[98741]

I had the OE set of mufflers from my old XC so I decided to play with them. I got this from a guy with a Honda I met along time ago, I just drilled out the inner plug but also drilled 4 small holes onthe inner and outer side of each muffler and also through the inner center pipe, sound like a little louder than stage one with an almost HD potato type sound. No pops or back fire at all.
I just called it the submarine mod because it looked like a submarine with the little holes in them. I just installed one side to try it will install the other and will go on a spin if it stops raining. when I started one side I kept on drilling through the inner pipe so it went through the opposite side.

 

[jenkins]

Now, that is interesting! 4 holes (or as many as you want) and I would want to drill from the bottom. Any sound clip available? Jim

 

[98741]

Now, that is interesting! 4 holes (or as many as you want) and I would want to drill from the bottom. Any sound clip available? Jim

I was going to do the holes from the bottom but decided on the sides, Thinking that the heat shield would act like a reflector and add to the sound. I took a test ride and sound fantastic when you open it up. My thought was to also do another two sets of holes on the bottom and try it also, then what I was thinking was tap each hole and use screws to tune the sound the way I like it.
In my younger days I competed in car stereo comps and had plenty of experience in tuning systems and sub woofer boxes. I thought I could apply the same idea. I did tap the holes and tried different holes plugged and the idea of tuning the noise worked. The tone and behavior and quality also changed during riding. I will drill the other sets of holes next weekend and try it all open and experiment a bit, nothing lost but time.
I only have an I phone 4 so it would suck. at Idle its louder than stage Vic stage 1 with a deeper pulse. at open throttle or just taking off I was very impressed how good it sounded.

 

[jenkins]

Do believe you have stumbled on the cats meow of DIY muffler tuning! Congrats and let us see how others feel about your idea! Jim

 

[98741]

Do believe you have stumbled on the cats meow of DIY muffler tuning! Congrats and let us see how others feel about your idea! Jim

Drilled bottom of one with 4 holes just to the sides of the weld, Battery drill died Oh well almost made it, hope to have this done before weekend. will keep posted.

 

[notaharley]

lol...... No mods 'till next year, huh?!? I knew you couldn't keep your hands off that bike! Cool idea. I bet it won't hurt performance.

 

[98741]

lol...... No mods 'till next year, huh?!? I knew you couldn't keep your hands off that bike! Cool idea. I bet it won't hurt performance.

. Correct no mods till next year just playing but if it turns out as I think it will be I will have it ready to do all the mods at the same time next spring and saved some money on an exhaust. After doing all that work on the Xc I think I will keep the mods simple my submarine exhaust ? Simple vfc III and a simple Lloydz filter and timing wheel no cams and no Pcv it will hurt less when it's time to trade up for my 50th birthday That's if they get the vision updated

 

[notaharley]

. Correct no mods till next year just playing but if it turns out as I think it will be I will have it ready to do all the mods at the same time next spring and saved some money on an exhaust. After doing all that work on the Xc I think I will keep the mods simple my submarine exhaust ? Simple vfc III and a simple Lloydz filter and timing wheel no cams and no Pcv it will hurt less when it's time to trade up for my 50th birthday That's if they get the vision updated

I am going to put the timing wheel in mine, and the VFCIII. I would like to do the cams, too, at some point. They don't look too hard to install. I ride 2-up a lot, and would like a little more torque. I'm just harassing you, by the way. If you change your mind later, you can always mod the muffler like Witchdoctors with the Cherry Bombs.

 

[98741]

I am going to put the timing wheel in mine, and the VFCIII. I would like to do the cams, too, at some point. They don't look too hard to install. I ride 2-up a lot, and would like a little more torque. I'm just harassing you, by the way. If you change your mind later, you can always mod the muffler like Witchdoctors with the Cherry Bombs.

. Too much work I can't weld I don't think he uses cherry bombs but a vented pipe inside

 

[jenkins]

Myfirstvic, Wondering how the experiment is going? Any results? Jim

 

[Monkeyman]

If you don't have holes in the bottom, the water that gets in from the side holes can't drain and will start rusting from the inside out. If you have holes on the bottom, water can get in from the road. Great idea if you can figure this one out.

