J
JohnnyWatts
Okay, it seems that everyone and their mom's modded their stock exhaust, but NO ONE WANTED TO POST PICS.
So here it is. The stock exhaust mod how-to, with pictures. Done the hard way. I will not be going into deep detail (such as what socket size to use), because frankly this is a pretty advanced mod that involves cutting and welding, and if you don't have a bunch of tools handy, don't do it.
Credit for actual work done to the bike goes to Drew, my friend. I'm no welder.
Step 1) Remove fairings and exhaust headers. I will not go into detail here, because it's pretty straightforward, and has been covered many times over now.
Basically, it's 8 nuts on the headers, and 2 bolts on the exhaust hangers. Allen key wrench to remove fairing.
Step 2) Once you have removed the headers and exhaust hanger bolts, this is what you'll get.
Turn the exhaust upside down, so that the bottom is exposed. I chose to cut it from the bottom, in case my buddy ****ed it up (he didn't). Set it on a piece of cardboard to avoid scratching the chrome tip and the headers.
Step 3) Mark where you'll cut. To determine where to cut "safely", use your fingers and tap the muffler. Where the baffles are, it'll sound solid. Otherwise, it'll sound hollow. We chose to perform surgery on the middle baffle chamber.
Double check your work. Measure twice, cut once, as they say.
Here you see where my buddy marked it. You'll see he actually marked a little too far earlier, so he drew another line. Hence, double check your work.
Step 4) START CUTTING! We used an angle grinder with a cutting head attachment. Be careful not to push down hard, or you'll cut into the baffle walls. Just be gentle. Take your time.
The muffler is actually insulated with a fiberglass material on the outside walls. Below this layer of fiberglass, is another perforated metal layer.
My buddy used a screwdriver to pry the sucker open, because the area we marked had a spot weld right in the middle that held the piece to a baffle wall. Rock it back and forth, it'll eventually pop off. You might want to use an angle grinder to grind off the area, so it'll be smooth for mounting/welding later. See pic below.
Once you're done cutting and have pried it open, this is what you'll get.
Another angle:
Step 5) Decide how much flow you want, and where you'll cut. I wanted to keep the catalytic converter, because I didn't want to remove all restrictions. The picture below shows where I chose to cut:
Step 6) Start sawing at the pieces. We used a sawzall to get in there.
When you're done sawing, remember to knock out the debris left behind. There'll be lots of metal shavings, and you don't want to leave those behind.
Step 7) Hammer the piece you cut out earlier to match the muffler. This will take some trial and error. Buddy used a screwdriver set underneath the piece to make some of the bends. He got it perfect.
Step 8) Clean the edges of the places you cut with a metal wire brush attachment for your drill. This will shave off the factory black paint, and clean the surface in preparation for welding.
Step 9) Spot weld the piece back on. This is to hold the piece in place, and also allow you to make any last minute adjustments.
Buddy used a MIG welder.
Step 10) Weld the rest of the seams once all adjustments have been made. This is what we got:
Pretty gnarly right?
Sand it down with the angle grinder, using a grinder wheel (instead of cutting wheel).
This is what you'll get:
Step 11) Wipe the welded area clean. Use acetone if you have it. Get yourself a can of high-temp Rusto-leum paint.
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Tape off the surrounding area with newspaper and scotch tape/painter's tape. This is so areas that don't need painting won't get an unnecessary coat of paint. This is what you get after painting:
Lookin' pretty good.
Let the paint dry for 30 minutes. Put the exhaust back on the bike. Make sure your header gaskets are still there! Mine fell out, and it was a ***** to put them back in while wrestling with the exhaust. We found that a little dab of caliper grease helped keep the gaskets in place.
Step 12) Start your bike up, and check for any leaks on the headers. We were lucky. The headers were seated correctly in 1 try.
We hand tightened the nuts, although if you wanna be picky, 14 ft-lbs is the factory torque rating. Torque it slightly above 14 ft-lbs, because you want to crush the gaskets a little more than usual to make up for the fact that it's already pre-crushed from the factory.
Step 13) Annoy your neighbors and go for a 30 minute ride. This is to heat up the paint. Allow the bike to cool completely, and then repeat the process one more time.
This is to cure the paint.
That's it!
Video is coming soon on how it'll sound. But for now, just know that it sounds like a banshee high on drugs. It's angry, and it's pretty loud. At 60mph, you can still hear it ever so slightly.
