Exhaust mods

[dave011182]

Reading up and getting ready to put some stacks on and probably some Grumpy's tips. I want to change the tone without adding too much volume. I still want the wife to ride with me. I have been reading on exhaust mods and not been able to figure out exactly what the ranger cut is, could someone point me in the right direction or explain?

Also thinking about trying to dissect the canister and remove the dividers between the individual cylinders and reassemble keeping the baffles to essentially make a 6 into 2 exhaust, any recommendations?

[Hoser]

The ragner cut is pretty radical, most folks cut the piggies first, drill the rear baffles next, drill the front baffles, next the ragner cut.  I stopped at piggies and rear baffles with grumpy's tips, and it sounds like a porche.  Just the stacks, tips and piggies sounds great too, just a little more quiet than mine.  The stacks alone is way different than stock.  My advice is one step at a time, and stop when the wife likes it.  Hoser  

[dave011182]

Thanks Hoser, I currntly have piggies cut and baffles drilled, not sure about the front baffles though. Picked up the system on the bike now for a steal on craigslist just so I could preserve my virgin/unmolested system that was on my valk when I picked her up last fall. You have confirmed my thaughts that the stacks and tips alone would change the sound I already have thanks.

[Bob E.]

Thanks Hoser, I currntly have piggies cut and baffles drilled, not sure about the front baffles though. Picked up the system on the bike now for a steal on craigslist just so I could preserve my virgin/unmolested system that was on my valk when I picked her up last fall. You have confirmed my thaughts that the stacks and tips alone would change the sound I already have thanks.

Smart man! 

[Hoser]

You will love it with the addition of the stacks and tips!  It really does sound like a porche, I couldn't be happier.  Hoser
 

[BF]

Reading up and getting ready to put some stacks on and probably some Grumpy's tips. I want to change the tone without adding too much volume. I still want the wife to ride with me. I have been reading on exhaust mods and not been able to figure out exactly what the ranger cut is, could someone point me in the right direction or explain?

Also thinking about trying to dissect the canister and remove the dividers between the individual cylinders and reassemble keeping the baffles to essentially make a 6 into 2 exhaust, any recommendations?

If you drill the front baffles, you'll have to do a little carb work.  You can do the Ragnar cut and leave the front baffles untouched and still have a way meaner tone without having to mess with the carbs. 

All about the Ragnar cut.......

http://luiscajiga.com/Exhaustm.htm

http://luiscajiga.com/Exhaustm2.htm

My bike with the piggies cut and the rear baffles drilled.....

Honda Valkyrie - LED turn and tag light modifications	powered by Aeva

My bike with the Ragnar cut.....

Honda Valkyrie - after Ragnar Cut	powered by Aeva

[Momz]

Why not just buy a used set of Cobra pipes (with the baffles ofcourse) and try them. If they are too loud for your tastes then you can resell them (maybe at a profit) and you'd still have your quiet OEMs if noise is a problem.

[Master Blaster]

I believe the best all around is the glasspack mod keeping the rear baffle set undrilled.  You can use these to slide in the stack behind the glasspacks to tone things down when needed.  I used to do mine with screw on adapters so you could run sans mufflers, glasspacks, or straight pipes inside the stacks, was a very versital system, but you had to keep the threads coated with anti sieze or they would sieze togeather and were a bitch to get apart.  With this system you could set up with different length or core diameter glasspacks for just the sound that suited you.  Adding the rear baffle  slide in set made a good system great.

[Jess Tolbirt]

here is what i did, i did the stacks with packs mod, sounded great but was a little loud but dam it sounded good,, then i cut 7 and a half inches off the back of the stock pipes and slid them into the stacks like mentioned above,,,PERFECT!!!!

[dragon_slayer_129]

Here's mine with the glasspack mod and a set of grumpy's tips installed to complete the look.

Before:


After:


The 4" truck stacks with the shortie glasspacks had a little drone out on the highway so I modded them with a little shadetree baffle that slides in the pipe and does quiet it down a bit.

Before the baffles:

'01 Valkyrie Interstate 4" Truck Stack Exhaust	powered by Aeva

After the baffles:

'01 Valkyrie with 4" truck stacks.....shadetree baffles and Grumpy's Tips Installed	powered by Aeva

With the baffles installed it's not to bad out on the highway....yes I know the video has a glitch in it...didn't notice that till after I upped it to youtube.

truck stack baffles installed	powered by Aeva

Dragon Slayer 129

[BF]

Also thinking about trying to dissect the canister and remove the dividers between the individual cylinders and reassemble keeping the baffles to essentially make a 6 into 2 exhaust, any recommendations?

