Another exhaust for the S50, ideas?

W

wildruler2003

New member
Last week I put my S50 into storage for the winter. I bought the bike new this year and had it delivered with Vance and Hines Classic IIs. It took me all summer but I have finally decided I don't like them so they're coming off. For me they are just too loud. It's actually embarrassing to be in city traffic and take off from a light in a group of cars. It would probably even annoy me if I were in a car listening to that.

In addition to the loudness the bike just didn't run that good.

I'm considering the following:

  1. DrBob's modification
  2. Cobra Slashcuts
  3. Customizing a set of Screamin Eagles

DrBob's modification is cheap and the bike runs good according to reports, and we all trust Bob. I've heard a few Cobras in videos, some sound very good and others don't, but comments are that they might be quieter. Of course Screamin Eagles would be a real project. The biggest question for all of my ideas is how do they sound? I have no idea.

Does anyone have questions, comments, suggestions?

Thanks.
 
Get a set of cheap aftermarket baffles the same size as the inside diameter of your exhaust. They are held in with just one screw, so they go in and come out easily. Then grab a roll of high-temp muffler packing fiberglass from the local sport bike shop. Wrap the baffles a couple times and the exhaust will be very quiet- remove some packing a little at a time by cutting it to expose part of the baffle, until the sound is just right for you. Total cost about $30, way cheaper than new pipes. My old shovelhead was waking the neighbors each morning, but cheap baffles with about half covered with wrap worked out about right.
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:plus1:

Did that to the pipes on a Honda Nighthawk I had years ago. In that case, however, I had to plug the hole in the far end of the baffle tube too.

:bluethum:
 
Thanks Bob. I've seen those baffles before but wasn't sure they would do much. If I understand this correctly the baffle slips into the pipe which reduces the effective diameter along with absorbing some of the sound with the packing, making the overall sound quieter. But the exhaust gases still pass through the inside of the pipe, correct? If so it's starting to make sense to me. Tomorrow I'll go down to where the bike is stored and remove the existing baffles and see what I have to work with.

I wish I would have prepared for this by taking some pictures etc. I took the bike in the day before my shoulder surgery and was in a hurry. Now I sit here with a few days off and nothing to do. Hopefully riding season next year will involve less pain than it did this year.

Easy Rider, if you closed off the inside end of the baffle you must have had a different style of muffler than I'm working with here. Or maybe not, I need to take apart the one I have.

Thanks guys.
 
Maybe but probably not. I got new pipes. They came with something called a "baffle" but it really was a straight through pipe with holes punched in it, much like the picture.

It was, however, not exactly the same and what I really did was plug the pipe in the MIDDLE and wrap both ends.

If you want just a slight reduction, just the plug in the right place might be enough.
 
Those cheap baffles have the 'holes' punched out on three sides, so the metal folds into the airflow, making the gasses follow an irregular path, in and out of the holes and around the tabs. This slows the gasses, breaks up the sound waves shooting out the pipe, and quiets the exhaust. Putting fiberglass wrap wround them muffles the sound even more, turning your baffle into, well, a muffler. You may be able to just wrap the baffles you have, which would fix your problem for about $15.
 
Well I guess I have a plan. A nice feature about the V&H Classics is that the baffles do come out. I'll go to the storage warehouse in the next day or two and take out the baffles. Since I have all winter to work on this project I will probably have a couple of things ready to try.

It will be fun and will give me something to do.

Regards,
~Mike
 
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