser (LTD) style KZ's.

That nice looking 900

KZCSI wrote:

This B4 looks like it rolled out of a time machine, even the seat is perfect. That's what mine looked like 30 years ago except it had stock pipes and only the stock single front disc brake (handlebars don't look stock either?).

KZJOE900 wrote:

ed spangler wrote:

Newimperial wrote: Time has come for me to replace the exhaust on the Ltd. I See lots of MAC Exhausts on Ebay and wonder are they any good? Will I need to rejet if I fit one? Can I still get at the drain plug and the Filter. I have only ever fitted Motad and they are the business. Also what are Vance and Hynes like? Anyway thanks Guys

Heres my .02, based on my experience with Mac Exhaust.
Ordered and recieved a set for my '75 Z1-B 900 4n2's from Dennis Kirk ( This is all about 3 years ago) First set arrived bent to shit!! No packing at all in box!!, To their credit DK swapped them for another set.This set required modifications and had to make a bracket to fit my bike even though part number is correct, then the fit is so "Horrible" they leak,as a result of leak, they sound likeSH@! and turn the pipes Black. I wrote ( Twice ) to Mac complaining about all this ....NEVER heard a WORD from the A@#$%!! So, Buyer Beware, their product does not fit,May arrive bent and damaged because they do not use packing material, they leak and don't even think they will respond to a complaint. :S

Ed, it looks like we have the same MAC's pipes. Keep in mind, mine are probably 20 yrs old and came with the bike. So, I wasn't the one that installed them. But you can see form the red arrow, they fit ver nicely in the back, and the headers in the front looked to align nicely as well with only one copper gasket per cylyinder and no leaks. I have since replaced this set with a KERKER 4-1 since I like the sound and looks of the KERKER much better (even though the MAC's are in much better condition). For me, these MAC's are better for curiser (LTD) style KZ's.

Greetings KZJoe!
Please allow me to clarify a couple things, First, As I said the first pair I recieved from Dennis Kirk, were bent badly a result of absolutely NO PACKING material in the box ( Pitiful), then to DK's credit they did exchange them, interestingly I asked DK to make sure the replacements were packed, the Rep called me to tell me he had done so , and that none of the boxes of this product they looked at had any packing material ( Again, Pitiful!) the pipes fit well at the head, Z1E suggessted using "Suzuki" Exhaust gaskets because they are slightly thicker than stock Z and they seal well, I have no leaks at the head, where I have the leaks is at the "Joint" where Header pipe and tailpipe join, even after running the bike to normal operating temperature and retightening the Clamp that holds this joint together with an Air wrench its a VERY Loose fit and leaks, sounds like Sh@#!! and after riding the bike a couple hundred miles the pipes from joint on back of tailpipe get black with "Soot" from the leak. I even thought about using some "Magic" Exhaust permatex but the difference in the pipes where they join ( ID vs OD) is so bad ( MORE THAN A 1/4 " Difference!!) that would be a lousy fix. Probably I am going to have to take the bike to a "Muffler Shop" where they have "Pipe expanders" that can make the pipes / joint fit better, something that I should definitely not have to spend more money and time to do!! Also there were no "Hanger" Brackets for mounting these pipes at the rear, so we had to buy material and spend time making brackets for both sides!! I am VERY.VERY dissapointed in the workmanship and fit of this product. So much so that I sent 2 emails and 1 Letter to the Mac Co.

