straight thru (unbaffled) pipes? any ideas?

philby

hi guys im stuck here in the p.i. with horrid sounding standard pipes-just bought the bike.im toying with the idea of running straight thru pipes....just worried about them being TOO loud! however theres absolutely NO noise restrictions here in backwardland....is this possible? or will it stuff the tuning up due to less back pressure?(if back pressure is needed on a 4stroke)....also whats the deal with the balance pipe...is this needed? or can it be done away with for better sound? any input greatly appreciated! thanks....

mo650chopper

I run open pipes, always have, yes they are loud! I originally just cut off my stock mufflers, including the crossover pipe. The pipes, on my 80 at least, were pretty short and offered no real back pressure. I since installed the Mac pipes from MikesXS and they are much better. You will need to some jetting changes as well because of the improved flow.

Wulf

Straight thru pipes may sound better (to you) but will drop the performance. The Mac pipes are a great solution, look great, sound great and aren't that expensive.
Wulf

philby

thanks for the imput guys.. ill consider that option.i dont really want them all that loud- just real thumpy!..gotta deal with a clutch issue first....

Wulf

I find excessively loud pipes about as appealing as the idiots with the
(c)rap music blasting next to me at a traffic light or driving thru the neighborhood at 2am. Don't get me wrong, I like a good strong sound but some of these idiots need to be pimp slapped repeatedly untill they return to reality. Ok, off my soapbox.
Wulf

philby

sorry wulf... the only reason im considering this is because im stuck in a little village in the philippines and my pipes arent too s*** hot.theres only one bike shop here and they sell scooters, (they actually thought the bike was brand new!)..there isnt a decent muffler shop for even cars here- without travelling on a beat up old ferry for 11 hrs. even then youd be risking the bike stolen by th ferry/dock workers. youd have to take the bike to a muffler shop there (as theyd have to make them up.). im hoping the pipes on th old girl will last out another 2 months till i get back to aussie, where i can buy a decent set then....

Wulf

Understood. Are the pipes rusted out or you just want a better sound?
Wulf

philby

sorry wulf..just got to to internet shop- been away ridin! found a solution-i cut about 2.5" off the ends of the pipes. theyre stock pipes, not rusty, but have had repairs done before rechroming. this modification has made them sound ALOT better and arent too loud! looking from behind they look like something from ROAD WARRIOR! all ive got to do is weld a little stainless plate to deflect water from entering the chambers at the base of the silencers.

Wulf

Sounds good, do you have any pics ? Give me a shout.
Wulf

xsjohn

Just an Idea for you guys with the straight pipes. Years ago when I had a 650 BSA Hornet 66 I used a thing called a snuff-or-not. It fit near the end of the pipe and had a washer with about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch hole in it and fit about 1/8 or so from inside the pipe. It had a knob and spring on the outside of the pipe extending through a hole in the pipe so you could turn the washer to position the washer closed for those guiet times and then turn the washer sideways for those terriorizing moments. Kept me and my neighbors happy. Old Yamaha Mechanic John Underwood

brinkdw

philby you still in P.I. ? I was stationed their many years ago. Those Filopino's can make you any kind of pipes you want. I had several bikes when I was their. They can put Jeepney pipes on there if you want that sound. Hopefully I'll retire over there. Laughing

scott · Full Member Joined: Mar 13, 2007 Posts: 19

im trying to get rid of mine. i love the sound they make, but my neighborhood hates me. and im on pretty good terms with them haha. if anyone wants them let me know. im looking to replace them with something with more baffling. but not toy quiet.

Irish · Full Member Joined: Jun 12, 2007 Posts: 250

scott wrote:

im trying to get rid of mine. i love the sound they make, but my neighborhood hates me. and im on pretty good terms with them haha. if anyone wants them let me know. im looking to replace them with something with more baffling. but not toy quiet.

What do they look like?

chazz

i run a stainless straight through sytem on my chop,love the noise hate the nieghbours Laughing

Tomterrific

Plain pipe exhaust will actually increase backpressure as unintuitivly as that sounds. It's actually reversion as a straight pipe has undamped pulses bouncing back and forth. There is one rpm where the pluses are strong in the right direction but it takes much calculation and experimentation to get it right. A muffler damps those pulses and most bikes will run better with a muffler.

The best mufflers are those that quiet the most for the least increase in back pressure. Almost always these are large straight through absorbtion type. These just happen to be the best sounding. Smaller bodied straight through mufflers sound good but the smaller the body the louder they are.

I'm an old guy who bought his first bike in 1967. My tastes are honed from desiring every type of bike ever made but certain bikes and styles stand out. The finest looking and sounding exhaust for a vertical twin is Norton Commando Peashooters. These must be the real type Peashooters which are straight through. You can get straigh through Peashooter replicas from different companies, Like EMGO. The Mac pipes are long enough and have a perfect angled kick up at the end to put the Peashooters at the rakish angle they need for looks. 650central.com sells an anti reversion cone for the Mac pipes. This may be the perfect exhaust system for an XS650.

Tom Graham
Columbus, Ohio

chazz

my pipes,and no it aint an oil leak Very Happy

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650