Will removing baffles completely on my 4-1 hurt anything?

[gotjeepzj]

Finally got my baffles out. Unfortunately it doesn't have removable sections. It's got 3 seperate tubes welded in a staggered formation witha round disc plug seal between sections 2-3. I luved the way it sounded with no baffles (it was LOUD:-D) will that hurt anything? If so I'm considering grinding the welds securing the round disc plug to make it louder while still maintaining some back pressure 1979 GS1000L

[scotty]

look at your spark plug color. Do you know what color they were before you removed the baffels??? Too lean is not good. Sometimes removing baffels will correct a too rich condition.

[Road_Clam]

Finally got my baffles out. Unfortunately it doesn't have removable sections. It's got 3 seperate tubes welded in a staggered formation witha round disc plug seal between sections 2-3. I luved the way it sounded with no baffles (it was LOUD:-D) will that hurt anything? If so I'm considering grinding the welds securing the round disc plug to make it louder while still maintaining some back pressure 1979 GS1000L

Running straight through "drag pipe(s)" is a big no-no! Your exhaust valves need SOME backpressure to actually "cool" themselves. When you run no type of baffle, you have no backpressure, and your exhaust valves will run hot, and possibly fail. Not to mention "ear splitting" loud?!!

[onchiman]

Not to mention the damage to your ears! And everyone else's!

[gotjeepzj]

look at your spark plug color. Do you know what color they were before you removed the baffels??? Too lean is not good. Sometimes removing baffels will correct a too rich condition.

The plugs looked sooty before. I didn't run it very long just wanted to see how it sounded. What if I removed all the inards and just left the cone on the end? What that be sufficent enough back pressure? I'm gonna play with it tonight and drill some hole and see how it sounds.

[Detman101]

Running straight through "drag pipe(s)" is a big no-no! Your exhaust valves need SOME backpressure to actually "cool" themselves. When you run no type of baffle, you have no backpressure, and your exhaust valves will run hot, and possibly fail. Not to mention "ear splitting" loud?!!

Crap, I just ran mine a week like this.
Ah well, Guess my new SV-650 will be coming sooner than I expected hehe.

I didn't intend to harm the Ratbike, I just didn't have time to put the can back on this week.

Guess my "Adult" life has gotten to the point of having to own non-maintenance vehicles. No time to work on anything anymore...

Why do I get the feeling my ratbiking days are gone.

I'm gonna go find a corner to cry in now...

[HiSPL]

If you still have the megaphone part on, just sans-baffle, You are probably alright. The megaphone shape by design provides some backpressure when the exhaust pulse hits the rapidly exanding section. The pulses slow when they encounter the expansion, which in turn lets the next pulse rear-end the pulse in front of it and create a reversion (reflection) that travels back up stream.

It's not much, but in a properly designed megaphone there will be enough backpressure to prevent burnt valves....

[Road_Clam]

Crap, I just ran mine a week like this.
Ah well, Guess my new SV-650 will be coming sooner than I expected hehe.

I didn't intend to harm the Ratbike, I just didn't have time to put the can back on this week.

A week?? Don't worry, I highly doubt you even came close to harming the exhaust valves. What WILL burn valves, is improperly jetted, drag piped exhaust with extended "highway" rpm usage.

[gotjeepzj]

If you still have the megaphone part on, just sans-baffle, You are probably alright. The megaphone shape by design provides some backpressure when the exhaust pulse hits the rapidly exanding section. The pulses slow when they encounter the expansion, which in turn lets the next pulse rear-end the pulse in front of it and create a reversion (reflection) that travels back up stream.

It's not much, but in a properly designed megaphone there will be enough backpressure to prevent burnt valves....

I still have the 4-1 collector and megaphone attached. So will drilling holes hurt anything?

[HiSPL]

Drilling holes in what? The labyrinthe? It won't hurt a thing but your ears!

If you access to a welder or a few bucks for a muffler shop, why don't you make a race baffle? Use the end (or outlet) that is on the muffler right now and weld a perferated core tube to it the same length as the can. Then wrap it in fiberglass and slide it all back in. I did this with a mac system on my old 750 and it sounded pretty good for what it was....

Similar thing here--> http://www.raceratb.com/austin/car/vstrom/muffler.htm

[corndog67]

Why?

Why would you do this to your street bike? To draw attention to yourself? You are just harming the motorcycle community in general when you make that much noise, and it doesn't make it any faster. As far as harming you bike, it won't, just look at all the Harley dorks with their straight pipes.

But taking out your baffle is a bad idea.

As far as making a race baffle, are you actually going to race a GS1000L.

[HiSPL]

Actually it will wake it a itty-bit faster. Mostly it's letting the engine spin up faster and pull harder all the way to redline. If it didn't work like that then all the race bikes would have real silencers on them.

A GS with a race baffle is still a fairly quiet thing unless you really get on it. For instance my modded Mac system was quieter at <3000 rpm than my new V-Strom is with stock exhaust. When you ripped it to 10k though it was a great song....

All of this is still quieter than many of the HD super loud pipes that people are buying. Those pipes are tuned for maximum noise and not much else....

[scotty]

The plugs looked sooty before. I didn't run it very long just wanted to see how it sounded. What if I removed all the inards and just left the cone on the end? What that be sufficent enough back pressure? I'm gonna play with it tonight and drill some hole and see how it sounds.

Thats a favorite trick of mine. The aditional breathing might improve your plug color. The plug color is one of the best indicators of a happy engine.

[scotty]

Crap, I just ran mine a week like this.
Ah well, Guess my new SV-650 will be coming sooner than I expected hehe.

I didn't intend to harm the Ratbike, I just didn't have time to put the can back on this week.

Guess my "Adult" life has gotten to the point of having to own non-maintenance vehicles. No time to work on anything anymore...

Why do I get the feeling my ratbiking days are gone.

I'm gonna go find a corner to cry in now...

Straight pipes do not automatically mean no back pressure. Length of the pipi and curves also effect it

[corndog67]

Actually it will wake it a itty-bit faster. Mostly it's letting the engine spin up faster and pull harder all the way to redline. If it didn't work like that then all the race bikes would have real silencers on them.

A GS with a race baffle is still a fairly quiet thing unless you really get on it. For instance my modded Mac system was quieter at <3000 rpm than my new V-Strom is with stock exhaust. When you ripped it to 10k though it was a great song....

All of this is still quieter than many of the HD super loud pipes that people are buying. Those pipes are tuned for maximum noise and not much else....

Race bikes have baffles.