NO RESPONSE! NONE! Frankly that Pisses me off! I have NEVER been so sorely dissapointed in the quality of a product , the obvious lack of quality control, poor packaging and lastly absolutely no response to wriiten inuirys even when 2 e-mails and one letter had been sent to the company,
I can not afford to replace these Lousy Mac exhaust with a better product at this time but rest assured as soon as I can I will.
Regards
TennesseeZ ED

ed spangler wrote:

KZJOE900 wrote:

ed spangler wrote:

Newimperial wrote: Time has come for me to replace the exhaust on the Ltd. I See lots of MAC Exhausts on Ebay and wonder are they any good? Will I need to rejet if I fit one? Can I still get at the drain plug and the Filter. I have only ever fitted Motad and they are the business. Also what are Vance and Hynes like? Anyway thanks Guys

Heres my .02, based on my experience with Mac Exhaust.
Ordered and recieved a set for my '75 Z1-B 900 4n2's from Dennis Kirk ( This is all about 3 years ago) First set arrived bent to shit!! No packing at all in box!!, To their credit DK swapped them for another set.This set required modifications and had to make a bracket to fit my bike even though part number is correct, then the fit is so "Horrible" they leak,as a result of leak, they sound likeSH@! and turn the pipes Black. I wrote ( Twice ) to Mac complaining about all this ....NEVER heard a WORD from the A@#$%!! So, Buyer Beware, their product does not fit,May arrive bent and damaged because they do not use packing material, they leak and don't even think they will respond to a complaint. :S

Ed, it looks like we have the same MAC's pipes. Keep in mind, mine are probably 20 yrs old and came with the bike. So, I wasn't the one that installed them. But you can see form the red arrow, they fit ver nicely in the back, and the headers in the front looked to align nicely as well with only one copper gasket per cylyinder and no leaks. I have since replaced this set with a KERKER 4-1 since I like the sound and looks of the KERKER much better (even though the MAC's are in much better condition). For me, these MAC's are better for curiser (LTD) style KZ's.

Greetings KZJoe!
Please allow me to clarify a couple things, First, As I said the first pair I recieved from Dennis Kirk, were bent badly a result of absolutely NO PACKING material in the box ( Pitiful), then to DK's credit they did exchange them, interestingly I asked DK to make sure the replacements were packed, the Rep called me to tell me he had done so , and that none of the boxes of this product they looked at had any packing material ( Again, Pitiful!) the pipes fit well at the head, Z1E suggessted using "Suzuki" Exhaust gaskets because they are slightly thicker than stock Z and they seal well, I have no leaks at the head, where I have the leaks is at the "Joint" where Header pipe and tailpipe join, even after running the bike to normal operating temperature and retightening the Clamp that holds this joint together with an Air wrench its a VERY Loose fit and leaks, sounds like Sh@#!! and after riding the bike a couple hundred miles the pipes from joint on back of tailpipe get black with "Soot" from the leak. I even thought about using some "Magic" Exhaust permatex but the difference in the pipes where they join ( ID vs OD) is so bad ( MORE THAN A 1/4 " Difference!!) that would be a lousy fix. Probably I am going to have to take the bike to a "Muffler Shop" where they have "Pipe expanders" that can make the pipes / joint fit better, something that I should definitely not have to spend more money and time to do!! Also there were no "Hanger" Brackets for mounting these pipes at the rear, so we had to buy material and spend time making brackets for both sides!! I am VERY.VERY dissapointed in the workmanship and fit of this product. So much so that I sent 2 emails and 1 Letter to the Mac Co.

NO RESPONSE! NONE! Frankly that Pisses me off! I have NEVER been so sorely dissapointed in the quality of a product , the obvious lack of quality control, poor packaging and lastly absolutely no response to wriiten inuirys even when 2 e-mails and one letter had been sent to the company,
I can not afford to replace these Lousy Mac exhaust with a better product at this time but rest assured as soon as I can I will.
Regards
TennesseeZ ED

s?

