Maiden trip of 200 miles.

[Area51]

Hi All . First post here. Picked up a XJ yesterday from a Craigs list post , and made a trade of an extra vehical I had . The Guy lived in Keota Ok , and I live in Branson Mo . So we met in Alma Ar. at a gas station right off I 40 . He had all the paper work and reciepts fo all the work he had done to the bike as he reported he did on c list. It was good to see it rolled in under its own power, taking a little bit of pressure of me dealing with an Unknown Bike , It was About a 45 min freeway drive for him . But He didn't fair too well as he sufferes from a back injury , but wanted one last ride with his friend in a PU truck following .
We chatted and looked over the trades for a whle, Then we went for a extended test drive . All seemed Up to par with the bike . Purred right to life with a touch of the starter , No weard tendicies , Ran out very well , brakes good, All the lights and stuff worked . So Now I face a 200 mile get to know ya ride to get back home . Still a bit leary of a unknown bike.
My trip took me North on 540 to Springdale Ar, then east 0n 412 to Hwy 65 North to Branson . Now , 540 has been desiginated a senic freeway .. That means....desolate.... no services not even a bill board And a 60 mile treck . So here we are about 30 miles into no where Just purring right along, and the baffle Shoots out the tail pipe ! It went from Purrr.... to Did I just die ..in point 2 nano seconds ! MY GOD it was earth shattering loud ! After I got composure , and her slowed down and stopped I went maybe 1/2 mile. Got off and checked out what happened. To my releaf I saw it was just the baffle, and not the entire header . So I doubbled back 3 times looking for it . The noise was eye ball bluring . No luck with the baffle , tall weeds on the side of the road , It could be anywhere submurged in the grass, but I'm sure a bush hog will find it .
So off we go To Hwy speed I'm just supprized my ears wern't bleeding . It was horrable ! I got to Springdale and Decided I cant hang with this So I looked for a Yamaha shop in a phone book ...None . And I was next door to an O Reilliy. So I went in, hopping to cobble / Mcgiver something togather to shut this beast up. And Chris the store manger went up and beyond to help. We found a car exhaust tip that Just fit in the megaphone and would clamp but not as secure as it could have been , so I would have to watch it. It did quiet it down just enough to not cause dizziness .
Well all good So I jump on and fire up , Its getting kinda late and i want to get home befor dark. i get a half block away and the bike starts stumbeling all over it self , ...then dies ...in traffic .. OMG ! have i Killed the bike running a uncorked header??? Why? ...WHAT! Then I notice ...I never turned he Damn Petcocks back on when i left the store . Hard choked it and it roared back to life ...and so did my heart ...
So the rest of the trip back home was Noisy, but Un eventfull .
All in all the Bike really never missed a beat And I do have confidance it it . I spent the better part of the day Checking Bolts and nuts . Found nothing loose at all , And Now I'm looking to build or Buy a baffle having No Clue what it looks like inside the pipe . This Motor really likes the Back pressure because with out it it pops and sputters like a Dirt race car going into turn one when you bearly get off the gas. It didnt do that with the baffle in .
So if anyone has some baffle info for a 4 into 1 header ( brand unknown) My ears would be in your debt

[mikubuilder]

Mike XS

you could try to weld this http://www.mikesxs.net/product/07-0016.html in...

[Area51]

Thank You Nick. 94 millimeters = 3.7007874 inch OD The pipe is 4 inch at the Tip and funnels down so it should slide in a little ways Before it seats . Then I can locate holes and through bolt it ...with 4 stainless steel bolts and lock nuts . This aint gonna happen again .
Any info On the back pressure This motor seems to like ? Have I done Any dammage to the motor ?

[BA80]

Post a picture of your exhaust and maybe someone can come up with something.

Having a rally in San Antonio over Memorial Day weekend. Come on down and get some tips and info.


Don't forget to turn on the gas.