PM member fudgie.  I think he's done something like that to his......basically wacked off the last 4 or 5 inches of his cans and put the stacks back on leaving the front baffles intack (at least I think he left the front baffles in there).   

[BigAl]

Here's mine with the glasspack mod and a set of grumpy's tips installed to complete the look.

Before:


After:


The 4" truck stacks with the shortie glasspacks had a little drone out on the highway so I modded them with a little shadetree baffle that slides in the pipe and does quiet it down a bit.

Before the baffles:
'01 Valkyrie Interstate 4" Truck Stack Exhaust

After the baffles:
'01 Valkyrie with 4" truck stacks.....shadetree baffles and Grumpy's Tips Installed

With the baffles installed it's not to bad out on the highway....yes I know the video has a glitch in it...didn't notice that till after I upped it to youtube.
truck stack baffles installed

Dragon Slayer 129

My Old Bike still sounds good.

[eric in md]

Here's mine with the glasspack mod and a set of grumpy's tips installed to complete the look.

Before:


After:


The 4" truck stacks with the shortie glasspacks had a little drone out on the highway so I modded them with a little shadetree baffle that slides in the pipe and does quiet it down a bit.

Before the baffles:
'01 Valkyrie Interstate 4" Truck Stack Exhaust

After the baffles:
'01 Valkyrie with 4" truck stacks.....shadetree baffles and Grumpy's Tips Installed

With the baffles installed it's not to bad out on the highway....yes I know the video has a glitch in it...didn't notice that till after I upped it to youtube.
truck stack baffles installed

Dragon Slayer 129

My Old Bike still sounds good.

little al miss it dont ya??? you can always come back ya hear .. 

[dragon_slayer_129]

That's right Al I'm taking good care of my new baby......your old baby

Gave her a fresh oil change (rotella t6) and a factory oil filter to keep her purring all summer long.  The new shock bushings really did make a difference in the ride.

PS: I did get the new shift shaft seal the other day but I haven't replaced it yet  

Dragon Slayer 129

[dave011182]

Thanks for all the info, I'm gonna start with just a set of stacks and see what affect that's gives me first.

BF your valk looks great all finished . The stacks with the tips are a nice touch. Black always looks good, but I'm still getting used to how easily it makes everything show. Did you change your stacks, you had slash cut tips in your videos and other pics I've seen in your posts previously?

[fudgie]

Also thinking about trying to dissect the canister and remove the dividers between the individual cylinders and reassemble keeping the baffles to essentially make a 6 into 2 exhaust, any recommendations?

PM member fudgie.  I think he's done something like that to his......basically wacked off the last 4 or 5 inches of his cans and put the stacks back on leaving the front baffles intack (at least I think he left the front baffles in there).   

I had the pigs cut and rears drilled. Few yrs ago I wanted to add the stacks so I did cut 3" off the entire can. With the stacks it sounds great. They can hear me a few miles down the road. Wish I would have cut more, but oh well.

[BF]

Thanks for all the info, I'm gonna start with just a set of stacks and see what affect that's gives me first.

BF your valk looks great all finished . The stacks with the tips are a nice touch. Black always looks good, but I'm still getting used to how easily it makes everything show. Did you change your stacks, you had slash cut tips in your videos and other pics I've seen in your posts previously?

Yep....took off the old extensions/stacks and replaced them with a set of 18" stacks from AirFlow and then put the Grumpys tips on them. 

http://search.store.yahoo.net/yhst-62818268114394/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=yhst-62818268114394&query=valkyrie&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.airflo.com%2Fnsearch.html

Still had bad drone.  Put in a set of "silencers" from these people that Chillerman had recommended......

http://shopping.rexmar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=silencers-inline-insert

Here's the thread started by Chillerman talking about those silencers and drone. 

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,40398.0.html

[dave011182]

Thanks for all the info, I'm gonna start with just a set of stacks and see what affect that's gives me first.

BF your valk looks great all finished . The stacks with the tips are a nice touch. Black always looks good, but I'm still getting used to how easily it makes everything show. Did you change your stacks, you had slash cut tips in your videos and other pics I've seen in your posts previously?

Yep....took off the old extensions/stacks and replaced them with a set of 18" stacks from AirFlow and then put the Grumpys tips on them. 

http://search.store.yahoo.net/yhst-62818268114394/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=yhst-62818268114394&query=valkyrie&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.airflo.com%2Fnsearch.html

Still had bad drone.  Put in a set of "silencers" from these people that Chillerman had recommended......

http://shopping.rexmar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=silencers-inline-insert

Here's the thread started by Chillerman talking about those silencers and drone. 

