custom exhaust

[jeepyj33s]

i have a 1980 gs850g and would like to make a custom exhaust for it. i will be using the stock down pipes, not sure if that's what you call them. it will be a 4 into 2 i think, it will be similar to stock. do i need the h pipe. should i just do custom mufflers. i want it to sound aggressive but not obnoxious. any ideas for baffles or really any ideas period would help. thanx

[tom203]

I call the "down pipes" "headers" , cuz they head to mufflers! Is your current exhaust system OK? Playing with exhaust usually results in tuning fun- are you prepared/experienced with this stuff?

[azr]

I've used Dunstalls before from Dennis Kirk, but you can get these anywhere.

https://www.denniskirk.com/emgo/dunstall-replica-wide-mouth-muffler-8084050.p431285.prd/431285.sku

turned out great. Nice rumble sound but nothing too loud and if I had packed the removable baffles with real baffle packing instead of steel wool it would have been even quieter. They were welded up basically where the old mufflers welded to the headers.

[hjfisk]

This is what I did , sounds awsome;




Has a real deep throaty sound to it but not load at all

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. jeepyj33s,

If you're keeping the stock headers you can certainly lose the "H" pipe (crossover), weld on some aftermarket mufflers, and fabricate a way to hang them. Sometimes you can pick up the stock Harley mufflers really cheap because the dealers have so many 'take-offs'. Or order something from one of the many aftermarket vendors.

Perhaps before you do that you may want to get your bike running well in its stock configuration so that you will have a baseline from which to work. Go through the maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome". Skipping steps or taking shortcuts can be frustrating at best, dangerous at worst.

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please Click Here For Your Mega-Welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[hjfisk]

If you keep the H pipe you wont lose the low end power which it helps to make, and you can still use the mufflers that Cliff has mentioned.

[jeepyj33s]

thanks for the replies and welcomes.
my current exhaust is ok back to the mufflers. i don't want to loose low end power. soooo..... can i make a crossover? if i do take it out how much low end we talking? can i make mufflers with some exhaust pipe and some custom baffles and some fiberglass. i really would like to build rather than buy....... you can call me cheap. i like the dunstalls but that's almost half my budget. my budget is about 400. sounds crazy huh. if i leave the current exhaust and just do homemade mufflers would i need different jets. this is all with the assumption that i would not be doing pod filters.....which i am, but i know i need jets for those. as far as prepared oh yeah for sure...experienced..... thanks for the help

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Check out THIS THREAD.

Your bike will live without the crossover. Find the cheapest mufflers you can find, make a couple of extensions with exhaust pipe to replace the crossover, clamp/weld it all up, and screw it on. Then you can deal with the jetting if necessary. While a jet kit is expensive, individual jets are not. You can shim the jet needles with washers. Taking the cheap route will take creativity and patience.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[hjfisk]

thanks for the replies and welcomes.
my current exhaust is ok back to the mufflers. i don't want to loose low end power. soooo..... can i make a crossover? if i do take it out how much low end we talking? can i make mufflers with some exhaust pipe and some custom baffles and some fiberglass. i really would like to build rather than buy....... you can call me cheap. i like the dunstalls but that's almost half my budget. my budget is about 400. sounds crazy huh. if i leave the current exhaust and just do homemade mufflers would i need different jets. this is all with the assumption that i would not be doing pod filters.....which i am, but i know i need jets for those. as far as prepared oh yeah for sure...experienced..... thanks for the help

Ok you say your budget is $400. I paid $150. for 2 sets of those exhaust cans that I used, and $8. for a short piece of pipe to attach them to the head pipes. And yes you can run it with out the H pipe but you will lose some bottom end power as I stated before. Suzuki didn't have the cross over on the earlier models but found it beneficial to ad it on latter models. What they do is help scavenge ,and draw the exhaust out of the system as each cylinder fires and discharges, it kind of creates a vacuum between the cylinders to clear the exhaust. Preventing the exhaust from backing up against the intake stroke of each cylinder. A 4into 1 exhaust works the best at WOT and makes the most HP ,But it does not have the low end -mid range power that a 4into 2 or even a 4 into2 into 1 have or create. Which is where most of us want our bikes to run the best. And a open exhaust [Open head pipes] just create noise no power. So to answer your ? yes you can run it with out the H pipe , or yes you can make a cross over pipe .

[Hakamisu]

Ok you say your budget is $400. I paid $150. for 2 sets of those exhaust cans that I used, and $8. for a short piece of pipe to attach them to the head pipes. And yes you can run it with out the H pipe but you will lose some bottom end power as I stated before. Suzuki didn't have the cross over on the earlier models but found it beneficial to ad it on latter models. What they do is help scavenge ,and draw the exhaust out of the system as each cylinder fires and discharges, it kind of creates a vacuum between the cylinders to clear the exhaust. Preventing the exhaust from backing up against the intake stroke of each cylinder. A 4into 1 exhaust works the best at WOT and makes the most HP ,But it does not have the low end -mid range power that a 4into 2 or even a 4 into2 into 1 have or create. Which is where most of us want our bikes to run the best. And a open exhaust [Open head pipes] just create noise no power. So to answer your ? yes you can run it with out the H pipe , or yes you can make a cross over pipe .

I have been looking at a custom exhaust as well, due mostly to the fact I can't afford a prebuilt 4-1. After reading what you wrote on a 4-2-1 getting better low/mid power, would it be easier to just add and bend some pipe for a 2-1 after the stock 4-2 on an 850?

Another problem is one of my current Y connectors is completely rusted through, are they hard to find/expensive?