Complete De-baffling of VN 900 Exhaust

[HoopleHead]

For you guys that keep asking for videos of how this mod sounds, there's a before and after video at YouTube - Vulcan 900 Custom Debaffled
You can compare that with V&H on the 900 at YouTube - Vulcan 900 custom w/ vance & hines slashcut staggereds and the Cobra at YouTube - Vulcan 900 Custom Cobra Slashdowns (de-baffled)

I think the Cobra sounds amazing, but you have to take into consideration that different cameras were used and they probably don't have the same audio recording capabilities. You won't be unhappy, no matter which you choose.

[CycleDude]

+1,000

[HoopleHead]

OK I wouldn't post this except there might be another inept person doing this mod. I didn't quite grasp the concept that I shouldn't remove the outer ring after pulling the baffles out and I buggered them up to the point I had to hide them. Measured the diameter of my inner pipe and went to the hardware store to find a sink basket as suggested in one of the other sites... found one the exact size plus a few hundredths of an inch and crammed them in there... tapped them into place right at the back of the chromed part to hide the buggered rings. Of course to me, it looks like sink strainers stuck into the exhaust, but maybe if you didn't know that was what it was, you might think it's meant to be there. I didn't paint, but might do that someday. Looks pretty ok tho.

[HoopleHead]

Just as a follow-up to let you know the results: Painted the innerworks and the sink basket thing is now pretty much invisible and if you did see it you wouldn't know what it was without being told. It did REbaffle the exhaust somewhat and quietened it down just a bit, which was good. I can drill out the holes a little larger to fine tune if I decide to do so. I'm glad I did this.

[gatorleg]

I am a testament that any idiot can follow directions. I just spent a couple of hours debaffling my 08 Vulcan 900. Holy sh!@ What a difference! I only got one completely debaffled (I'll be doing the other one this weekend when I return from my trip), but the difference is amazing. Yes, it is quite a bit louder, but I love the tone. It sounds deep and rumbly just like everyone says and I'm already happy I did it! The directions are spot on, but the 3" hole saw thing was painful. I think I might find a 2 3/4 in hole saw before I do the other one and leave the metal ring instead of trying to pull off the baffle cap. Otherwise, the directions given at the beginning of this thread made it easy! Thanks for posting them and if we ever meet Predfan, I owe you enough beer to cover the cost of the Cobra Dragsters I won't be buying now! For all you mechanical retards out there, have no fear, I am one of you and if I can do this (I am a medic by trade), then any knucklehead who can read and understands pictures can do this.



Gator

[predfan2001]

Glad you like the sound Gatorleg...I could use the beer now though. With the gas shortage here...I hate to make a beer run .

I have thought about aftermarket pipes since I damaged mine....but an old friend of mine came by work today on his 900 LT with Cobras....I'll stick with my de-baffled, slightly scratched up pipes. The Cobras have a not so deep-cracky sound to me. Mine aren't as loud...but the tone is better.

Maybe I'll find some of those new flat black factory pipes someday to debaffle.

[gatorleg]

If I didn't have to answer to my old lady, I'd drive over to Tennessee just to bring you beer! Yeah, I dinged my pipes up with the sawzall, but not terribly (the sound is worth the scratches...nobody's going to be looking up my tailpipe when its blowing 90 decibels in their face anyway), I figure I'll probably paint them black, which should cover or at least hide the scratches, but I don't think I will be purchasing aftermarket pipes at all now. Thanks again!

[predfan2001]

Well my damage came from mine falling over in a parking lot...I was overly careful with the sawzall. Be careful parking on an incline if you lower your bike! It's a terrible feeling to see your 900 fall over from 50 feet away!

[sbg8r]

Originally Posted by predfan2001

Glad you like the sound Gatorleg...I could use the beer now though. With the gas shortage here...I hate to make a beer run .

I have thought about aftermarket pipes since I damaged mine....but an old friend of mine came by work today on his 900 LT with Cobras....I'll stick with my de-baffled, slightly scratched up pipes. The Cobras have a not so deep-cracky sound to me. Mine aren't as loud...but the tone is better.

Maybe I'll find some of those new flat black factory pipes someday to debaffle.

I want to hear the bub jug's, I think they have a deeper rumble

[Meanstreak69]

When you say complete debaffle, is there nothing left in the pipes after the goat bladder?

When I debaffled mine there was still the baffle holder, and a couple of screen plates in the pipe after the goats bladder?

But I have a VZ1600 Marauder.

[bobkat]

I think when we say "complete debaffle", we mean taking the baffle out instead of just drilling holes in the end cap. We actually took the baffle out of the end pipe, check out the pics at the beginning of the thread.

[Meanstreak69]

Originally Posted by bobkat

I think when we say "complete debaffle", we mean taking the baffle out instead of just drilling holes in the end cap. We actually took the baffle out of the end pipe, check out the pics at the beginning of the thread.

The baffles are out, but there are baffle holders still in the pipes & two screens in each pipes after the goat bladder, those must of been left in.

From the pictures above the baffles look very much the same.

[HoopleHead]

Dang, man... no offense but look at the title of this thread and at least look at the pictures so you notice we aren't talking about 1600's.

[Meanstreak69]

Originally Posted by HoopleHead

Dang, man... no offense but look at the title of this thread and at least look at the pictures so you notice we aren't talking about 1600's.

I know your taking about 900's, the insides of the pipes are not that much different.

[Seadog1967]

[HoopleHead]

I checked with ou8alizzard, who took his pipes apart to do the mod, and he verified there's nothing left in there except the outer band that holds the baffle. No screens. Just follow the pictorial instructions and you're there, just as dozens of us have done. And remember, if it comes out louder than you wanted, I have a cheap and easy partial rebaffle that works great.

[Meanstreak69]

Originally Posted by HoopleHead

I checked with ou8alizzard, who took his pipes apart to do the mod, and he verified there's nothing left in there except the outer band that holds the baffle. No screens. Just follow the pictorial instructions and you're there, just as dozens of us have done. And remember, if it comes out louder than you wanted, I have a cheap and easy partial rebaffle that works great.

Oh, in the 1600 there is the outer band that holds the baffle and two screens behind the outer band. When you say the outer band, are you taking about a holder for the center baffle, looks like a round circle that holds the baffle in place? Or something else

[HoopleHead]

Originally Posted by Meanstreak69

Oh, in the 1600 there is the outer band that holds the baffle and two screens behind the outer band. When you say the outer band, are you taking about a holder for the center baffle, looks like a round circle that holds the baffle in place? Or something else

On the 900 there is one solid piece at the outer end, the one you see in the pictures where predfan drilled multiple holes in it (that's stage one and two of the delphi instructions). That's spot welded to a RING that is in turn riveted and/or spot welded to the outer wall of the pipe itself. You remove the back portion, leaving the ring in place and then there's nothing else remaining but the catalytic converter and the exhaust pipe (the part with holes along its length in the pics of the parts he removed). You wiggle the end of the exhaust pipe up and down, back and forth for about 10 minutes and eventually the weld integrity breaks down and the pipe pops loose and the whole thing comes out. Of course I never looked up the pipes with a flashlight to see what was ahead of that, but I assumed it was welded directly to the cat and the header.

[ou8alizzard]

the way I did mine the only thing left is the cat it dumps right into the chrome outer right after the cat no other piping tubes or screens

[BoWevil]

Why do you have to do all the drilling if you use the 3" hole saw to cut through the back part of the exhaust??? Or am I (as usual) missing something??? Oh and do you have to remove the pipes to do this mod or can it be done on the bike???