Ok, I read the "how to" on the Delphi Knowledge Base but I didn't really understand it all which made me a little hesitant about attempting this mod. I was already at stage 1 (screens drilled) but I wanted more sound. I like the looks of the factory pipes and the heat shields are the best so I desided to give it a shot.
First you have to drill the 3 rivets and remove the exhaust end cover. Next I bent the flange of the end of the pipe back with pliers so I could access the pipe for cutting. The Delphi instructions say to cut the flange with a Dremel, but it is very thin. Bending it is much easier. Next get a sawz all (recipricating saw) with a good quality metal cutting blade and cut off the pipe. It worked better for me cutting from the bottom for some reason. Don't waste your time trying to cut the pipe straight, you'll be removing it anyway.
Be sure to protect your chrome. I applied a few layers of duct tape to protect the edges so the saw wouldn't damage it.
Here's the flange after is was bent for access and cut off:
Here's what it looks like with the flange removed:
At this point I drilled 8 23/64" holes (that's the biggest my drill holds. Punched and pilot hole drilled first) in the baffle caps but there really wasn't that big of a sound difference so I got a 3" bi-metal hole saw and started cutting the outside of the baffle cap. I wasn't really sure how far back to cut but I'd say go back around 1/2" or so. I didn't have a 1 1/2" hole saw that would work (mine was too shallow) on cutting out the inner part so I drilled 8 more holes inside of the ones I already drilled. From there I got a chisel and popped the pipe loose. So keep in mind, at this point I have basicly just drilled all the way around the baffle cap. There it is with the inner pipe loosened up:
This is where the work and cursing comes in, but it's not that bad though. You know when you cut the baffle cap with the 3" hole saw? That was to make it thin enough to rip it out. Yes rip it! Bend it, pull it, pry it..but it will pop loose. Some people have elected to use a slightly smaller hole saw to just cut a large diameter hole in the end cap...but this leaves the outer ring. Either way is fine I'm sure.
Now the pipe that is left there in the center is welded on the far end. It has to be broken loose but the only room you have to move it is the inner diameter of the pipe. I grabbed an old wood paint roller extension and crammed it up in the pipe and started bending. Go up and down, side to side. When it is ready to come out you will hear a "pop". That is when the metal has broke loose from you bending it back and forth. It may take 5-10 minutes but don't give up! Here's what you have when it comes loose:
Now I'm baffless and it sounds pretty good. Not too loud but at least I can hear the exhaust at highway speeds rather than knocking, whining and whistling. I was scared it would really be loud but it's not....about right I'd say. It really helped me in traffic. The bike was so quiet that noise around me made it difficult to judge RPMs for clutch release and take off. Now it's no problem. No processor needed for just a de-baffle but if you change the air intake, you will need one. You might also want to think about marbling the reeds to reduce popping on decel. I didn't but some people have. The bike runs the same and I swear the MPG has improved.
Oh and here's the scrap pile left over:
Not that it really needed it but I did like everybody else and scuffed the inner pipe and gave it a shot of high-temp black paint:
Total time about 1 1/2 hrs and 6 beers. Oh, be sure to have a strong magnet on hand. There will be a bunch of metal shavings!