Drlling out exhaust

[Bill_46]

Has anyone tried diilling out their exhaust to break through the baffles?  I also ride an Suzuki Intruder 1400 and this was a common procedure to enhance sound and performance, it worked very well.  I don't want to waste big money on the aftermarket exhausts and wonder if anyone has tried to do this.

Thanks, Bill

[Turd Ferguson]

Yeah, depending on what year GS you have, there are a few places you can drill.  A lot of people will drill through the baffle with an 18" drill bit extension.  Do a search for "drilling muffler" or something similar.  There are quite a few threads about this.

Welcome to the forum!

-Turd.

[natedawg120]

i think turd meant 1/8" drill bit.  I have seen this done with 6 evenly spaced holes through the baffle of the muffler like in this paint doodle...



I am pretty sure that someone that is or used to be here did that on their bike. 

[The Buddha]

It works on an intruder, it also works on a shadow, a nighthawk 650 and quite a few other makes and models. On a GS its not that effective. You're going to have to do a slip on or similar.
Cool.
Srinath.

[oramac]

I drilled big holes all the way around the baffle at the rear of the exhaust.  Then, I filed out the metal between the holes so that the baffle was completely removed in the back. 

I really like the sound, but Alphafire, thatguy, ashman, or Rangerbrown can give a more objective opinion. 

[l3uddha]

I think he was right with the 18" extension. 18" long to drill through the baffles for the length of the can.
1/8" wide would be just a width. Drilling just the end of the can only makes the GS louder; drilling through the baffles increases airflow.... possibly.

does anyone have a side-cut pic of the exhaust (or something of the sort); so see what the baffle looks like inside?

I drilled big holes all the way around the baffle at the rear of the exhaust. Then, I filed out the metal between the holes so that the baffle was completely removed in the back.

I really like the sound, but Alphafire, thatguy, ashman, or Rangerbrown can give a more objective opinion.

is your bike insanely loud?
have a pic? 

[natedawg120]

I think he was right with the 18" extension. 18" long to drill through the baffles for the length of the can.
1/8" wide would be just a width. Drilling just the end of the can only makes the GS louder; drilling through the baffles increases airflow.... possibly.

does anyone have a side-cut pic of the exhaust (or something of the sort); so see what the baffle looks like inside?

Ahh i missed the extenshion part.  my bad

[ashman]

I'm happy with the sound on mine, Yeah its a 1/4 inch drill bit i believe throught the baffles.

-ash

[Turd Ferguson]

The picture Natedawg posted wouldn't work on my bike.  There is not enough clearance between the inner pipe and the outer part of the muffler to drill those holes.  With the newer bikes, you'd have to get the 18" extension and drill directly into the baffle.

-Turd.

[oramac]

This is the exhaust about halfway done...

[The Buddha]

The bike I have right now (coreygs -> mrdan's -> me) has the baffles drilled. My reaction is ... hhhhnnnnnnn ... big deal. Not loud enough to be heard, and not loud enough to drown the motor out, and yet loud enough and just the right kind of wrong note that it makes the motor sound that much worse ... sorta like amplifying it. Somehow it needs the mix screws run a little more open - 3.5 to 4 turns, and it has a weird misfire while closing throttle which may or may not be pipe related.
Cool.
Srinath.

[MrDan]

The bike I have right now (coreygs -> mrdan's -> me) has the baffles drilled. My reaction is ... hhhhnnnnnnn ... big deal. Not loud enough to be heard, and not loud enough to drown the motor out, and yet loud enough and just the right kind of wrong note that it makes the motor sound that much worse ... sorta like amplifying it. Somehow it needs the mix screws run a little more open - 3.5 to 4 turns, and it has a weird misfire while closing throttle which may or may not be pipe related.
Cool.
Srinath.

nice to hear someone actually describe how my (old) bike sounds.  on a mini hijack - anyone who can still get Srinath's flange with a wileyco MUST do so ... sound beeaauutiful on my (new) 89 (courtesy of srianth)

[97gs500e]

the guy who bought my '97 drilled out the exhaust, and then let me take it for a ride afterwards.  I wouldn't recommend doing it though, it sounds like a chainsaw and it feels like it lacks in throttle response. 

Just my .02 

[97gs500e]

and it has a weird misfire while closing throttle which may or may not be pipe related.

Yeah, same situation with my old bike.   The guy put decals all over it too

[The Buddha]

Dan - The choker is still in - how does it work with that. Usually people toss it at the first chance they get, and I did intend that, but there is some merit to leaving it there. I remember I dropped in a washer many many years ago into a WFO D&D I had. It made that bike run great, and I dont have a reference with and without washer to compare it to, but that same bike didn't run as well with any other pipe, and some of the others were less flow than the D&D without washer, but prolly flowed more than with that washer if it makes sense. I dunno, maybe I should do a with and without choker in a bit.
Cool.
Srinath.

[MrDan]

seems to work fine.  though there seems to be a little flutter that I notice when I'm sitting at a traffic light.  sort of like a helicopter - the whomp whomp whomp as cars go by - weird.  but that might be the fact that the front of the flange is just sitting around the pipe - not tight yet.

i need to get the high idle under control first - then i'll fix that.  back to idling at 3500 after running for 5-10 minutes.  guess i didnt fix it yesterday