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to exhaust or not to exhaust; that is the question

8K views 56 replies 19 participants last post by  rewindguy 
#1 ·
Whether tis nobler to suffer the stings and arrows of heat on one's legs or take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them by spending my hard earned cash on a new exhaust.....

Yea I'm having a dilemma :frown in order to stop the heat coming from my overheating cats should I pull the exhaust and wrap the cross over and header sections or bite the bullet and buy the black Freedom True Duel system?
I'm sure the Freedom exhaust sounds good but I love my Miller Mufflers and its the bike is turned well with this setup. I'm looking at spending ~$1000 for this new exhaust and re-tune.
On the other hand I have $20 roll of heat wrap here to cover the pipes with. My concern is this will be a lot of work for nothing. I'm told these "heat" wraps don't actually do much to stop radiating heat and they can cause the steel X-bike headers to rust and rot in short order.....
Frustrating...but I have several months to look into it, talk about it and decide.
 
#2 ·
I've never understood the heat problem complaints on here. Maybe my stock XR runs cooler than everybody else's or my legs are long enough to not be close to the hot parts. I would keep what you got and deal with the heat with the wrap or something else.
 
#3 ·
The biggest difference here between your XR and the others is they have hard lowers while (I believe) you do not which permits much more air to flow by your legs. I noticed my bike was a lot cooler when I took my lowers off.
 
#6 ·
Two thoughts that I hope can help you out. First, why not try the $20 fix prior to the $1000 fix. Sure, it will take some time to accomplish the $20 fix but wait for some rainy day and have at it. Second, I have read several opinions that wrapping will not help and will cause rust and other opinions that it will help and will not cause rust. There is an old expression in science that I firmly believe in (yeah, I'm a geeky scientist/engineer), "One test is worth a thousand expert opinions." This is especially true when there appears to be no consensus amongst the "experts" offering opinions. Based on these two thoughts, I recommend that you try the wrap first.

G'day,

Vinish
 
#8 ·
Fwiw

I too am having a slight issue with the heat from the engine. Having come from a 10' XR, I attribute the heat build up to the hard lowers on the XCT. Like you, I am looking to alleviate this issue by any means possible. Do I wrap with the exhaust? Do I order a set of seat heat shields from BBob? Do I go with another exhaust?

I'd try the heat wrap first. If it does rust, then you were already going for a new exhaust anyway. Besides, I bet there are a few thousand head pipes and cross overs sitting somewhere that you could purchase for cheap.

I'm going to sit patiently and watch what you do. No pressure. Really. None. Let us all know what your experiment reveals.
 
#9 ·
maybe buy a Infrared Thermometer gun $35 bucks and see which pipe is hotter. Then find some bikes in your town with wrap pipes and see what the temp is on there pipes. You might find the motor is hotter then the pipes.
Just a idea

Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer With Laser Targeting
 
#10 ·
maybe buy a Infrared Thermometer gun $35 bucks and see which pipe is hotter. Then find some bikes in your town with wrap pipes and see what the temp is on there pipes. You might find the motor is hotter then the pipes.
Just a idea

Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer With Laser Targeting
Watch for this to come on sale to get it for half off.

Pain: I think I would simply change out the head pipes and see if there is any change to eliminate the rear cat as the cause.

Who knows; maybe the cat in your rear header pipe is banged up or clogged up or something that causes it to run hotter.

I do wish those true duals would come with just the header pipes that would match up with the stock exhaust or any stock design. They do it for HD and cost around $400. Much better than the $800 or so for the full system.
 
#11 ·
I personally wrapped my pipes , and rode 10,000 + miles like that , so I know for a fact the wrap DOES NOT ALEIVATE THE AMOUNT OF HEAT THROWN from a pipe . The pipes threw more heat wrapped then they ever did with the shields on . Wrapping the pipes with the shields will net the same heat .... It is a complete waste of time to wrap your pipes , and a lot of labor for nothing .
 
#12 ·
Don't confuse my last post as negative to wrapped pipes . wrapped pipes look super cool and if you contact the wrap with bare skin on a hot set of pipes you WILL save some skin , but there will be NO cooling effect . Wrapping a pipe then throwing a shield on top of it IS COMPLETELY POINTLESS .
 
#13 ·
Yes , exhaust my friend ..... Spending a grand on your bike will only burn a short time , not doing it will burn as long as you own it .:devil
 
#16 ·
The reason the wrap will cause "premature" rusting/rust out on a bike is (and this is for the guys who ride in all weather, the "sunny day's only" guys will not see this effect) rain. If you ride in the rain and the wrap gets wet it affects the pipes more yes the heat will dry the wrap quickly but it still does rust faster then unwrapped.

Personally I am amazed no one has thought of getting their pipes ceramic coated, which does a marvelous job of reducing the heat that transfers through the pipe walls, and looks damned good, AND comes in different colors. I am talking about the professionally done stuff like by Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings. Just a thought.
 
#17 ·
Personally I am amazed no one has thought of getting their pipes ceramic coated, which does a marvelous job of reducing the heat that transfers through the pipe walls, and looks damned good, AND comes in different colors. I am talking about the professionally done stuff like by Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings. Just a thought.
I've been attempting to contact the shops in my area(and one elsewhere) that do CeraKote High Temp appication, to get their "professional" opinion as to whether or not this coating with help my problem and how much the job will cost......So far not one of these businesses has contacted me back.
 