f th
KZJoe900
BTW, Do you still have your Mac pipes?? Interested in selling them? I am wondering if maybe I just got a set that weren't made correctly, My pair when installed did not line up with the bolt hole for rear mount where you show the arrow!! We had to move the tail pipes forward so they would fit together /connect at the joint with header pipe and make a hanger for things to line up for the rear hanger bolt hole!!, interestingly, my cousin who helped me with the resto mod on my bike, has a '76 KZ900..... same Mac 4 n 2 exhaust system, same fitment / alignment issues!! he had to make hangers for his also!! Must have been some changes made at some point in the manufacturing process.....maybe at one point they were actually made in the USA??, mine were made in China I think.By the way, my '75 is Painted Black also!
Thanks
ED
ed.spangler68@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone for their input.
Seems like MAC might be a bit risky even if the price is fairly cheap. Like I said I looked on Ebay for a 4 into 1 and discovered that I could get a pipe from the States cheaper than from the UK (I am in Ireland). Over here Motad are the one to go for if you have an old Jap bike. The pipe I am replacing is a Motad. I have had two other bikes with Motad pipes. They Look right you can keep your main stand, No re-jetting. they don't sound bad either but they are pricey. Vanch and Hynes are only a little more expensive than MAC I think. There used to be a pipe called Zorst which was nice and short (Easy to get at the rear wheel axle).
Alternatively I could get a MIG wielder and have a go at repairing the pipe that I have. Anyway you all have certainly given me a lot to think about.

Thanks again

Thanks to everyone for their input.
Seems like MAC might be a bit risky even if the price is fairly cheap. Like I said I looked on Ebay for a 4 into 1 and discovered that I could get a pipe from the States cheaper than from the UK (I am in Ireland). Over here Motad are the one to go for if you have an old Jap bike. The pipe I am replacing is a Motad. I have had two other bikes with Motad pipes. They Look right you can keep your main stand, No re-jetting. they don't sound bad either but they are pricey. Vanch and Hynes are only a little more expensive than MAC I think. There used to be a pipe called Zorst which was nice and short (Easy to get at the rear wheel axle).
Alternatively I could get a MIG wielder and have a go at repairing the pipe that I have. Anyway you all have certainly given me a lot to think about.

Thanks again

Sorry here's a pic of my bike with the old Motad Pipe

I like a quiet bike. All the better for sneaking in at 2am or eluding blue light specials. My CSR had stock exhaust that seemed a little throaty when I got it. Found out exhaust was ready to crumble. Looked good tho. There was a donor bike in the shed that had an almost new MAC on it. Not really wanting a screamer reluctantly I switched to it and I love it. A little throatier very solid, vibration free and I like it's looks. Seems of decent quality. I hear what others are saying about the flanges but don't over tighten them and lock them with another nut. 3+ years and no issues and quite a few compliments on look and sound. Mac's are OK in my book.

ed spangler wrote: [
KZJoe900
BTW, Do you still have your Mac pipes?? Interested in selling them? I am wondering if maybe I just got a set that weren't made correctly, My pair when installed did not line up with the bolt hole for rear mount where you show the arrow!! We had to move the tail pipes forward so they would fit together /connect at the joint with header pipe and make a hanger for things to line up for the rear hanger bolt hole!!, interestingly, my cousin who helped me with the resto mod on my bike, has a '76 KZ900..... same Mac 4 n 2 exhaust system, same fitment / alignment issues!! he had to make hangers for his also!! Must have been some changes made at some point in the manufacturing process.....maybe at one point they were actually made in the USA??, mine were made in China I think.By the way, my '75 is Painted Black also!
Thanks
ED
ed.spangler68@gmail.com

Hi Ed, yes I wouldn't mind selling. Just can't see how there can be any difference from your pipe to mine. Do you want me to take some measurements of the exhaust system and bike frame for you? Just wouldn't want you to waste your time with it. I caan assure you that it didn't have any of the soothing issues at the tailpipe/header connection you described. Only soot I could remember seeing was on the header portion, the area of the pipe which fit inside the tail pipe. But nothing external. Fit was good. I had taken the tail pipes off and on a two or three times during this past year and driven it afterwards. No issues. My only concern is that your frame may be slightly different than a KZ900, don't know something's amiss. Maybe someone here can chime in. Is there any differences in between an KZ900A4, KZ1000, or LTD frame with regards to header and tail pipe measurements? There isn't any in that area of the frame as far as I know. Just wouldn't want you to end up with the same issue.