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removing baffle plate.

32K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  jzr1v 
#1 ·
any one have any suggestions as to what i should useto remove the baffle plates on my stock exhaust. and do i have to be careful as too how deep i go,is there anything on the first few inches of the pipe that i have to look out for so i dont damage it?
 
#2 ·
It takes a little time but the sound is drastically improved. You don't have to worry much about the depth. There are actually 2 plates together that will need drilled through. I had holes already drilled in mine but it is easier if you don't have any drilled.

1st - drill holes around the outside of the plate as close as you can get to the exhaust. Overlap the holes as you drill as this will release the outer portion of the plate.

2nd - Using the same method, drill holes around the inner pipe overlapping. Once this is complete the plates will come out of the exhaust

3rd - Use a dremel with reinforced cutting wheels to clean up the remaining pieces of metal.

4th - Once they are smoothed out you can give them a coating of flat black paint.

I have a picture posted at yamahamotorcycleforum.com under The Raider 1900 forum. It will be listed a few days back (2/10/09) under the heading asking if the air/fuel mixture will need adjusted after modifying the pipes.

If you need anything else please reply

Good luck
Post some pictures if you can

Mark "skinny" Graham
 
#4 · (Edited)
Sound Clip

After a couple hours of laying on the cold concrete in front of my house, I finally got the baffles out and it sounds great (set off 3 car alarms the first time riding it to work last night :lol:). I am glad it sounds so good b/c I don't have the money for a new exhaust and probably won't for a while. I used a dremel to cut them out after trying the drilling and sawzall method. FYI....sawzall was not a good idea, would not recommend it. I had never used a dremel before and was trying to get away with not buying one. I had a couple of close calls with the sawzall kicking back and hitting the pipes. Thank god I used some common sense prior to starting and wrapped the pipes for protection.

The top pipe looks pretty rough but spraying it with flat texture Rustoleum helped hide it. I went with the advice of some manager at Home Depot who told me he had removed a number of baffles in his day and that the sawzall made it easy. I just may not be skilled enough with the sawzall, but with such an obtuse tool it was not the best choice for such delicate close quarters work.

The bottom pipe is a little cleaner looking since I only used the dremel for that one, and experience and knowing what is behind the plates goes a long way.

The finish product doesn't look refined like a lot of the guys that post their mods on here, but I figured I would post pics anyways for those of you like me who enjoy doing the work themselves but are not Picaso's. It works for me, and is not too noticeable if you don't get down to look in the pipes(at least that is what I tell myself).

http://s613.photobucket.com/albums/t...sSoundClip.flv
 
#5 ·
Jordan,

Thanks for posting the sound clip. I was going to but you beat me to it. I'm like you, I priced new pipes but wanted to try this before going through with it. I'm happy with the sound and this may be my own opinion but I actually like the looks of the pipes. The only pipes I've seen that I might consider at this point are the Cobra Sweepers.

I have a question for you. After you did this mod does your bike run richer? I have noticed that the gas smell is more prominent now than before. It may be my imagination but it just seems that way.

Before I completed the mod, I actually went out to Northern Tool and purchased a saw like you had and I ran into exactly the same results. Couldn't hold it steady enough. Ended up returning it and went back to the dremel.

After hearing the sound clip, it seems like we have achieved the same sound (quite a bit lower and not obnoxiously loud)

Take care

Mark "skinny" Graham
 
#6 ·
Mark,
I did notice more of a gas smell. I have only put on about 100 miles, so unfortunately I probably won't be able to notice any change in gas mileage. Does the smell mean it is running rich? I just chalked it up to the bigger hole meaning more exhaust....I am a novice bike mechanic...and by novice I mean pretty much no knowledge at all, so my opinion on rich v. lean is not one you want to bank on.

I love the sound and am glad it worked out for you too.
 
#7 ·
CC and Skinny... thanks for info.. pics and sound clip. I have drilled and was tempted to go further. I ultimately held back due to fear of creating a mess... plus Wife wont let me spend for pipes at this time.

who knows.. now thinking its time to spend more time in the garage and open my pipes up more.
 
#8 ·
Mad...I say go for it. It is next best thing to getting the new pipes. If you use a dremel, make sure you have a bunch of cutting blades. 90% of my time was spent swapping out broken and worn down blades. I probably went through around 50. Good luck, and if you need anything let me know.
 
