Mufler removal

[redline999]

I just saw somew pictures of Rock with no muffler...Does this give more ponies and a good sound, or what is the attraction. I am intrigued.

[johnnyjs1]

Not sure about the ponies, but it gives a bit of a deeper sound, and it allows for you to put on a full size left case

[jfslater98]

Muffler's kind of heavy, so some weight is removed. Really nice view of the rear wheel. Checking rear tire pressure is easier, along with removal of the wheel. One member here claims much higher gas mileage. A louder bike is obviously faster.

Downsides: catalytic converter now has one less support point. Contents of left side case really start getting cooked now. 2 year old can easily drop stubby screwdriver into cat. Many claim worse gas mileage, one member claimed bike became "unbalanced".

Mine's probably staying off. But I've kept the muffler anyway, just in case.

EDIT: Shiny new $8 exhaust tip

Cheap, nasty looking $8 exhaust tip

The rain at the Bash along with a few months of usage were not kind to the looks. But the price is right, and I don't like polishing chrome anyway.

[R4R&R]

Downsides: catalytic converter now has one less support point. Contents of left side case really start getting cooked now. 2 year old can easily drop stubby screwdriver into cat. Many claim worse gas mileage, one member claimed bike became "unbalanced".

Put a small chromed tip exhaust tip that slightly turns out. It keeps the screwdrivers from being dropped in there; it diverts the heat from the full sized case; it diverts the carbon from all over the rear tire; it makes it look much more 'finished'.

As for the mileage, I'm not sure if mine increased or decreased - I really don't care. I've gotten used to the full sized left case and would rather not go back to the smaller one. Plus I like how open the rear wheel is.

[Ves]

More power? For sake of argument, let's say bike and rider weight 700 lbs. with 90 hp.... That's .1286 hp/lb... Take off 12 lbs of muffler... now it's 90/688 = .1308 hp/lb... That's 1.7% increase in hp to weight ratio... give up the doughnuts, loose another 10 lbs, and you're up to 3% ...

[Ves]

I should add... I lost two tips... well lost one and almost lost a second one... cause the screws vibrated loose... I finally just took the industrial approach... stainless steel tip, slit with a hack saw on the end so that the clamp can compress it, and held with a muffler U-clamp... Here's a couple of shots...

[jfslater98]

Nice Ves! What was the diameter of the tip's connection to the cat? Don't happen to have a brand/part number do you? Thanks.

[FloridaBeakster]

1.75" diameter tip is the right size. I added a thin piece of aluminum between the tip and the exhaust outlet to keep the tip tight and centered. I drilled a hole in the outlet and used a sheet metal screw and wave lock washer to secure the tip.

This is the one I used: Turndown Exhaust Tip

[Ves]

Yup, like Florida said, 1.75". But you have to slit the end in at least 3 or four places... or do like Florida did and use a spacer. I got mine at Advanced Autoparts. Any decent auto parts store should have the chrome and the stainless one's.

I tried lock washers on mine and they still loosened up. Maybe Florida's onto something with the wave washer.

Anyway, I still actually prefer the plain stainless steel and U-clamp. It just blends in better with the dirty undercarriage... plus when you peel the sticker off, the remaining adhesive bakes to a nice brown... gives it that used look... Can you say low maintenance...

[harrisphil]

Sorry to be out of step here but why are you removing the silencer and leaving the cat in place
I would of thought that the better option would be to ditch the cat and fit a Y pipe?

[johnnyjs1]

Sorry to be out of step here but why are you removing the silencer and leaving the cat in place
I would of thought that the better option would be to ditch the cat and fit a Y pipe?

Some of us are cheap

[FloridaBeakster]

I tried lock washers on mine and they still loosened up. Maybe Florida's onto something with the wave washer.

The wave washer serves the same purpose as the lock washer, so there shouldn't be anything special about that. I just picked the wave washer because I had a few lying around and I figured it would dig into and scratch the chrome less than a traditional split ring lock washer. After getting the tip in the desired place, I used one of the tip's mounting holes as a guide and drilled a hole in the outlet of the cat. I originally tried to install a self-tapping screw in there (tapping the cat outlet), but that didn't work worth a darn (screw couldn't cut the threads). It was late, no stores were open to get a real tap, and I had a ride the next morning, so, I just tried using just a sheet metal screw that was a tight fit with the wave/lock washer. I have less than 1000 miles on this setup, but it seems ok for so far.

Sorry to be out of step here but why are you removing the silencer and leaving the cat in place I would of thought that the better option would be to ditch the cat and fit a Y pipe?

For me, it was primarily to fit a larger left side case. For that, you need either a lowered exhaust or none. The cat does a fine job muffling the sound and produces a nice tone. Maintenance is also easier (taking the rear wheel on and off) without the muffler there. And, yes, cheapness!

[ROBOX]

Hi Ya folks,

Just popped in to see how you all doing. I took the muffler off my bike & loved the look, loads of people commented. It did however seem to vibrate the bike more and I think for long journeys I would put the muffler back on.

Still got a Harley 1200 Sportser now so tring to make the bike sound beefier doesn't apply now as it already does !!

Cheers for now & some old pics

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42 ... G_4497.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh42 ... G_4380.jpg

[rbertalotto]

I had my Hedman Headers resonator installed with three 1/4-20 SS bolts with lock nuts and they always vibrated off. So I simply Pop-Riveted it on with SS Pop-Rivits...............

[redline999]

Thanks for all the info! I guess I'm going to remove it and see what I get and if I like it. The fuel injection automatically compensates for the lack of back pressure, I assume?

Again, what is the purpose of not removing the cat? would it make sense to ditch it all? posting.php?mode=reply&f=3&t=15532&sid= ... 6928ce83ee#

[rbertalotto]

The CAT tones down the noise to acceptable and it adds the necessary back pressure. The computer will compensate for lack of muffler. I've had mine off for thousands of miles with no issues.

[Ves]

... Again, what is the purpose of not removing the cat? would it make sense to ditch it all? posting.php?mode=reply&f=3&t=15532&sid= ... 6928ce83ee#

For me it's strictly a cost issue. This way it's $8.00 of exhaust tip. If I remove the cat then I have to buy a Y-pipe and I either have to put the stock muffler on or get an aftermarket muffler... so now you're talking hundreds of dollars... it's not worth it.

[redline999]

Well, I have gone with the $8 tip, left the cat, and to solve the screw loosening problem, I mig welded a little bead wherre the tip pipe meets the old pipe and put a little bead on the heads of each screw. If I want this off to put the stock back on for touring, say, it's two seconds with the grinder and Bob's your uncle with no real damage and no loose parts. I absolutely love the tone and the look. Thanks for all the advice guys ...H

[rbertalotto]

Just curious, why would you put the pipe back on and add weight for touring?

My bike without the muffler is not much louder, just a different tone. But then again, I'm using a $20 Hedman Header Resonator tip.

No issues while on the highway...........But I were ear plugs all the time..

[johnnyjs1]

[quote="rbertalotto"]Just curious, why would you put the pipe back on and add weight for touring?

My bike without the muffler is not much louder, just a different tone. But then again, I'm using a $20 Hedman Header Resonator tip.

No issues while on the highway...........But I were ear plugs all the time..

Some people feel that with the muffler off, you get more vibration, because of the weight removal of the muffler. So, when doing long rides, putting the muffler back on reduces vibration. I can neither confirm or deny these allegations, but it does make sense.....more weight = less vibration. Just look at heavier bar ends, same principle. But then again.....look at my sig. line