1981 GS650G Exhaust

[Briandrex]

I'm in the rebuilding process and noticed that the stock muffler has a small hole in it where it ties into the header. This is on the left side while sitting on the bike. It's kind of weired since there is not visible rust or corrosion on the outside, the exhaust actually looks nice.

My question to anyone that has had a bad muffler or mufflers is what would you do if you were rebuilding? I think I have three options:

1. Replace with OEM (I'm not crazy about the look)
2. Take the mufflers off and just run straight pipes. (Will this require rejetting or any modifications to the carburetors? Is anyone on here running like this?)
3. Aftermarket exhaust (Has anybody on here done this? Any suggestions?)

I'm just playing around with ideas now as I'm in the process of cleaning/rebuilding the carbs but this question will have to be answered during the restore of the bike at some point. Thanks for any help guys.

[Nessism]

Mufflers typically have a drain hole to let water out. Sounds normal to me.

[duaneage]

Mine has one there too. Factory drain hole. Do not plug or weld it closed.

[waterman]

Second what Mr. Ness says. I have two drainholes in my factory exhaust system, located where the header attaches to muffler for the precise reason of water drainage.

As for the other questions, you could replace with OEM new for a hefty price, ebay for less if can be found. Mac and a few others make replacement aftermarket systems, there isn't a huge market for the smaller displacement bikes. I would think most do not run straight pipes due to excess noise and difficulty in tuning properly (would definitely need a thorough tuning modifications). Another possibility is to have mufflers grafted (welded) onto headers. My opinion is stay with what you have until you get it running correctly with cleaned rebuilt carbs and then decide if you want to mess with changing out exhaust.

[duaneage]

I would not recommend a MAC system, I think their quality is not that great. I had issues with a pipe for a Honda and they did not want to make good on it. V&H would be a better choice or Kerker if they make one. The GS pipes hold up better than anyone's so you can still find decent exhaust if you are patient.

[Briandrex]

I will try and post a pictures later of the exhaust header, but the hole is at the top of the exhaust muffler about midway (definitely looks like it's rusting inside out). The more I look I might be able to just replace one muffler which wouldn't be too bad.

Thaks for the replies, I will have to wait until it's running well and then see what I can do! If anyone does run straight pipes let me know as I have seen this done many times in the Metric Bike Magazines and they look rather good. They give the bike a totally different look without alot of money spent!