#18 ·
Personally I am amazed no one has thought of getting their pipes ceramic coated, which does a marvelous job of reducing the heat that transfers through the pipe walls, and looks damned good, AND comes in different colors. I am talking about the professionally done stuff like by Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings. Just a thought.
I think someone did mention it in another thread. For some reason ceramic coating the pipes haven't really taken off for Vic riders yet other than a handful I've read about. They would get covered up by the heat shields anyway on stock X bikes.

It is a great idea and it does work. Maybe it just needs a spark to get popular.
 
#19 ·
I live & ride in Arizona where summer 110+ temp not uncommon. After installing V&H Hi output mufflers on my XC and finding the “sweet spot” setting for lower deflectors heat was reduced to a tolerable level, stuck in traffic is another issue and wishing I was back on my Goldwing. Engine oil temp reduction was a pleasant surprise with this combo. My experience shows I should have installed V&H quiet baffles but for now ear plugs work.:smile
 
#20 ·
I had the same issue with my last bike, 08 Harley Ultra Classic. I wrapped the headpipes and put the shields back on, no real change. I then bought a set of true duals and installed them on the bike. I lost low end torque but the heat was much better. ON my XCT, I can usually find a combination of setting on the lowers and the fairing wings that suffice enough with the heat.
 
#21 ·
Pain - I've been thinking about removing the cats welding in a thunder QQ baffle and cutting crossover pipe and welding up the hole. Essentially making my own 2 into 1 pipe with a stock look and plenty of back pressure using the QQ baffle.

This might help keep the torque lost removing the cats???
 
#22 ·
Pain - I've been thinking about removing the cats welding in a thunder QQ baffle and cutting crossover pipe and welding up the hole. Essentially making my own 2 into 1 pipe with a stock look and plenty of back pressure using the QQ baffle.



This might help keep the torque lost removing the cats???

Kevinx explained the system, its basically already a 2-1
 
#25 ·
What I'm talking about should cost less than $50.00 if you remove the pipes and pay someone to weld in the baffle and a plate over the crossover tube.

Between the QQ baffle and going true 2 into 1 I'm hoping to keep or increase my low end/midrange torque (at least more than the true dual system) I won't be removing the left pipe it will just be a dummy pipe so I get to keep the stock look of the bike which I prefer over the true dual system. I also get to keep my Noemts Magna pipes which I love the sound of.

Im doing this over the winter and I will be sending it off to Jet Hot when I'm done to have it coated. Between removing the cats and the coating it should significantly drop the temps even more so than just the true dual system.

I did the QQ baffles and jet hot coating to the factory shotgun system on my 2006 Jackpot and it helped a lot in my opinion.
 
#26 ·
Hmm....
Now that's interesting and will probably cost a hell of a lot less than a new system....and I can keep my Millers ;)
 
#27 ·
Yup why not try it first I'm super picky and $$ isn't a problem for me but I hate to waste it!
In my crazy mind it should out perform the true dual in the lower rpm's/torque where I'm looking for improvement and after coating should run cooler.
 
#28 ·
I'm starting this today I have a spare head pipe. The thunder baffles come in pairs we can split the cost and I can send you my extra one for $75.00 shipped. Jet Hot coating should cost about $300.00 maybe less. And about $50.00 to weld it up.

So about $400-$500 is a good estimate of cost. Less if you elect to have it coated locally but Jet Hot is far superior as it can be coated inside and out.
 
#31 ·
Pm sent

Pain I found out that they will sell them as singles instead of pairs so I will just be ordering a single one tomorrow.

The pipe measures 2 1/8" inside diameter and 2 1/4" outside diameter
 
#33 · (Edited)
#32 ·
Also another bennifet I'm seeing in this is not having all that heat radiating so close to the oil filter. I'm sure it causes increased oil temps.
 
#34 ·
Do you substitute these baffles for your exhaust tips ? Those cones will look silly sticking out of the back of your bike .
 
#35 ·
haha no they will be used to replace the cats
 
#36 ·
Yah there bolted or welded in in the same place as the cat. I put a Hard Chrome Side Burner which is a 2 into 1 with a short 4" open exhaust on my hammer and I welded them in as there wasn't enough room to bolt them in.
They took away the raspiness and gave it a deeper sound I did notice improved low/mid range too. I got lots of compliments on it it sounded and looked mean as hell!

I'm dropping off the header at the muffler shop today to have the crossover pipe cut off and welded up I will have before and after pics in the next day or two.

Ordering part # QBL 2125 from Big city thunder today.
 

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#37 ·
the steel frames run better catless, so hopefully the cross bike (that runs better with cats) reacts similar for you
 
#38 ·
Just ordered the baffle $80.00 shipped with a free t shirt.

I talked with a real cool tech support guy explained what I was doing and he was very helpful said I could mount it in either direction cone facing forward or back which ever way fits the best. I was a little conserned as it is about 7 1/2" long overall and the header isn't exactly straight in that area it changes height and the crossover is molded in near it so now I'm not worried about having to modify the baffle now.
 

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#40 ·
I'm either going to shorten the baffle a little or mount it backwards with the cone protruding inside the muffler a bit. I have a few tricks in mind to get it done but until it's in my hand I'm just taking a stab in the dark!
 
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