Customize a stock race pipe?

[ElroySS]

So I took my stock overweight race pipe off in favor of a homemade eardrum destroyer. It's a real ringer for sure, but I get this suspicion that I'll get a fix it ticket here in the near future for my db levels. So what can be done to the quite overweight race pipe? I notice it's not riveted together like most pipes... Cut open, gut, pack and rivet back together?
Or is the race pipe so super awesome from the factory that it's not something worth tampering with...I'm looking to get a bit more of that Harley rumble out of it, but don't want my neighbors to think I'm the biggest asshole on the block...

[xtremelow]

Trade it to me :D as I already have a modified Race pipe, ceramic coated, chopped, J style internal pipe, I am looking to go back to the stock race pipe, here is a sound clip and a few pics.

Modified Race Pipe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ov589uvMD8)

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/520_20100210113949_L.jpg

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/520_20100210113920_L.jpg

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/520_20100410110110_L.jpg

[ElroySS]

So what did you modify inside? And looks like you chopped about 8in off of it. Mine has some dents in the belly of it. :(

[ElroySS]

Btw, I am confused by the pipe situation. Many folk have asked me if I lost power with my new pipe, as it is basically a piece of pipe off the header. But I think I gained some low end power... The only block in the new pipe is a "torque plate" its in the bend and it restricts about half the airflow in that one place. Would that be enough to help the backpressure and give me the power I believe I gained? Or am I bleeding out my ears and dazed into believing I have more power now?

[xtremelow]

It is chopped about 8" as you can see and instead of a wrapped perforated pipe, I moved the packing into the nose and have a "J" shaped pipe inside to even out the back pressure a little but not effect the sound.

Here is a pic of it in the works, rough, but in the works, everything was smoothed out and cleaned up, as you can see in the pics above.


http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/148/l_084687fea2464ccc8e2ee10713c8017c.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/119/l_4e39b353edf64fdcb6e45bdc17623b44.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/115/l_d89bf85869a04eb1982cdd8793bedd97.jpg

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/138/l_ebf6f624d2904c6e9bfcc56ec3fc24d5.jpg

[xtremelow]

PM sent

[ElroySS]

So your modded pipe doesn't use the rear brackets? No oil line thru the bracket BS?

[xtremelow]

Correct just uses the front strap. It is short enough to only need the one strap.

[theoctopus]

I don't want to be a dick and ruin a trade for xtreme, but even with a few dents your race pipe is worth quite a bit of money. I would suggest you see what you can get selling it before you commit to trading it straight across for what is basically just a modified stock exhaust (since all the internals have been changed from the original race design). I think you'd be losing out on the deal by quite a large margin.

[freak2180]

Now why would you cock block like that? If the OP wants to trade xtreme then let him. Do you have any intrest in buying the race pipe at ebay biding prices? If not back off and let these 2 handle buisness.

[xtremelow]

It is what it is he said he doesn't have the tools, time, or knowhow to do the mod himself and mine is done and ready to go. I wouldn't say my pipe is just a stock pipe hacked up since just the shell alone is worth more than a stock pipe any day of the week plus mine has all the work done. Plus I have seen Race Pipes go from cheap to crazy and back down, also he wants to modify the race pipe anyway so why waste the time? Plus IMO no modified pipe looks nearly as good as the Race Pipe when it comes to the dual outlet as the rest just look like aftermarket weld ons.

I am sure Elroy knows what he wants as I have PMed back an forth off the thread.

[freak2180]

[up]

[theoctopus]

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were here to help the entire Buell community, not just Mr. Moddy McMod over there. My bad for cockblocking. I'll make sure to take someone's user status into consideration before I help them tune, next time.

Xtreme, I appreciate your sentiments, but let's be honest. The Buell Race pipe was special because of its internals, not the metal alloy it was made out of. If it was Inconel, then maybe I'd buy your argument. Even if the shell WAS a better product than stock, you can't say that yours is worth more because you've hacked 30% of it off. It's like anything else aftermarket, it's only TRUE value is what it means to you. As soon as you put it on the market for sale, it's worth less than the real deal. I know ceramic coating and weld work isn't cheap, but it doesn't add significant value. You know that.

I haven't seen a race pipe sell for cheap in a long time. Feel free to prove me wrong.

I can appreciate that you have time and effort put into yours, and that it obviously means something to you. If the buyer wants to pick it up based on that principle alone, then so be it. I'm just expressing my opinion so as to ensure that he gets maximum protection from being dicked on a deal (which everyone, you and me included, are prone to if we don't have others looking out for us).

[freak2180]

Im just looking at it from both sides. One person wants to cut up a race pipe to mod it and the other has a race pipe the is already cut up and modded. Evidently the OP already had the idea in his head to cut up his race can......So why not save the race pipe and trade it for somthing that he might possably want. I do understand the point of watching out for our Buell brothren as there are alot out there that just dont know .....hell Im still a Noob in my mind. I had a rough morning so sorry I came across like I did ......I was only trying to make the point that a potential deal had already been started and I didnt see the fairness of derailing what had ben started.

[dave_xb12r]

I'm with theocto on this one. Someone would be getting the short end of the stick for sure. A $450 pipe is not the same as a $100 pipe.

