Reply With QuoteI think the Drummer performs better as a mid-range pipe. As far as the racer being slow...well, could just be the rider.
How is the low end torque?i have a drummer with stock ecm , and i love the way it sounds and runs . its made in a shop not a garage , once u see one , wow the finish is awsome!!
go to kdfab.com , theres pics there
I think the Drummer performs better as a mid-range pipe. As far as the racer being slow...well, could just be the rider.
Whats the best all around pipe?
I think for a 12 if you want more sound but keep the same low torque the special op pipes are pretty good since they keep the valve inside the pipe. But thats just from what I read.
ic ic, what do you think of Drummer vs Jardine?
Each of the Buell mufflers are described briefly below. All of the mufflers except the Micron are slip-on mufflers which use the stock Buell XB9 or XB12 headers. All except the Jardine use the rear crescent mount with perimeter straps for the rear mount.
Buell Race muffler
The Buell Race XB9/XB12 muffler is a silver ceramic coated mild steel muffler. The race muffler is similar in design to the stock muffler, but with dual exhaust tips and a modified internal tube routing design. It has been officially discontinued by Buell as of this writing, though many may still available through Buell and aftermarket parts dealers. It is (was) available in a matte and polished ceramic coated finish. The mufflers do not use packing, so no re-packing is required. Standard OEM mounting methods are used, and the bike can be lifted by the muffler. Integrated brackets are welded in place to support the chin cowl in all of the OEM locations.
D&D
The D&D XB9/XB12 muffler is a black coated mild steel glass pack muffler. It is a unique design that splits the single pipe on the collector into two independent, non-cross-over small mufflers with straight cut out-turned tips. The mufflers are not re-packable, but appear to be designed so that it won’t be necessary. A section reinforced carrier plate provides the structure. The front shoe mount is replaced by a single bolted mount through the engine hard point. It appears that the muffler is sturdy enough to pick up the bike from below, but I have not tested that. Integrated brackets are welded in place to support the chin cowl in all of the OEM locations.
Drummer
The Drummer mufflers from KD Fab are modified stock XB9 and XB12 mufflers. Kevin cuts each muffler open to remove the labyrinth core, and lines the resultant chamber with sound absorbing material. The rear of the mufflers is machined plate with a single exhaust tip that is bolted to the shell. The mufflers use the same mounting methods as the stock muffler, and the standard lift points may be used. The mufflers are not re-packable, but appear to be designed so that it won’t be necessary. The XB12 version of the muffler removes the internal valve used in the stock pipe. The OEM brackets are retained to support the chin cowl in all of the OEM locations.
SS Drummer
The SS Drummer mufflers from KD Fab are custom built stainless steel shell with aluminum end cap XB9 and XB12 mufflers. The XB12 and XB9 mufflers have different internal volumes that are tuned to the pulse size of each engine. The end caps are beautiful billet aluminum with very nice machined details. Mike Norris of Norris Performance builds these parts for KD Fab. As in the regular Drummers, Kevin lines the chamber with sound absorbing material. The rear of the mufflers is machined plate with a single exhaust tip that is bolted to the shell. The front of the muffler is a flat plate with a nice billet front hanger that picks up the engine hard point directly. The mufflers are not repackable, but appear to be designed so that it won’t be necessary. Brackets that support the OEM chin cowl side mounting points are optional. The left side bracket uses existing engine bolts to support the chin cowl, and the right side bracket uses the two idler pulley studs and one engine bolt in the front. No supports are provided for the two holes in the front of the chin cowl. The muffler can be run without the chin cowl and looks very nice when run “naked”.
Jardine
The Jardine XB9/XB12 mufflers are oval can glass pack style mufflers similar to those found on many metric sportbikes. The muffler is available with a titanium, polished aluminum, or carbon fiber outer shell. The mufflers use a wrap around mounting bracket in the rear that does not use the stock Buell crescent support. The front has a bracket that attaches to the engine hard point The mufflers are re-packable, and repacking is likely required every 5000 miles, or less if the bike is ridden aggressively with a lot of hard decel popping. Brackets that support the OEM chin cowl side mounting points are included with the mufflers. The left side bracket uses existing engine bolts to support the chin cowl, and the right side bracket uses the two idler pulley studs and one engine bolt in the front. No supports are provided for the two holes in the front of the chin cowl. As with the SS Drummer, the muffler can be run without the chin cowl and looks nice when run naked.
Latus
The Latus XB9/XB12 muffler is based upon a stainless steel Edelbrock car muffler, and was the first domestic pipe released for the XB9, even before the Buell Race muffler. The inlet stub pipe, chin cowl support brackets, and twin chrome plated slash cut exhaust tips are welded to the muffler to convert it to XB use. The mufflers use the same mounting methods as the stock muffler. I would not recommend lifting the bike by this muffler, though it may be possible. The muffler is not re-packable, but appears to be designed so that it won’t be necessary. In its automotive form, it is guaranteed for life. The brackets welded to the muffler support the chin cowl in all of the OEM locations.
Micron
The Micron Serpent exhaust system was the only full system (i.e., headers and muffler) tested. A single design is used for both the XB9 and the XB12. The stainless steel headers are hydro-formed, which uses high pressure water to expand the tubing into dies. This allows the header pipes to have any cross sectional shape desired instead of just being round. The headers have wider than thick cross sections at the bends to control flow velocity gradient across the bend. No collector is used, an both header pipes connect directly to the front of the muffler. The stainless steel muffler has an internal cross-over collector and features dual hydroformed tips. It is available in either standard or a Ulysses variant that has the tips turned down a little for belt guard clearance. The same mounting methods as the stock muffler are used at the rear, and the front has a bracket that attaches to the engine hard point. Lifting the engine by the pipe is not recommended. The muffler is not re-packable, but appears to be designed so that it won’t be necessary. The muffler has welded on hat-section attachment points for included brackets that support the chin cowl in the side OEM locations only. Usage of the chin cowl is optional, but the hat section brackets are visible if not used.
Thanks for that write up ThunderSteve!
How loud is the Jardine vs the Drummer?...thing is, I want more "get out of my way" volume, but, not so much that I get an annoying drowning on the highway.
You forgot the part with the special ops I don't know how good it is but all the buell I tried that had a after market pipe did loose a bit of bottom end so I figured that if you keep the interactive valve it should stay about the same for the bottom. I know there is probably better performance to get out of some other pipes but I think when I'll be there it will be between special ops and drummer.
So I am wondering two things:
1: If you read the science of Buell on the Buell website (the one entitled muffler bearings, funnily enough) it sounds like the bike and can were engineered specifically to work together. The stock can has a butterfly valve that has two paths, one for low end, one for high-end performance. From the sounds of this document, purely from a performance perspective, it doesn't sound optimal to use a 3rd part pipe. Opinions on this?
Also...
I want a pipe loud enough to make people in traffic look at me (in other words so they know that I am there) not to wake my neighbors in my condo complex. I need something aggressive but not obnoxious... for that reason alone I would move from the stock can to something different. Any input there?
Oh, also.. I don't want a can I have to re-pack every 5000 miles...
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