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,40398.0.html

Do you still have your old extensions? Do you just replace the factory tips with them instead of all the covers like you would with a set of 36 in stacks?

[BF]

Yep.....Just take off the factory tips and put the 18" extensions on.  They don't come with mounting holes already drilled in them though......you'll have to do that yourself  (at least mine didn't come with any holes).

And yep....still got the old bologny cut tips.   

[dave011182]

By the pics it looks like 18" extensions would give the same look as the full 36" stack, just with a seam like with the factory tips.

If I were to cut the last few inches from the canister it should sound the same as the ranger cut since they essentially both remove the rear baffle completely just in a different way, but cutting the end of the canister would require full length stacks since that is the are where the tips attach too? But cutting the end off would leave me the option to reuse the rear baffle assembly as a silencer when wanted.

Either way I need to evaluate my right side bag where it had to be previously repaired, it does contact the heat shield all the way at the back where it drops down behind the stock exhaust tips. Hopefully this isn't going to be an issue, otherwise I'll have to see what i can do with it when I get around to removing all the paint and starting over from scratch. Professionally painted my a** . That was a large part of the reason I purchased the factory bags that I did, instead of going with a set of Tsukayu bags.
I guess starting with some extensions would be a less expensive way to start, and see if it really would be an issue.

[BF]

By the pics it looks like 18" extensions would give the same look as the full 36" stack, just with a seam like with the factory tips.

If I were to cut the last few inches from the canister it should sound the same as the ranger cut since they essentially both remove the rear baffle completely just in a different way, but cutting the end of the canister would require full length stacks since that is the are where the tips attach too? But cutting the end off would leave me the option to reuse the rear baffle assembly as a silencer when wanted.

Yep....I'm pretty sure the 18" extensions come out at the rear the same as the full 36" steacks do.  

If you cut the ends of the canisters off then yes, you're right....you won't have any screw holes to mount extensions onto and you'll be forced into using full length stacks.  

You could salvage your baffle sections to reuse at a later date if you wanted to, but if needed, member MarkT sells silencers (refurbed baffle sections) ready to install.  



Read this thread for silencer options and the discussion about using them (both MarkT's and aftermarket (ligihter weight) silencers).....and drone.  You'll want to investigate drone before you cut anything.  

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,40398.0.htm

If you're not familar with drone, it is the resonance created in the empty space in the stacks/extentions from the end of the exhaust can to the outlet of the extention.  That's why mother Honda put the piggies on there in the first place.....to get that exhaust out to the end of the tips so the drone wouldn't magnify inside the extensions and drive you nuts.  If you ride with a helmet that covers your ears and/or you have any level of tennitus (and maybe even if you don't), you'll really be affected by the drone.  


btw.......I'm pretty sure I remember reading that fudgie has done pretty much what you're talking about already (cutting the entire end of the can section off) and using full length stacks.  You might want to pm him to ask direct questions about the hows and whys of what he did.  Also, I don't think he's affected by drone much....but that's mostly because he doesn't ride with a helmet or anything that covers his ears. 

[dave011182]

I have noticed a difference between my stock exhaust that is hanging in the attic and the set on the valk with the cut piggies and rear baffles drilled. I also noticed a difference after installing the tourer bags, seems to have increased (thinking the exhaust exiting under them is causing more sound to came back at me). Was hoping that putting on some extensions or stacks and moving the exhaust exit further behind would help, but it doesn't sound like that will be the case.

BF are you saving the slash tips for anything?

[BF]

I have noticed a difference between my stock exhaust that is hanging in the attic and the set on the valk with the cut piggies and rear baffles drilled. I also noticed a difference after installing the tourer bags, seems to have increased (thinking the exhaust exiting under them is causing more sound to came back at me). Was hoping that putting on some extensions or stacks and moving the exhaust exit further behind would help, but it doesn't sound like that will be the case.

BF are you saving the slash tips for anything?

Sent ya a pm. 

[dave011182]

Over th weekend I put a shorter windshield on for the warmer weather, and could barely har the exhaust notes. Upon investigation it appeared my baffles were only drilled to about 3/8 incn. Got out he drill last night with a locking extension and step bit and verified the weren't even 1/2. Moved on the the next bit and took them full bore at 3/4. WOW , what a difference  while in the garage at idle. It was late and I had a couple cold ones making my boat ready for summer so the test ride was delayed. I DON'T mix drinks and riding . I'll repot on the difference when the sky isn't black.