- Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:54 am
#14682
I recall from my engineering training days that "back pressure" was only required in the exhausts of basic 2-stroke engines where, crudely put, it acted in a similar way to the exhaust valve in a 4-stroke in that the pressure wave travelling from back to front of the exhaust prevented the fresh petrol/oil/air mix from venting into the exhaust before combustion.
In our "modern" (sic) Enfields what the restrictor in the exhaust down-pipe does is prevent the burnt exhaust gases from leaving the exhaust and therefore literally choking the engine by preventing it breathing out.
Its a con, like the PAV which does nothing to actually reduce emissions, but which merely dilutes the exhaust with fresh air to make the emissions appear less. There is just the same pollutants coming out, but with fresh air mixed in.