Hello guys,

I am trying to remove the baffles from my Screamin Eagle Street Performance mufflers to stick in QQ Thunder Monsters. The SESP came with my (European) 2012 Street Bob. These muffs are nowhere near loud enough. I can't hear my pipes on acceleration At All. If I have my bike on the side stand and rev it, I can hear the sound of the engine over the exhaust. Thanks, emission laws.

I know this has been discussed various times for a multitude of mufflers, but I have tried all the techniques in those posts with no luck. I have rephrased my search into every possible way and still not found my answer!

Here is what I have done so far since removing the muffler.

1) I removed the tamper resistant torx screws (of which there were two) and sprayed WD-40 into both ends of the pipe where the baffle and muffler make contact.
2) I then applied a slide hammer to a vice grip which was affixed to the pipe (at the outlet) and hammered the sh*t out of it.
Didn't even budge a millimeter.
3) Then I applied more WD-40 and repeated above process. Nothing.
4) I built a mounting bracket which consisted of two planks of wood and some rubber to protect the lip of the muffler (it's a slashdown so I can't rest it on the ground). I then wrapped a large screwdriver in a cloth and stuck that in the other end. Hammered it senseless.
No luck. At all.
Pulled it out and saw the screwdriver pierced the cloth, leaving a deep gash in the baffle.

5) Then I cut up some rubber gloves and bunched them up inside a cloth. I affixed this to a steel tube with lots of twine and was convinced it'd hold. I tried hammering with this. It protected the inside of the muffler perfectly but got then got wedged between the slanting part and the tubing. It's still inside the muffler, which is great of course. Above all else it once again,
did not move in the slightest.

6) Wrapped an old leather belt around the straight end of a crowbar and affixed it. Hammered it like I was brutalizing someone that had murdered my family. Well, the part of the baffle that slants away from the entry acted as a pivot and the crowbar managed to bend the lip that inserts around the exhaust header. I tapped it back into place, but it
still hasn't budged.

After all this, I Rinse (with WD-40), Repeat (most steps daily), bash head against wall, finish a 6-pack and stare into space.

I hear the baffles are pressed in, but will budge with enough (controlled) brute force. I don't want to hammer anything into it anymore because this has already proven useless and in fact detrimental. I don't want to bend the end of the muffler or damage the lip because then I will be seriously annoyed.

I'm seriously so frustrated by this ordeal. This whole process has taken 5 days so far with me spending a minimum of 1-3 hours a day on it, tapping, pulling, looking down the pipe and researching. I haven't even been able to ride my bike since that stupid bundle of rubber and tissue got stuck in the muffler!

I'm thinking of buying a saw drillbit and going to town. Is there any reason why I can't?
PLEASE HELP!

Thank you!

 

Bump.

 

That sounds pretty bruttle-

On the set of SE's that I have now the baffles came out pretty easy. I had a set on my Sportster and they were a little tougher - I sprayed them with "PB Blaster" which is like WD-40 but maybe has a secret ingredient. I put a strap wrench on the tail end and got the baffle to rotate a little. That was the ticket - after it broke just a little I applied or lube and then worked it back and forth (in a circular motion) once it broke free I was able to tap them out.

Good Luck - Jimmie

 

Most people replace the OEM mufflers with aftermarket units; Cycle Shack and Rush are two economical choices that sound good and perform. OEM mufflers go into storage for the day when the decibel meter shows up at the inpection stations or to be re-installed when the bike is traded or sold. But that must most; some guys do what you are doing and then go buy the aftermarket mufflers.

 

Hi Jimmy, they proved impossible to rotate, even a tiny bit! I managed to get them out after a while. I actually took them to a friend's house who has an anvil in his workshop. I bashed the mounting bracket on that a few times. This actually worked a charm. Ten taps and I was able to pull it right out with no damage to the muffler at all. That thing was absolutely PACKED with fiber glass wool though. Was also pretty badly rusted on the inside which is strange, they're not even that old! Thanks for the help though, next time give this technique a try, it is much easier.

Yeah I plan on doing exactly that too, I actually managed to get the baffles out of both sets of mufflers. There's no explicit check points here, the police just pull you up if they "think" your bike is too loud. This can often be debated though, they don't carry the necessary equipment to check.

I re-installed the baffles into the SESP mufflers with no packing and they sound absolutely amazing. Deep and loud. I don't know how happy I am to continue doing this though, it seems to me like the air will be bouncing around the muffler if I continue to run like this. Obviously the increase in airflow will mean that the bike is now running leaner than before.

I'm sort of itching to buy new mufflers now though. Maybe some Vance and Hines 3". If only decisiveness was my strong suit. I just want something that sounds nice and deep but still gives me great performance. Somehow I remain unconvinced that the Thunder Monsters perform better than other stock mufflers. The general anecdotal evidence says they perform "better", but people seem to fail to state whether this is better than stock baffles or none at all...