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Anything to improve sound of stock exhaust?

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    #1

    Anything to improve sound of stock exhaust?

    Have an 81 GS400L, and I was wondering if there were any little things I could do to the exhaust to make the motor sound a bit more throaty without having to shuck out the bucks for new exhaust pipes or rejetting the carbs?

    I've heard of people modifying exhaust piles by drilling holes in the pipes or removing baffles, but I always thought once you monkey with the exhaust in any way, you then need to re-tune the carbs with a dynomometer.

    Any theories or suggestions, or am I stuck with the plain old factory chirp that my motor does now?
    Tags: None
    #2
    Chirp? You mean like a KLR 650?


    Life is too short to ride an L.

    Comment

      #3
      I have heard some exhaust systems that have been drilled. They sound like CRAP.

      Save your money for doing it properly, or maybe even consider leaving it STOCK.
      Not everybody likes louder pipes, and a lot of them are driving bigger weapons than ours.

      .
      sigpic
      mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
      hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
      #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
      #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
      Family Portrait
      Siblings and Spouses
      Mom's first ride
      Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
      (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

      Comment

        #4
        V&h 4-1

        Buy a new exhaust and change the Main Jets...getting ready to do mine and can't wait.

        Doing anything "shady" to your exhaust just opens up problematic symptoms you'll have to figure out anyway.


        Ed
        GS750TZ V&H/4-1, Progressive Shocks, Rebuilt MC/braided line, Tarozzi Stabilizer[Seq#2312]
        GS750TZ Parts Bike [Seq#6036]
        GSX-R750Y (Sold)

        my opinion shouldn't be taken as gospel or in any way that would lead you to believe otherwise (30Sep2021)
        Originally posted by GSXR7ED
        Forums are pretty much unrecognizable conversations; simply because it's a smorgasbord of feedback...from people we don't know. It's not too difficult to ignore the things that need to be bypassed.

        Comment

          #5
          In my limited experience, slightly loud-ify-ing (it's a word, ask Guff) the exhaust does not require re-jetting.

          Just don't do what I did with my 1971 CB350: lug it. Mine had the stock pipes and innards, just the very end pieces (silencers?) removed. It still didn't sound tough enough for me, so I'd put it in fourth or fifth gear and pull it right off idle. Not smart.

          PS This guy who's smarter than Albert Einstein just told me how to travel around the universe faster than the speed of light. Sheet! That must make my 1100 Suzuki look like it's standing still!
          1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

          2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

          Comment

            #6
            Originally posted by Rob S. View Post
            Mine had the stock pipes and innards, just the very end pieces (silencers?) removed.

            Can I remove those silencers without affecting engine performance or needing to re-jet the carbs?

            I wouldn't mind losing those exhaust tip cone things. I always felt like they were some kind of antique blunderbuss sticking out of either side of my bike.

            How does one go about removing those exhaust cones?

            And for the record, I'm not trying to make it louder, just want it to sound different.

            Comment

              #7
              Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post

              And for the record, I'm not trying to make it louder, just want it to sound different.
              Wind it out.


              Life is too short to ride an L.

              Comment

                #8
                Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post
                Can I remove those silencers without affecting engine performance or needing to re-jet the carbs?
                No.


                Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post
                I wouldn't mind losing those exhaust tip cone things. I always felt like they were some kind of antique blunderbuss sticking out of either side of my bike.
                Maybe should have chosen a different bike?


                Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post
                How does one go about removing those exhaust cones?
                First, unbolt the rear footpegs, the same bolts hold the mufflers.
                Next, remove the eight bolts that hold the header pipes to the engine.
                Then remove the entire assembly, you might have to loosen the joint in the crossover pipe first.
                Yep, they are ONE PIECE from front to back, unless you break out the Sawz-all or the blue-tipped wrench.


                Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post
                And for the record, I'm not trying to make it louder, just want it to sound different.
                For the record, drilling holes in mufflers or removing parts of them WILL make it louder.
                And it will definitely sound 'different'. Not necessarily pleasing, but it WILL be 'different'.

                .
                sigpic
                mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                Family Portrait
                Siblings and Spouses
                Mom's first ride
                Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by fyarl666 View Post
                  Have an 81 GS400L, and I was wondering if there were any little things I could do to the exhaust to make the motor sound a bit more throaty without having to shuck out the bucks for new exhaust pipes or rejetting the carbs?

                  I've heard of people modifying exhaust piles by drilling holes in the pipes or removing baffles, but I always thought once you monkey with the exhaust in any way, you then need to re-tune the carbs with a dynomometer.

                  Any theories or suggestions, or am I stuck with the plain old factory chirp that my motor does now?
                  Buy a bigger bike.

                  1980 GS1000GT (Daily rider with a 1983 1100G engine)
                  1998 Honda ST1100 (Daily long distance rider)
                  1982 GS850GLZ (Daily rider when the weather is crap)

                  Darn, with so many daily riders it's hard to decide which one to jump on next.

                  JTGS850GL aka Julius

                  GS Resource Greetings

                  Comment

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