Motorcycle Exhaust Installation - How To

Jetting
Most pipe swaps will require some rejetting or remapping of the fuel system. EPA regulations have forced the manufactures to run their bikes on the ragged edge of lean so in many instances the additional airflow created by installing a less restrictive exhaust system pushes them over the edge. The rule of thumb is; the less restrictive the new exhaust, the more likely it is to require rejetting. This is particularly true if you're making a radical change in the exhaust system design, and be advised; making a very radical change may cost you horsepower and torque, at least at some point of the power band, no matter how carefully the bike is jetted. My suggestion here is to use the pipe manufacturer's baseline recommendations as a starting point and see how the bike runs. In most cases, it'll be pretty close to what you'll need, and all it should take to make it perfect is a little fine-tuning. If things seem really wrong, double check the jetting or fuel management module installation and settings. If they're on the nose and the bike still won't run, book some dyno time. You'll learn more in three quick pulls in the dyno than you would during a weekend of riding up and down the street in front of your house, and your neighbors will stay a lot happier.

Bluing
Most aftermarket pipes will blue, at least for some of their length, and the simple fact that they do isn't necessarily a cause for concern. Here's why; with some exceptions, the majority of aftermarket pipes are built from single wall tubing and then chrome plated. As soon as heat passes through them, they turn blue and frankly, there's not much you can do about it. Some things, for instance overly rich or lean jetting, letting the bike idle for extended periods, especially with the choke on (or anything else that causes the bike to run hot) exacerbate the situation, but even if everything is perfect, chances are good that some portion of the pipe is going to discolor.

Back in the day some guys (and I mean that in the generic sense) would spray the inside of the pipe with heat resistant paint, or even coat the inner surface with grease. It really didn't do much except postpone the inevitable. If a blue pipe is a deal breaker for you, I'd suggest you look towards some of aftermarket pipe builders that use double wall construction.

Why A Roadhouse Two Into One?
I'm a big fan of the Roadhouse Two into One Classic exhausts. They have the look I want, aren't much louder than a stock system, but have a deeper, richer tone and are well constructed. Additionally, they're easy to install, and provide much needed room for larger saddlebags. Due to a communications misfire they arrived a little late, I barely had time to get them on the bike before this issue went to press so look for a full review on them in the next issue.

Dude My New Pipe Just Fell Off!
A heavily preloaded exhaust system is guaranteed to fail, and it usually happens in a lot less time than it took to install the system.

Preloading occurs when rigid parts are forced into position against an opposing tension. For instance, when an exhaust pipe doesn't quite line up with its mounting bracket it's usually possible to force it into place because the pipe is essentially a long flexible piece of tubing. The problem is that heavily preloaded parts are highly susceptible to vibration-induced damage. It's far better to fiddle and jiggle until everything lines up nicely, or shim the mounting bracket with a few strategically placed washers than it is to force the pipe into place with brute strength, and hold it there against its natural inclination with a nut and bolt. Against my better judgment, I once installed a brand new race bike pipe to gain some extra ground clearance I forced the pipe on to a shortened bracket, which preloaded the snot out of it. Before I hit the third turn, the pipe bracket had fractured and my new pipe was dragging on the ground... so much for the extra ground clearance! An extra five minutes spent properly aligning the system would have prevented my $200.00 pipe (this was a long time ago) from breaking after less than a minute of use, so let that be a word to the wise.