 

[98741]

I was very pleased with the results, with the second set of holes I drilled on the bottom of the muffler it became a tad too loud and on idle it would pop a bit, so I plugged several bottom holes until I got the tone I wanted and the popping went away. On this set of mufflers I had drilled the in side plug out I think with this mod you get the best results without drilling the inside plug. I forced fit a plug inside from the inlet side to cover the plug I drilled out and tried it again, so much better. having the capability to tune the sound and tune the popping worked out pretty good. The worse case is I would scrap the mufflers since they were from my previous XC. I just saved my self several hundred dollars on mufflers. worth trying.
What I did was tapped each hole and found a bolt to fit as a plug. Through trial and error just played to see if plugging the holes a few at a time changed the tone and response , and guess what it did work. So Know I can say you can truly customize your exhaust, as far as performance I dont think lost anything but love the sound now.
I am going to redo them again with my XR exhaust now that I know it works and try to do a more professional looking job with the tapping and drilling of the holes for tuning.

 

[98741]

If you don't have holes in the bottom, the water that gets in from the side holes can't drain and will start rusting from the inside out. If you have holes on the bottom, water can get in from the road. Great idea if you can figure this one out.

Good question that's why my original idea was to just drill the holes on the side of the muffler that has the heat shield. I was also thinking the pressure in the muffler would constantly blow any thing out, since I am using the holes as a tuning port its like having a sub woofer enclosure and the port in front as you know when the bass hits you feel the air from the tuning port.
These are just ideas and I don't have actual facts to support what I am trying. But just using my experience in tuning car audio and speaker boxes in the same way.

 

[BehindtheQball]

I have SuperTrapp exhaust on my Kingpin, they work on the same principle only they use discs in the end of the pipes. More discs allow more sound as well as decrease the back pressure. Fewer discs, conversely, reduce the sound and increase back pressure. I like your alternative and method though, especially if you are looking for an inexpensive approach to staging your bike.
Kudos!
Ride safe,
Ken

 

[Zimbob]

This is why I like this forum, lots of smart people. LOL. Wish I would've thought of this. What size holes did you drill? Have you thought about drilling the end to see how that worked?

 

[98741]

This is why I like this forum, lots of smart people. LOL. Wish I would've thought of this. What size holes did you drill? Have you thought about drilling the end to see how that worked?

Yes I did think about the end but wanted enough holes that I can get to easy to drill and tap. I also wanted to drill through the muffler and into the center pipe and out the other side the inner pipe works like a mesh baffle because I drilled the holes through them also. I had tried drilling the holes at the end on my old judge and did not sound any where near as good as this mod.
I will get back to you on the hole size have stuff written down. I don't think its crucial the size but that its not too big, I went 1/4" But just having the capability to tune it with screws makes it a nice option. The first ride I took with them reminded me of the HD type sound but after a few miles thought it was a tad too loud for my taste, so I tried covering several holes at a time until I tuned it to my liking.
My old XC mufflers were my test mufflers I plan on doing the same to my XR mufflers just with a little more precision and more accurate drilling of the holes and tapping. them. And of course getting black screws to match the muffler.

 

[98741]

Finally finished and ended up liking the 5 hole tune setting the best, it would compare to a bit louder and deeper than stage 1 Vic exhaust. No popping or backfire what so ever, Just the sound I like. The pics show the pipes with 5 holes one pipe sanded down burs removed and painted with heat protective paint. Bottom image The top image is taped and sanded not de-brured yet. The finish result would look like the bottom image.
I picked up the Lloydz Filter and timing gear set to 4o left the O2's plugged ran fantastic and much faster and pulled harder. I intended to start mods in the fall but wanted to see if I was going to stay with my modded mufflers and I will. Very pleased with the finish and results.
.

 

[notaharley]

That is a really neat idea. You did a nice job. Thanks for sharing the idea and results. This will go down as one of the best mod ideas on the VOG. Btw-- the mufflers I've got DO have red cherry bombs welded in.....and I'm still loving them, thanks to you! I also went to Walmart and bought the best, brightest bulb they had for my XR for $25 to try out and see if it was better. Got 11k on my XR so far---noticed more power with the cold weather--looking forward to the timing gear. Thanks for great post.

 

[98741]

I think I got the same bulb you did, I have the OE replacement as a spare now. If you look at the life of the bulb its much less at least for 12 months. If it goes out go to Walmart get it replaced under warranty keeping my receipt handy. 1 month on the XR LE 2k on it yea.

 

[jenkins]

Bump! Above question still stands. Jim