Here's what I used to make the baffles for my drag pipes. First pic is the copper pipe reducer. Second pic is a shot up the pipe showing the lollipop used to increase back pressure. You can see the reducer ahead of it. The reducer increases the speed of the exhaust gases, and helps prevent the gases from reversing flow and going back into the combustion chamber during valve overlap. I also wrapped the pipes with header wrap to help hold the heat in. Keeping the gases hot also helps increase the speed of them as they travel down the pipes.

 

thats some pretty innovative stuff, skip. i only have one question, if the inside of the pipes were chromed wouldnt the gasses really haul butt through the pipes!!

 

Very nice Skip. How long did that take you?

Ryan

 

Skip,

Looks like a really cool bike. Got any pics?[8D]

Tom

 

Took about a half hour per pipe, excluding bead blasting, and spraying the high heat black, before wrapping the pipes. I'd been using the lollipops since I bought the bike about 3-1/2 years ago. Originally saw the copper pipe reducers at work, and the proverbial light bulb flashed when I realized it could be used as a venturi. Got a couple at Home Depot after measuring my pipes.

Since installing the reducers, lollipops, and heat wrap, I can feel less of a flat spot off-idle up through about 3200 rpm. Carb hasn't farted, either, something that happened occasionally during steady-state ops. The pipes are 1-3/4 at the head, then step up to 2-1/4. They had a deeper sound than any other pipes I'd heard, and weren't too noisy until you dropped the hammer. But they did have that lousy drag pipe flat spot in the low-to-mid rpm range. Lollipops alone helped some, but it is much better now. Pipes sound different; not quite as low a rumble, and they don't rasp & pop on deceleration.

I'm satisfied.

 

Added a pic in the Photo Gallery, under "Bikes". Image Shack server is down, so I can't stick one here.

Image Shack server is back up, so here 'tis:

 

Skip,

Whoa there, was blinded for a second from the glare off the chrome. Did I say the C word? Ha!!! Did I tell you I love Chrome? Sorry the C word again. Nice bike Skip, is that a memphis shade windsheild that you have cut some slots in the mounts? Are you going to mount a front fender? Looks like one of those slop tails, what year is it and how long have you been working on it.

The exhaust trick works well on some exhausts, especially the drag pipes, I found a write up that will give others insight on what you were doing and a few tune tricks they might try if someone is interested. Here' the link:

http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/exhaust.htm

If you don't want to make them like Skip has, Thunder Monster has them in different diameters and you just put them in. The link only shows the lollipop look and not the diameter change cone. The Thunder Monster is like Skips.

By the way Skip when I get my shop going I have plans on a bike build that I think you would like, simple straight forward not much chrome but enough, and a mixture of old school and modern technology with a pretty stout motor.

Ride safe
John TN.

 

Gotta do something with that dang chrome oil tank! I don't mind the chrome points cover; well, it ain't a points cover any more, but that's what I'll call it.

Yeah, it's a Memphis Shades "Fats" windshield, but the slots were in it when I got it. I don't like the cheesy aluminum brackets, and painted them to match the bike. That was my "winter" windshield, and it is replaced by a small Slip Streamer handlebar mount the rest of the year.

I'm really disappointed in the Memphis product. The brackets and hardware cost nearly $100. For that price the bracket oughtta be stainless steel instead of aluminum. The windshield doesn't seem to be as thick as the National Cycles one I had before. It flutters and buzzes in the wind. I'm gonna try and get a jen-u-whine HD QD setup before next winter. The Fats windshield is gonna go on my wife's Suzuki Savage, mounted on the Slip Streamer brackets she has on there now. I'll have to make a small bracket for the lower portion so it'll be sturdier, tho.

Won't be getting a front fender. I am trying to get a guy to make a one piece fork brace that'll mount in the fender bolt holes on the lower legs. I want it curved the same as the fender, as wide as the distance between the mount holes at the bottom, and tapering to about two inches across the top of the tire area.

Bike is an '87 FLST. I got it about 3-1/2 years ago with ~40k miles on it. It has somewhere over 100k miles on it now.

When you get rolling on the bike, make sure we get some pics!

 

Skip I tell ya, we actually have something in common, ole fashion injanuity, heck I did about the same thing with the stock SEII baffles, I also made two set's of lollipops to try and the smallest one's worked the best, then I started to second guess myself and orded a set of thundermonster's, just about the same thing we already did [&:], ain't that a pisser. How come you put a bolt inside your washer on your lollipop, did you need the extra restriction? Any how, love the bike and that's a big front tire you got there.[]

 

The cap screw thru the washer is to hold them in place. I started running them with the lollipop parallel to the pipe, then moved them in 15 degree increments 'til I felt they were working best. I s'pose with the 2-1/4 inch pipes I shoulda just went to perpendicular right off the bat.