#9 ·
I just drilled 4 holes each pipe, 1/2 inch in dia. Sound was good and like you guys said, saved me money on having to buy new aftermarket pipes. I kind of got used to the looks of the stock pipes and my wife said it sounds better now. Of course what does she know, she just wants to make me happy, bless her heart. BTW, make sure your drill bit is sharp. I wasted a lot of time by using an old bit of mine, until I figured it was dull as butter. New drill bit, went a lot faster. Oh well, it warmed up and was laying in the sun.

Remember.... "4 wheels moves the body, 2 wheels moves the soul"
 
#10 ·
After an earlier post in this thread, I just removed the center pipes that were left in the pipes after removing the plates.

It seemed to easy to break the weld. I was expecting the pipes to be longer than they were and I was also expecting more sound but really didn't notice much difference.

I had a metal bar in the garage that fit inside of the pipe and just wiggled the pipe around until the weld broke and the pipe could be removed.

I ended up with a 4-5 inch pipe. Did I get it all or is there more inside?

Weathers warmer lets ride

Mark Graham
 
#11 ·
Mark...I'm not sure about getting it all out. I just cut the one pipe to be close to flush with the second one that was deeper in the exhaust. I did it more for appearance than sound, so I am not sure if it would change the sound at all. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
 
#12 ·
Baffle Removal

Jordan
I would like to hear your bike, but photobucket doesn't allow me in without a password, just wondering if there is a way to hear your exaust mod. I may do the same mod to my bike, but I would use a hole saw to cut out the baffles.
Thanks: Tom
 
#13 ·
Sorry Thom...try this one

http://s613.photobucket.com/albums/...tion=view&current=RemovedBafflesSoundClip.flv

Quality isn't the best since I used my camera but it gives you a good idea of what it will do. Volume is isn't much louder but the sound quality is a 100 times better IMHO. For those of us without the funds for the aftermarket exhaust, I would definitely recommend it. Hope it helps and let me know if you need anything else.

-22
 
#18 ·
All the loud noises you now here are so sweet, but at a price of a loss in torque. Big v twins need back pressure to biuld the torque that Raiders are known for. It must a trade off that your willing to make cuz you can't rerverse it.
 
#19 ·
:yikes: Is this supposed to be breaking news. Like we did not know that. I have removed baflfes from V&H pipes before and noticed a loss of torque. I put them back in. On the stock pipes I have not noticed any loss at all. I still have the cats and the rest of the system,exup etc. Anyway it is a personal choice. In my case I thought "what have I got to lose, if I do not like it I will end up with aftermarket pipes." :cheers:
 
#21 ·
I did the hole saw also, what a pain in the butt. I couldn't keep it centered. Finally cut all the way through and still couldn't get the plate out. The it finally dawned on me that I have air tools. Put the air chisel on it, cut through like butter. 10 minutes max, plus I flattened out the rough edges.
Sounds pretty good.
 
#22 ·
:helpsmilie:I gutted my pipes, and now I have a popping sound when I decelarate - any suggestions.....
Do you guys have power commanders on your bikes?
 
#23 · (Edited)
hi ,
I'm working on a 09 C50 -800 cc , trying to get baffles out using a hole saw cutting outer plate went well but having trouble with getting baffle out tried big pliers to shake it lose ,but not good so far any ideas thanks, PS i dont want to remove all the baffles just the last one in each pipe , if i remove both then i need a commander box to make it run right ,this is why i only want the rear one out . ty

ok i got it , bike sounds great loss low end take ( little ) not enough to worry about . with leaving the inner baffle in gives it great sound with out the popping so no commander box needed and in my state no problem getting the bike inspecked because i still have the inner baffles . good luck to all of you trying to get sound from your bikes , P.S. using a drill bit and a air grinder with an arbor bit works the best nice and clean job takes about 1/2 hour.
ray
 
#26 ·
:tour:Well, that turned out to be the most expensive backyard mod I've ever done ! To get rid of the popping, you had to get a Power Commander. And since PC does not come with a MAP for the gutted stock pipes, you would have to pay to put it on the dyno, unless you want to tinker with it for the next several days and throw pennies up in the air till one falls in the hole!:gaah:

So what did I do - PowerCommander V with V&H Big Radius 2 into 1 exhaust. SuperSteve was nice enough to send me a MAP, and I have the Auto Tune Module on the way !

My advice - If your not going to put an Exhaust system on - LEAVE THE DARN THING ALONE:roll:
http://www.mybikeforums.com/forums/album.php?albumid=390&pictureid=3918
 
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