anyone used the mac kerker baffle ?

[TDodge7]

i'm working out the final bugs on my xs (which is finally running right ...for now) and i couldn't help but notice how loud the kerker was now that i could actually legally go out on the street instead of just messing around in the neighborhood . which got me to thinking that it was probably time to repack it , so i went to take the megaphone off when i noticed there isn't a baffle at all . some joker tossed it out and jammed the end cap back in . well this won't do , it's just too damn loud , and this also means the previous owner strikes again , now that i've gone thru all the trouble of jetting it i'm probably going to have to re-jet again once i add a baffle , so there goes actually getting to ride this summer . me being furious aside , i'm going to need a baffle and i see mac sells one to fit the kerkers for $40 which is about all i can swing right now (just ordered a TON of parts) does anyone here use a kerker 4 into 1 with the mac kerker baffle ? and if so is it very loud ? think i would have to re jet ?

[Ivan]

Although I have not used the replacement baffle, I can say that when I went from a straight through exhaust to a set of Jardine Spaghettis, I had to jet down a couple sizes on the main jet. The extra back-pressure did make the low end more drivable. Once the main jets were configured correctly, the top end didn't suffer much. It sure did before the rejet though.

Its kinda nice to retain most of my hearing after getting on the throttle though.

[TDodge7]

ok , well i ordered one from mac , it even includes the end cap . any sound deadening is welcome , at the rpm i cruise at it's got quite a tone ....more of an ear bleeding drone , even the harley guys look at me like

[Clerek]

Check your local laws concerning bikes over 25 years. In Washington State, it is required for all vehicles to be below a certain decible and must have a muffler installed...Except if your vehicle is over 25 years old! Then the law does not apply to you.

I have straight headers that are LOUD and not illegal. I carry a copy of the law around in my wallet, just in case!

-Rick

[TDodge7]

i'm not concerned with laws , i just like being able to hear .

[Ivan]

ok , well i ordered one from mac , it even includes the end cap . any sound deadening is welcome , at the rpm i cruise at it's got quite a tone ....more of an ear bleeding drone , even the harley guys look at me like

I remember that 5k earsplitting harmonic. I don't miss it a bit.

[yamahansolo]

mine is loud from 6-8k... i thought about the kerker baffle but i didn't know ho big the hole was in the end cap???

[TDodge7]

when i get it i'll post pictures for future reference .

[egleaves]

TDogde, I have the same thing going on with my Kerker except that nobody has removed the baffle, it's just laying inside the megaphone. Something broke off on the inside when I hit a bump last year, but I can't even get the end cap off so the baffle is just laying there.

My problem isn't so much the noise as it is the lack of back pressure making tuning difficult. Don't get me wrong, a few dB quieter wouldn't be a bad thing as long as it means I can tune the carbs right.

Was there any trick to getting the end cap off, or is mine just holding on tight? I've removed the set screw from the bottom, but that thing just doesn't want to budge and I sure as hell don't want to mess up my exhaust any more than it already is.

[TDodge7]

i used a small metal cylinder (a thick spacer from something) from my nuts and bolts bucket that was slightly smaller than the hole in the end cap , there was a hole drilled thru the middle of the cylinder so i stuck a long bolt thru it , put a nut on the end , grabbed it with some vice grips , stuck it in the exhaust and yanked rearward 2 or 3 times and out came the end cap . wasn't too bad , there's a nice little lip just inside the hole on the endcap for it to grab onto . the muffler it's self tho is stuck to the header so badly it might as well be welded , good thing i don't need to take it off to replace the baffle .

[TDodge7]

ok , i got the baffle today , completely forgot to take a picture , so here


thats the stock photo of it , but it is accurate . i must say , the bike sounds awesome , and is as quiet as i wanted , it is rich at 7k which i kind of expected but i'll get it tuned . i did end up having to grind the mating surfaces a little bit because the baffle didn't want to slide in far enough at first , the bench grinder made short work of it . so to anyone with a kerker that needs a baffle think about the mac baffle , it's $40 compared to the $120 kerker replacement baffle .