making the muffler louder

[blackdawg]

hi guys need some tips,on my 1980 xs1100 special i have a 4 into one.when i bought the bike it had a header on it.sounds nice.its getting some holes in it,so it has been patched a few times.i bought another used exhaust the pipes and the muffler.i have to move a bracket hanger on it.now can i take anything out of the muffler to make it a little louder as it looks like a stock one.or i'am i wasting my time.blackdawg

[egleaves]

I have a 4 to 1 with a Kerker megaphone style pipe. Last year the baffle rusted out and fell apart inside the muffler and now it's loud as hell. I haven't been able to get the end cap off of the muffler to do anything about it, so the baffle is still laying inside.

I probably should have re-tuned the carbs after that happened, but all I've really noticed (besides the sound) is an increase in top end power. Oh yeah, and sometimes when I hit a bump it sounds like someone hit me in the tailpipe with a rock.

[rekievit]

I have thought about removing my baffle, but i was worried i might have to readjust the carbs too much.
Sounds like it might work and worth a shot.

[Pat Kelly]

I have a 4>1 RC Eng exhaust. When I got it it had no baffelling at all, empty megaphone can. It was loud (duh).
I installed a fiberglass wrapped baffle and installed that in the muffler. Still loud.
Bought 10 SuperTrapp discs (4") and an endcap. Nice mellow tone and better power than the open exhaust. (side note, the bike has an 1196 kit and had 125 main jets).
Got 10 more discs by accident (they were supposed to be 3") and put them on. Louder, but not as bad as the empty muffler.
Now it has 10 discs and 120 main jets. Fairly quiet and runs great.
Louder does not equal faster. It's not safer either, just annoying to those behind you. Yes loud does impress young people but everyone else knows better. If loud was safer then my insurance company would lower my premiums with straight pipes.

(see my signature for disclaimer )

[Ivan]

If you have a 4 to 1, and want loud, just run the header only. It'll make your ears bleed.

[GaryF]

I to have a kerker on my sh
its to quiet with the fiberglass wrap on the baffle so I take it out
my baffle also fell inside the megaphone same as egleaves
I would not have bothered getting
it out but the sounds that were coming up from below were freaking me out
I pulled the megaphone off and used a broom handle to push the cap out of the megaphone
then began a series of failed attempts to place the baffle back on the cap
I would use some sort of adhisive and the thing would be floating around by
time I got home from 1 ride
finally finding my answer in JB WELD they sell it at most parts stores
its been 2 years and its still on

[fredintoon]

Loudnerizing

hi guys need some tips,on my 1980 xs1100 special i have a 4 into one.when i bought the bike it had a header on it.sounds nice.its getting some holes in it,so it has been patched a few times.i bought another used exhaust the pipes and the muffler.i have to move a bracket hanger on it.now can i take anything out of the muffler to make it a little louder as it looks like a stock one.or i'am i wasting my time.blackdawg

Hi Blackdawg,
I got a busted off Dodge Dart torsion bar, it's 2 feet long with a fat hex on one end and a jagged torsion failure point on the other. Or you could use a piece of rebar. Pound it into muffler to punch the baffles out. Do it right on the bike. Works real easy to loudnerize the exhaust note but if the noise is too much afterwards there's no backsies on the procedure, you have to spring for new mufflers.

[CatatonicBug]

Works real easy to loudnerize the exhaust note but if the noise is too much afterwards there's no backsies on the procedure, you have to spring for new mufflers.

I just love the technical terminology in this one!!

[skids]

Removing the baffles will send you directly to carb hell!

[andysutt]

I've tinkered with mine lately.

I want the throaty sound of a HD bike or the sorts, not a crotch rocket.

I ran it w/ open 4 into 1 header... sounded good at idle, crappy rest of time.

I had a problem getting the baffle out also, but one good bang against a blanket laying on the floor (not to damage the part) got the baffle out

I ran it w/o a baffle, sounded terrible.

I cut one of the baffles off and sounded decent, but has a rattling sound at certain RPMS.

I've seen some pics pictures of pipes on these bikes, that look like the new style pipes off of Yamahas, Suzukis, etc... but dont know what they are exactly or what would even fit our bikes

[CatatonicBug]

I've tinkered with mine lately.

I want the throaty sound of a HD bike or the sorts, not a crotch rocket.

I imagine that is going to be rather tough, since these bikes ARE crotch rockets. At least they are the grandfathers of the modern ones anyway. Gonna be hard to get that low, "thup, thup, thup" sound out of a bike that runs 4 cylinders happily at 5k RPMs too.

[dbeardslee]

Before I bought Betsy I was looking at an old KZ750 that had blown the baffles out. The guy had taken a spin-on oil filter (of the appropriate diameter), cut the end with the hole in it off, and welded it inside the muffler. It was louder than one with baffles, but not as loud as a wide open pipe. The little hole provides enough restriction that it might not cause jetting issues. Not saying this is what you should do, but it was one guys fix. JAT

[andysutt]

I imagine that is going to be rather tough, since these bikes ARE crotch rockets. At least they are the grandfathers of the modern ones anyway. Gonna be hard to get that low, "thup, thup, thup" sound out of a bike that runs 4 cylinders happily at 5k RPMs too.

Yes, I am aware of the "grandfather to crotch rocket"

I don't necessarily have to have the thup thup thup, but don't like the resonation that i get sometimes...

[fredintoon]

Ain't gonna happen

I've tinkered with mine lately. I want the throaty sound of a HD bike or the sorts, not a crotch rocket. - - -

Hi Andy,
the pulses are against you. The XS11 is a straight four which fires regularly. A Harley is a 45º V-twin which fires irregularly and only has half the cylinders.
No way can one be made to sound like the other no matter what is done to the mufflers.
No! Wait! There is a way! Muffle the XS11 down to absolutely quiet then get a sound system that broadcasts a recording of a Harley exhaust note.

[dbeardslee]

Andy - Pod filters will change the sound, but you can also wind-up with jetting issues. I was amazed at the difference it made on mine - much more thumpy note. But you're right, trying to get an inline four to sound like a v-twin could be a problem. I'd be worried that, if I got it to sound like one, it might run like one too .