[Area51]

Hey! thanks for the invite ! But I'm going to a flyin and national competition for powered paragliders in Ft Smith that weekend ( Just down the road ) from where I bought the bike LOL !
Petcock is burned into brain now . None of my former bikes needed this proceedure . ...learning

[Poprock]

A quick fix that might require a reducer is to get a new take off Harley muffler and mate 'er up. They can be plentiful and low buck, they're well made and the back pressure should be about right. Or a muff off a sport bike like a GSXR. There's one model of that that has a light weight can the dual sport guys like on DR 650s. R1 can is good too but they're bulky and kinda heavy. Put an octy back on there you can forget the petcocks.

[WSL91]

Hi All . First post here. Picked up a XJ yesterday from a Craigs list post , and made a trade of an extra vehical I had . The Guy lived in Keota Ok , and I live in Branson Mo . So we met in Alma Ar. at a gas station right off I 40 . He had all the paper work and reciepts fo all the work he had done to the bike as he reported he did on c list. It was good to see it rolled in under its own power, taking a little bit of pressure of me dealing with an Unknown Bike , It was About a 45 min freeway drive for him . But He didn't fair too well as he sufferes from a back injury , but wanted one last ride with his friend in a PU truck following .
We chatted and looked over the trades for a whle, Then we went for a extended test drive . All seemed Up to par with the bike . Purred right to life with a touch of the starter , No weard tendicies , Ran out very well , brakes good, All the lights and stuff worked . So Now I face a 200 mile get to know ya ride to get back home . Still a bit leary of a unknown bike.
My trip took me North on 540 to Springdale Ar, then east 0n 412 to Hwy 65 North to Branson . Now , 540 has been desiginated a senic freeway .. That means....desolate.... no services not even a bill board And a 60 mile treck . So here we are about 30 miles into no where Just purring right along, and the baffle Shoots out the tail pipe ! It went from Purrr.... to Did I just die ..in point 2 nano seconds ! MY GOD it was earth shattering loud ! After I got composure , and her slowed down and stopped I went maybe 1/2 mile. Got off and checked out what happened. To my releaf I saw it was just the baffle, and not the entire header . So I doubbled back 3 times looking for it . The noise was eye ball bluring . No luck with the baffle , tall weeds on the side of the road , It could be anywhere submurged in the grass, but I'm sure a bush hog will find it .
So off we go To Hwy speed I'm just supprized my ears wern't bleeding . It was horrable ! I got to Springdale and Decided I cant hang with this So I looked for a Yamaha shop in a phone book ...None . And I was next door to an O Reilliy. So I went in, hopping to cobble / Mcgiver something togather to shut this beast up. And Chris the store manger went up and beyond to help. We found a car exhaust tip that Just fit in the megaphone and would clamp but not as secure as it could have been , so I would have to watch it. It did quiet it down just enough to not cause dizziness .
Well all good So I jump on and fire up , Its getting kinda late and i want to get home befor dark. i get a half block away and the bike starts stumbeling all over it self , ...then dies ...in traffic .. OMG ! have i Killed the bike running a uncorked header??? Why? ...WHAT! Then I notice ...I never turned he Damn Petcocks back on when i left the store . Hard choked it and it roared back to life ...and so did my heart ...
So the rest of the trip back home was Noisy, but Un eventfull .
All in all the Bike really never missed a beat And I do have confidance it it . I spent the better part of the day Checking Bolts and nuts . Found nothing loose at all , And Now I'm looking to build or Buy a baffle having No Clue what it looks like inside the pipe . This Motor really likes the Back pressure because with out it it pops and sputters like a Dirt race car going into turn one when you bearly get off the gas. It didnt do that with the baffle in .
So if anyone has some baffle info for a 4 into 1 header ( brand unknown) My ears would be in your debt

I'm getting ready to swap out the left pipe on my XJ for cosmetic reasons for a better XJ pipe I have stashed and may have a solid left muffler for sale.
John

[daveyg]