It also barks now when downshifting. There's a very noticeable burbling sound as you engine brake.
All-in-all, badass.
So here it is. The stock exhaust mod how-to, with pictures. Done the hard way. I will not be going into deep detail (such as what socket size to use), because frankly this is a pretty advanced mod that involves cutting and welding, and if you don't have a bunch of tools handy, don't do it.
Credit for actual work done to the bike goes to Drew, my friend. I'm no welder.
Step 1) Remove fairings and exhaust headers. I will not go into detail here, because it's pretty straightforward, and has been covered many times over now.
Basically, it's 8 nuts on the headers, and 2 bolts on the exhaust hangers. Allen key wrench to remove fairing.
Step 2) Once you have removed the headers and exhaust hanger bolts, this is what you'll get.
Turn the exhaust upside down, so that the bottom is exposed. I chose to cut it from the bottom, in case my buddy ****ed it up (he didn't). Set it on a piece of cardboard to avoid scratching the chrome tip and the headers.
Step 3) Mark where you'll cut. To determine where to cut "safely", use your fingers and tap the muffler. Where the baffles are, it'll sound solid. Otherwise, it'll sound hollow. We chose to perform surgery on the middle baffle chamber.
Double check your work. Measure twice, cut once, as they say.
Here you see where my buddy marked it. You'll see he actually marked a little too far earlier, so he drew another line. Hence, double check your work.
Step 4) START CUTTING! We used an angle grinder with a cutting head attachment. Be careful not to push down hard, or you'll cut into the baffle walls. Just be gentle. Take your time.
The muffler is actually insulated with a fiberglass material on the outside walls. Below this layer of fiberglass, is another perforated metal layer.
My buddy used a screwdriver to pry the sucker open, because the area we marked had a spot weld right in the middle that held the piece to a baffle wall. Rock it back and forth, it'll eventually pop off. You might want to use an angle grinder to grind off the area, so it'll be smooth for mounting/welding later. See pic below.
Once you're done cutting and have pried it open, this is what you'll get.
Another angle:
Step 5) Decide how much flow you want, and where you'll cut. I wanted to keep the catalytic converter, because I didn't want to remove all restrictions. The picture below shows where I chose to cut:
Step 6) Start sawing at the pieces. We used a sawzall to get in there.
When you're done sawing, remember to knock out the debris left behind. There'll be lots of metal shavings, and you don't want to leave those behind.
Step 7) Hammer the piece you cut out earlier to match the muffler. This will take some trial and error. Buddy used a screwdriver set underneath the piece to make some of the bends. He got it perfect.
Step 8) Clean the edges of the places you cut with a metal wire brush attachment for your drill. This will shave off the factory black paint, and clean the surface in preparation for welding.
Step 9) Spot weld the piece back on. This is to hold the piece in place, and also allow you to make any last minute adjustments.
Buddy used a MIG welder.
Step 10) Weld the rest of the seams once all adjustments have been made. This is what we got:
Pretty gnarly right?
Sand it down with the angle grinder, using a grinder wheel (instead of cutting wheel).
This is what you'll get:
Step 11) Wipe the welded area clean. Use acetone if you have it. Get yourself a can of high-temp Rusto-leum paint.
Tape off the surrounding area with newspaper and scotch tape/painter's tape. This is so areas that don't need painting won't get an unnecessary coat of paint. This is what you get after painting:
Lookin' pretty good.
Let the paint dry for 30 minutes. Put the exhaust back on the bike. Make sure your header gaskets are still there! Mine fell out, and it was a ***** to put them back in while wrestling with the exhaust. We found that a little dab of caliper grease helped keep the gaskets in place.
Step 12) Start your bike up, and check for any leaks on the headers. We were lucky. The headers were seated correctly in 1 try.
We hand tightened the nuts, although if you wanna be picky, 14 ft-lbs is the factory torque rating. Torque it slightly above 14 ft-lbs, because you want to crush the gaskets a little more than usual to make up for the fact that it's already pre-crushed from the factory.
Step 13) Annoy your neighbors and go for a 30 minute ride. This is to heat up the paint. Allow the bike to cool completely, and then repeat the process one more time.
This is to cure the paint.
That's it!
Video is coming soon on how it'll sound. But for now, just know that it sounds like a banshee high on drugs. It's angry, and it's pretty loud. At 60mph, you can still hear it ever so slightly.
It also barks now when downshifting. There's a very noticeable burbling sound as you engine brake.
All-in-all, badass.