I've stepped in and told people they should be asking for more money. I'm sure they appreciated it. It's always great to get a deal, but giving something away because you don't know what yours is worth just sucks.

It's kindof like buying something on CL cuz you think it's good, and you jump on it so you don't miss the deal. Then you get home and research to find out that you've been screwed. It's happened to me and it's not fun.

So Elroy, if you want to mod a pipe, get a cheap banged up pipe and use it. Sell your race pipe and pocket the extra cash. Just my opinion.

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

I think I'll add my cheap 2 cents here. I think the OP doesnt know what he has in the BUELL race pipe and how rare and well made it is, and most important HOW IT IS MADE that makes it so great, ..

.on a side note extreme's modded pace pipe is cool , sounds good to, please trade or buy extreme's modd pipe before anyone cuts up a race pipe to MOD it, FIXING a dent or something is ok but other wise leave it be.

by the way extreme had no choice as his race pipe was modded by the previous owner, so he just fixed what he could to make it as best as posible. see his thread. RACE PIPE UNDER THE KNIFE (http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Do-It-Yourself-Buell-Mods/Race-Muffler-under-the-knife)

.
I know I have posted this many times before but it seems that people just dont know how it is built.
as described in the pic below it has only single straight pipe with some small perforated holes and rear wall (#1)and (wall #2) with small perforated holes i ran some wire through it from front to rear it went straight through it into the rear chamber .. so its basicallly a perforated straight pipe into a rear chamber( similar to a regular XB muffler) and exits out the 2 rear exit exhaust tips.. between #1 & #2 walls is fiberglass packed...

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/1714_20100207040846_L.jpg

[xtremelow]

I agree that the Race Pipe is worth more than my pipe no doubt, but like I mentioned he wants a modified Race Pipe not a stock pipe. Then he can't do the modify himself so he would be not only paying for a stock pipe bit the labor to have someone modify it hen to get it powder/ceramic coated.

So figure a stock pipe, in good shape $100 (assume he doesn't want a trashed pipe) $100 labor to modify it, then $50 to coat it. But then the pipe isn't a modified Race pipe like he wants, and then he has to wait around for the stock pipe to get shipped to him then hacked up then coated.

Guess it comes down to whether he wants to wait it out to get the extra cash or get what he wants right away without the wait and looking around.

When it is said and done what happens happens, I am in no way worried about getting rid of my pipe since I like the look and sound. Just looking to change things up if I can.

[gbalias]

you can proudly buy a GB exhaust.


Hand crafted in the U S of A!


and youll never have to coat it! its a win, win, win!!!


lol

[upthemaiden]

I'm still slightly confused, Elroy kept calling it his stock race pipe. Could've gone either way but after reading a couple of his posts it I started to think it was just the normal pipe. Are we actually sure which pipe he has, before people get too concerned?

[freak2180]

I have no clue. Mabiee hes just saying "stock" because is a Buell part and not aftermarket.......again I have no clue.

[upthemaiden]

I don't know, that's why I was afraid to trade my stock exhaust in on a new one. I thought I might want to go back eventually, and I did, then I went back to the 2nd exhaust again. I'm sure someday I'll want to be quiet again. I'd really just like something in the middle as far as noise goes, so I go back and forth thinking one is too loud and the other is too quiet.

[xtremelow]

Not sure just assumed he knew it was a race pipe.

Either way I am throwing around the idea of just selling my pipe to see what I can get out of it.

Thinking I might be listing mine on eBay if the trade doesn't happen. Almost more curios to what I can sell mine for rather than even trading it. Dave you say $100 but I would say I can pull $250 with it. I know it isn't a virgin race pipe (to some just a hack pipe) but none the less it performs no differently than an untouched Race Pipe, just has a different sound and the shorter look.

[freak2180]

Wish I had the cash to buy your pipe extreme, but Im saving for a set of those fancy air scoops that you have.

[batman6669]

I think xtrmemes' pipe looks cool as hell and if I had 250 i'd buy it:D.

[gbalias]

i can appreciate the 'innovation' of chopping the OEM race, but

1) the second you touched it with a sawzall, grinder, drill, etc, you pretty much killed the 'value' ...of course, now that value is based on whatever someone 'thinks' its worth to THEM. this is the problem with many parts on mc and auto alike.
2) i dont think the claim can be made that it performs the same as an untouched race pipe. once the internals were changed AT ALL, the airflow, pressure, performance, all of those attributes changed.

good luck on the sale though. if you ever want a full stainless system, lemme know!

[ElroySS]

So I went out and did my homework, realize that having a unaltered race pipe isn't such a bad thing to have laying around collecting dust. Sry extreme, I wish you luck in selling your custom pipe. But I'm going to find a cheap muffler to do my mods to. Thanks for the interest.
Special shout out to Jim @JT&S performance out in sonoma.

[xtremelow]

Not a problem, I have been watching the latest on eBay and seen one go for $380 yesterday so I am not at all worried the price has stayed about what it has for a while. I am going to throw mine on eBay sometime this week to see what I can snag with it.

Good luck on your mod[up]