jay21112
Registered
OK, I've been busy this weekend (as anyone whose been on the board has noticed since I started like 6 new topics...)
I did a bunch of service to the bike and a few home-grown mods....the last of which I have to post about is the exhaust.
A while ago I had read a thread on how ThrasherFox modded his exhaust by cutting the midpipes to essentially get rid of the mufflers and lose 16 pounds (I weighed them....8 lbs each). I forgot where the thread is, but basically you measure 6 inches up from where the midpipe attaches to the header and put a mark on the bottom of the midpipe. Then you measure 9 inches up on the top and mark it. Take the pipes off the bike, make the cut (slanting from 9 inches on the top to 6 inches on the bottom) and bolt the suckers back to the bike.
I had asked ThrasherFox how loud it was and he said it was loud but not obnoxiously so....I now call him a liar. haha... because OMG is it loud. I truly don't know how long I will be able to keep the bike like this. For the only reason being that I can just imagine what is going to happen the first time I roll by a cop. That'll be 1 ticket and the reason to beg someone for their stock exaust...but until then I will love every minute of what I have....because it sounds like a fricken dream.
Just starting the bike up is like a sonic boom, and then sitting there as it idles is like a race car with huge cams. And acceleration at any speed....be it from 1-2 mph or 70-120 mph it sounds like a freaking lion roaring through a megaphone. I cannot even describe it. All I can say is go to your bike and unbolt everything behind the exhaust. Start it up and rev it a bit. Now imagine that sound through a resonance tube (which is bacially what the midpipes have become). Open headers sound mean, but harsh. Putting the cut midpipe on takes the harshness away and gives the exhaust a better tone.
The ONLY times it isn't "arrest-me I'm a fricken criminal" loud is when you are going at a constant clip (not accelerating, but crusing at constant speed) or when you are deccelerating with the clutch pushed in. During these 2 times the bike is louder.....but not too noticable. However, start it up, let it idel, accelerate, or even deccelerate and you'll hear it......in china.
I also took off the rear peg/exhaust hangers. I never liked the look of them and I think I can get away with having a passenger rest their feet on my legs or pegs (I've seen it done before...that's where I got the idea). So, to clean up the rear, I took them off and ordered a smoothie tail from catalystracingcomposites.com (it does not have a cutout for the rear hangers) and I'm going to install that with a tiger racing undertail in order to lower the rear of the bike.
Now...To note, this weekend I also did the small airbox mod, removed the valve at the bottom and sealed the airbox, installed a BMC Race air filter, and sealed the ram air tubes (cheaply...with duct tape). Also I dropped 16 lbs by taking off the mufflers and another 3 or so lbs by taking off the exhaust/rear peg hangers. (I didn't weigh these) So when I say that the bike is faster....it isn't from just cutting the exhaust. However....the bike is NOTICIABLY faster. The acceleration is markedly improved. I had cleaned the seat (with armor-all) and when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd on the highway I nearly fell off the bike. haha. But yeah, no joke, I actually FELT the difference in the bike.
So, all in all, I am in love with this mod. The bike both sounds and performs better. Less weight and less restriction (air). I hope to the lord above I don't get pulled over for it and have to fix it...but those are the chances we all take.
EDIT: Forgot to mention I removed the PAIR this weekend as well and have purchased a PCRIII and will tune for the new mods. ThrasherFox said he rode for a long time with the PAIR on and without tuning the bike, and no harm came from it. However since you have to remove the PAIR for any full system I decided to do it just in case, and I will feel better with a tune now that I have a lot more air coming in and a little more air leaving the bike.
On to the pics!!!
I did a bunch of service to the bike and a few home-grown mods....the last of which I have to post about is the exhaust.
A while ago I had read a thread on how ThrasherFox modded his exhaust by cutting the midpipes to essentially get rid of the mufflers and lose 16 pounds (I weighed them....8 lbs each). I forgot where the thread is, but basically you measure 6 inches up from where the midpipe attaches to the header and put a mark on the bottom of the midpipe. Then you measure 9 inches up on the top and mark it. Take the pipes off the bike, make the cut (slanting from 9 inches on the top to 6 inches on the bottom) and bolt the suckers back to the bike.
I had asked ThrasherFox how loud it was and he said it was loud but not obnoxiously so....I now call him a liar. haha... because OMG is it loud. I truly don't know how long I will be able to keep the bike like this. For the only reason being that I can just imagine what is going to happen the first time I roll by a cop. That'll be 1 ticket and the reason to beg someone for their stock exaust...but until then I will love every minute of what I have....because it sounds like a fricken dream.
Just starting the bike up is like a sonic boom, and then sitting there as it idles is like a race car with huge cams. And acceleration at any speed....be it from 1-2 mph or 70-120 mph it sounds like a freaking lion roaring through a megaphone. I cannot even describe it. All I can say is go to your bike and unbolt everything behind the exhaust. Start it up and rev it a bit. Now imagine that sound through a resonance tube (which is bacially what the midpipes have become). Open headers sound mean, but harsh. Putting the cut midpipe on takes the harshness away and gives the exhaust a better tone.
The ONLY times it isn't "arrest-me I'm a fricken criminal" loud is when you are going at a constant clip (not accelerating, but crusing at constant speed) or when you are deccelerating with the clutch pushed in. During these 2 times the bike is louder.....but not too noticable. However, start it up, let it idel, accelerate, or even deccelerate and you'll hear it......in china.
I also took off the rear peg/exhaust hangers. I never liked the look of them and I think I can get away with having a passenger rest their feet on my legs or pegs (I've seen it done before...that's where I got the idea). So, to clean up the rear, I took them off and ordered a smoothie tail from catalystracingcomposites.com (it does not have a cutout for the rear hangers) and I'm going to install that with a tiger racing undertail in order to lower the rear of the bike.
Now...To note, this weekend I also did the small airbox mod, removed the valve at the bottom and sealed the airbox, installed a BMC Race air filter, and sealed the ram air tubes (cheaply...with duct tape). Also I dropped 16 lbs by taking off the mufflers and another 3 or so lbs by taking off the exhaust/rear peg hangers. (I didn't weigh these) So when I say that the bike is faster....it isn't from just cutting the exhaust. However....the bike is NOTICIABLY faster. The acceleration is markedly improved. I had cleaned the seat (with armor-all) and when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd on the highway I nearly fell off the bike. haha. But yeah, no joke, I actually FELT the difference in the bike.
So, all in all, I am in love with this mod. The bike both sounds and performs better. Less weight and less restriction (air). I hope to the lord above I don't get pulled over for it and have to fix it...but those are the chances we all take.
EDIT: Forgot to mention I removed the PAIR this weekend as well and have purchased a PCRIII and will tune for the new mods. ThrasherFox said he rode for a long time with the PAIR on and without tuning the bike, and no harm came from it. However since you have to remove the PAIR for any full system I decided to do it just in case, and I will feel better with a tune now that I have a lot more air coming in and a little more air leaving the bike.
On to the pics!!!
