Doesn't always go to plan !!

[Speedy1959]

Bloody hell what a Saturday I have had..
It all started with me enlarging the 2 stainless steel end covers of the original 4 into 2 silencers in preparation for the standard exhaust mod I had decided to do..
I took the end caps into work as we have benches / vice / pillar drill etc there..
The bloody hole saw that I bought which alleged it could cut Stainless steel did not cut stainless steel at all!
Pillar drill was set on the slowest speed (650 rpm I think) and the little trough in the original end cap was filled with oil..
The hole saw just about scratched the surface!
I ended up using a small 5mm twist bit and cutting about 30 holes very close together on each end plate then managed to "percussively" adjust it out of place ..
Then smoothed up the surfaces with a dremel and a mini grinding wheel..

Got home slightly chuffed that I had succeeded in this minor part of the alteration..
Started to use my hole saw on the left silencer end plate then realised the bloody hole saw I bought specially for the job was up to its maximum depth and yet still about 5mm too short to totally get through the end plate and inner plates cleanly! It was partially through but not all the way through..
I ended up bashing the partially cut end plate through with a hammer and various implements..
Bit messy I thought.. But decided it wouldn't matter when the stainless tubing was welded back into place and the stainless end cap riveted  back on....

BUT... The method to remove the original baffle assemble was to insert a rod (I used a long pry bar handle) and bend back and forth and up and down until eventually the inner weld holding the baffle breaks..
What actually happened was the end 5cms of the original baffle fractured off and left the bloody baffle still inside..

It looks a right pigs ear of a job now...

A friend of mine local to me makes motorcycle exhausts...
I rode my bike round to him and showed him my botched attempt and the "improvement" I had made..
Got to say it did sound bloody amazing but looks bloody crap at the mo..
He said leave your bike with me on Wednesday evening and "I will sort it on Thursday"..
I suppose when you make stainless systems for bikes for a living then my major problem is just run of the mill for him..

Look at the photos of my handy work and you will see why I am a little "irked"


Be warned... You need a LONG 45mm hole saw !!!

[KiwiCol]

Looks 'lovely' Simon, so, what's all this for anyway?  to get more sound out of it?

[Speedy1959]

Like one or two members on here I like the look of the original twin silencers but agree that they are just too quiet..
So this mod keeps the original look but GREATLY increases the menacing sound.. It really does sound bloody awesome !!

[KiwiCol]

Well, they're close, they're round & shiny anyway. 

Those new end pieces, how do ya put those 'dimples' in the ss sheet where the rivets go?  They look like more than your average home handyrider is up to.  Or are they the original end caps with an enlarged centre hole?

[Speedy1959]

The idea isnt mine..
Its on this forum..

http://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=1924.0


S

[grog]

A good effort i reckon Speedy. Will be good. Having a 4 into 1, which sounds good, i do prefer 4 into 2 sound. Best 14 ive heard was 4 into 3 Campbells each side. Unreal. Loud but just a great sound. Reckon hed done some baffle cutting.

[Del]

Hi Si - I feel your pain mate had a mate of a week with me bikes things I thought were going to like I planned ended up with me nearly taking a hammer to my bandit

You live and learn and what you have done now will turn out good in the end as its got to get ugly before it gets to a place you are happy with

Im really looking forward to seeing the video of this finished and with a god low growl 

Del

[Speedy1959]

Thanks Del..
I spent another 3 hours this afternoon and finally managed to fully loosen both baffles..
BUT I cannot extract them..
I fear there is a splodge of weld the other side of the plate that the baffle is originally welded to..
Went out for a couple of hours before the baffle loosening and it really does sound nice..
Will drop the silencers off with my mate and leave with him till weekend..
I hope he wont have to cut a trap door into the silencers.. Having said that I have seen him weld a stainless plate into the side of a damaged silencer and when he had finished you really couldn't tell where the inserted piece of stainless was..
He is a very skilled guy and very modest..

His company is called Asbo Exhausts.. (Great name)

[Speedy1959]

Last night I just couldn't sleep so I "got up" at 3am!
My mind was churning over thinking of a solution for removing those damned baffles that had sheared within my silencers..

I decided to take some 12mm threaded rod to work and make a sort of extractor..

[seth]

Well done buddy
Great solution can't wait to see them finished and hear what it sounds like .

[Speedy1959]

The first silencer worked surprisingly well..I really wound some pressure onto the 19mm nut then all of a sudden there was a loud crack and that damned baffle came out..

[Speedy1959]

Thank you Seth..
And thank you for all your back ground help and encouragement on this and many other issues I have had..

Beer will be coming your way at the Scotland meet up mate.

[seth]

No worries buddy
It'll need to be a rum and diet coke lol
Always happy to help and support/encourage.
Well done for sticking at it now you know how easy it you might offer an exhaust loudening service .

[Speedy1959]

Bloody hell Seth I choked on my Beer !
Fitting the oil cooler will be positively easy after this pallarva..
I will do as you suggested and do an oil and filter service when the cooler comes..
I bought a job lot of oil filters a while back on eBay..

Thanks again,

S.

[seth]

That'll be good as you'd have old and new oil in it otherwise .
I was only joking about moding other exhausts leave that many fun hours of blood sweat and tears .