Exhaust Removal

a quiet bike is a danger ! ......
Is that like the "Loud pipes save lives" bumper sticker? I dunno if I'd bet my life on it, but it helps. So does keeping your head on a swivel. Late model auto designs, with the side curtain airbags, have "A" and "B" pillars so huge, it's easy for a motorcycle to "hide" behind them. "I didn't see the motorcycle!" is not an excuse for NOT looking for the motorcycle. And quiet interiors (some with noise-cancelling technology!) aren't a guarantee they'll hear you either. People out there are just nuts! Watch yourselves at all times!
 
Re. crossover and performance: Ever see a crossover exhaust on a full race big bore XS650 motor? No? Ever wonder why? Re. back pressure being carefully calculated by Yamaha: No offense, but the term "back pressure" gets thrown around in ways that make me cringe, as in "His exhaust is popping because the motor needs more back pressure," when what is needed is proper fuel system tuning. There was careful calculation behind Yamaha's 2-stroke systems. As far as I can tell the only things that Yamaha calculated very carefully on the XS650 were the price point and the emissions compliance numbers. Re. fuel efficiency: I'm currently averaging ~54 mpg. with the following: 2-2 exhaust with 1.75" headers, Emgo 17" megaphones with straight through glass pack baffles, 77.5 mm. Shell/JRC pistons with static CR ~8.8:1, Shell #1 cam, and 33 mm. Mikuni flat slide 4-stroke pumper carbs. As to why I took up with XS650: Back in 1992 one of the partners in a local independent shop commented as follows regarding an F-model Special: "It's a cruiser and it'll never be anything but a cruiser." The bikes were cheap and much despised back then, and I bought one and started tweaking on it just to make that guy eat crow. And there were so very many things to correct in the way of XS weight, lousy stance (not talking cosmetics here), crap suspension, needless electical gadgetry, strangled exhaust and intake, and ergonomics that I never ran out of things to fool with. Peace, y'all.

And amen to that, Tebo! With road rage incidents becoming more frequent by the day, I'd invite the "louder and prouder" set to consider that an annoyingly loud exhaust can take your life by making you a target for some nutcase in a cage who's just looking for an excuse to kill somebody.
 
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Thanks everbody. I love the tips ( and banter) regarding all things related here. Long term goal$ here is to get new pipes and mufflers and open this thing up but in the meantime, a proper running machine will suffice. The $14 part is fine for now. . I didnt see it when i pulled up the parts list so thanks gggGary!
 
- - - And amen to that, Tebo!
With road rage incidents becoming more frequent by the day, I'd invite the "louder and prouder" set to consider that an annoyingly loud exhaust can take your life by making you a target for some nutcase in a cage who's just looking for an excuse to kill somebody.

Hi griz,
OTOH the bike-hater car drivers are out-numbered perhaps 1,000 to 1 by the car drivers who are merely not paying attention.
And to my shame I was one of them.
Driving the family Buick, wife & kids aboard, towing a trailer full of camping stuff.
Got bored following some guy who was only going at the speed limit.
Quick glance in the mirror, just about to pull out when I heard a noise from behind like a long burst from a Bofors Gun.
Then we were overtaken by a Harley. If that guy's bike had decent mufflers instead of open pipes I might have killed him.
 
UPDATE: Bein the cheap ass that i am i thought i would try and salvage the old items before spending a buck. I took my grinder to the above mentioned crossover gasket and smoothed out all the sharp edges, cleaned up the flanges, popped it back in and no leaks! Thanks for everyones input :cheers:
 
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