Go to Photobucket.com and create an account, its free, take a few pics of the bike with a digital camera or cell phone and upload to your Photobucket account, then copy and paste the IMG code Photobucket generates for each pic and paste them in the reply box on here. Chances are someone on here will recognize your exact brand of exhaust, which may narrow down the possibility of finding the perfect fit baffle. Plus we all just enjoy seeing pictures of a nice bike!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Area51,

Pull your spark plugs and check their color, if they are BONE WHITE, then the bike may not be jetted properly even for the 4-1's which possibly should have been a little richer. But with the baffle gone, it's flowing more and will be more lean, hence the popping, but 4-1's and most aftermarket pipes will usually cause some DECEL popping, but otherwise will run and work fine.

Since the bike kept running, then you haven't burned a hole in your pistons... yet! You'll want to get that baffle fixed, but still will want to check your plugs to ensure you're not running too lean.

There weren't too many brands of aftermarket pipes for these machines...and lots of folks got them AFTER their OEM's rusted thru or were damaged in a fall/drop. Jardine, Kerker, MAC....were the more common brands, Jardine are fancy looking...called spaghetti because they bend alot in their 4-2 sets, but you've got a 4-1..can't recall if they still had prominent sideways bends before going into the collector? The Kerker's usually had a nice nameplate on the muffler. The Macs were also offered by JCWhitney with no nameplates, in chrome and black ceramic. I've got the JCW/Macs on mine, and my baffle fell out once on mine, and yes, it was an immediate ear blasting sound, but I was able to stop and find mine and put it back in with a better nut/bolt combo! It's about 8-12" long and then end was actually a large plate that sealed up the end of the megaphone muffler.

Here are a few photos of mine that you can use to compare.


Mac advert photo:


Here's a photo I can find that shows the end of the muffler/megaphone, you can see the newer bolt and such!



T.C.

[Area51]

Hey thanks for all the info. I'm building one in stainless steel That will be Bullet proof and through bolt the megaphone tip ...4 times ! It must be a mac because there is no name on it at all . I'll pull a plug in the morning and see whats going on.
I dont have Digital cam capability at the moment and my cell is just a cell phone . But I'll try to get something up soon.

[daveyg]

Ya I forgot that MAC is the most common nameless exhaust. And like TC stated, my Kerker is badged quite noticeably, almost obnoxiously, the Kerker badge is darn near as big as the YAMAHA tank badge lol.

[Area51]

Here is a drawing of the baffle I made . Does anyone See anything I may need to do differently ? Like pinch the end closed and drill holes in the tubing ?
I have not welded it up yet , But i did tape it up and clamped it in with vice grips and made a quick test run , Seemed to stop the decell popping for the most part. Still does a little popping but not loud . And it did quiet it down overall pretty well but still sounds good .
When I pulled the plugs today, running with what I had the spark bar tips were white -ish but the barrels were black. What should I expect to see on the plugs if my baffle is doing its job correctly

[TopCatGr58]

Well,

The MiksXS New Baffle is an interesting design, but can't tell exactly how it's designed?



Here's an example from JC Whitney's catalog of a more traditional baffle, note the louvered pattern of the tubing!



As to your plugs, the INSULATION around the center electrode is supposed to be an offwhite, tan type color....the grounding electrode is usually gray or such. Black around the base ring of the ground electrode is common, but the center electrode should not be totally black. See the tech tips, there's a photo illustration of plugs and what they should look like for proper tuning vs. improper.

T.C.

[Area51]

I got it welded up and installed today ,and it seems to do a real good job. The power rolls on even better I think, and the decell popping is all but gone . What pop it does is very minor and only a few times after extreme aceleration and getting off the gas while moving . Sitting still and goosing it, dosn't pop at all .
It goes into whisper mode at about 35 to 40 which is kinda neat .
I can bearly hear the motor over the wind noise . But gas responce is instant, 35 to 70 is just a second or 2 away
The insulators were all a tan color TC . A shade or two lighter than a brown paper grocery sack .