* Standard Exhaust Modification ...... A ...... New ...... Idea! *

My stock exhaust were removed from my bike a long time ago & I am more than happy with my Vance and Hines Cruzers but I can never put the stock exhaust out of my mind. I really like the stockers, they are nice and big, very well made but they just ain't my thing! That bloody top pipe is way to long and spoils the look in my opinion.
In my opinion they need improvement but then that may say more about me than the exhausts as I can never leave anything alone. So I was out in my workshop just now looking at them hanging from the roof and I started thinking if I had no choice but to keep them on, What would I do to make them better, so here is what I have come up with.

I would gut both exhaust completely & I do mean completely, I would want only the shell left. I would then re-plate the pipe end to accommodate a new short baffle. I believe this would give an excellent deep thudding tone to the exhaust.
I would shorten the top pipe so that there was an even slash all the way from the bottom pipe to the top. However I would not do it in the way that I have seen so many people do it, by cutting the muffler. I would cut 4.5" of pipe out of the middle section of center pipe and re-weld leaving the muffler in tact.



Just an idea, what do you think?

Excellant idea Dave,the negative side is the cost,the welding would be expensive I would think,but the end result would be very pleasing.

Hmm now you got me thinking, I am not very good at welding but I can do it to a fashion so to speak.

Do you not think that the welding of the small center pipe would be non feasible for the home welder? I could easily make a jig to guarantee that it is welded to the right conformity. I know you weld so you are probably a lot better judge than I am! No chrome would be touched apart from cutting down the center cover to fit.

As for the bracket that joins the two muffler pipes, I have just been looking at that and very little modification would be needed there. If you only used one bolt hole to connect them together rather than two you would have no issue with the mounting that connects the exhaust to the bike.

Look a lot better like that

Sounds good, especially with a new endplate. As well as a short baffle I would recommend lining the large body of the silencer with exhaust packing to provide an even denser thud. With the whole thing gutted including the cat I think you would have one of the best sounding set of Intruder pipes to be found anywhere and with that lovely chrome now sensibly proportioned, one of the best looking too. One more thing to consider, exhaust pairs without a joining pipe seem to give a more authentic v-twin rumble so it might be worth considering this option too.

one of those things you have to think about plan what your doing then think about it again untill your compleetly happy with your plans then take steps to make sure it goes to plan but will be great when youv done it me thinks

Thanks for the feedback John, I just can't work out why no one else has ever done the mod like this but then that's why I have put it out for feedback before cocking it up.

Morgan I am not necessarily going to do this any time soon, it's just an idea at present that I am floating for member feedback.

sounds like a good one to float as your stock pipes are off the bike you can have a good look at em to come up with idears and to anyone reading this thread thats half alright at doing a bit of welding and some modification could save them a lot of dosh compaired to bying after market pipes oh and thanks for giveing us all something to keep are brains ticking over

Mr Intruder wrote:

I just can't work out why no one else has ever done the mod like this ......

I seriously thought of gutting the stock pipes but then when I got my aftermarkets I decided to keep them as they are, with the end cap replaced just in case I ever sold the bike and wanted to sell the new pipes separately and re-fit the stockers. I'd love to rip out that cat mind - stifling all that lovely sound! I can't believe how much rubbish those exhausts have in them when they leave the factory!

I never thought of cutting and moving the muffler along though - that would make it look much more balanced. Suzuki designed a great bike but the pipe length they just got plain wrong!

got to agree with that

Its amazes me how different the bike looks cutting the exhaust back such a small amount in the way that dave has sugested makes to the look of the bike

Been looking at these bloody exhaust hanging from my roof in the workshop & I have decided to start on these over the next couple of weeks. The thing that is really making me curious is how they will sound when they have been fully gutted. I think they will make a lovely deep thud when they are taken back to just a shell & will look sooooo much better when they have been shortened.

Now this I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing,I love those standard exhausts But just couldn't get a sound I liked

Looking forward to this as well just make sure you put a couple of tacks down to join the cut header section while everything is bolted on to your bike as a millimetre or so out and they will be blowing from the heads. Sorry if I have stated the obvious but some times we make the silliest of mistakes, well I do anyway

As a rider who knows bugger all about welding etc (nothing really other than polishing and riding, tho of course I once oiled a clutch cable) this sounds really interesting. I pick up my new 805 Intruder on 15/09, the dealer will have fitted 'short' Highway Hawk pipes. If this idea works, it would be great. I've had work done before on a Deauvlle, by 'Area 51' of Glasgow. They are Harley customisers, but v friendly and open minded as regards woeking on other bikes. Nothing to stop me going to them with my stock pipes and getting alterations as per this suggestion, if it proves to work. Would like to know how things go and how the pipes would fare come MOT. At least at mo, I have stock pipes to replace for MOT. With this idea, that option's out of the window. Even so, very interested.

oiler wrote:

As a rider who knows bugger all about welding etc (nothing really other than polishing and riding, tho of course I once oiled a clutch cable) this sounds really interesting. I pick up my new 805 Intruder on 15/09, the dealer will have fitted 'short' Highway Hawk pipes. If this idea works, it would be great. I've had work done before on a Deauvlle, by 'Area 51' of Glasgow. They are Harley customisers, but v friendly and open minded as regards woeking on other bikes. Nothing to stop me going to them with my stock pipes and getting alterations as per this suggestion, if it proves to work. Would like to know how things go and how the pipes would fare come MOT. At least at mo, I have stock pipes to replace for MOT. With this idea, that option's out of the window. Even so, very interested.

You won't need to go to the bother of putting stock pipes back for the M.O.T. in 3 years time. The HH Short Cuts with baffles should pass ok and if you like I will show you how to wrap baffles with stove rope (easy peasy) to impress even the most stringent tester (honest!)

Many thanks for your advice John.Will remember for MOT if need be. Give my love to Swansea I was born (65 yrs ago) in Ysgol St Port Tennant. Wonder if it's still there? PS Glasgow rains, if anything MORE than Swansea ever did.

Tremendous picture. Many thanks. That has inspired me to go to Google Maps, and use the little orange 'walking man' whatever he's called, and let him walk me up Ysgol street, including Danygraig school in ysgol st, where I had what passed for an education. That's where I learned (and will never forget) what a 'cuirass' is. We had ten words to learn that night. I learned NINE. Along with most of the class, I failed when asked the meaning of cuirass. Each 'failure' was invited to the front, further invited to touch his toes, and recieved and firm whack on the arse with the teacher's cane. His name was appropriately Mr Butcher. Some things you never forget, along with the steam engines of Swansea Harbour Trust (SHT) clinking all the loose coupled coal trucks. Ah those were the days.

Followed a link and I bet you can't guess where I ended up

Hmmm I wager that I can you Plonka

Interesting idea Dave, completely feasible, give me a shout when you want to do it and I will fire up the welder, and, thank you to everyone for the positive feedback on project Virago, tried to put some more photos on last night but they seem to have disappeared into the Ether, will have another go later, regards to all Doc Cox, E=MC2

No excuses now Davey boy, crack on old son

I think that was the push I needed, I will pop over to Doc Cox's and get the pipes shortened over the not to distant and then completely gut them.
I just think the stock pipes look so bloody good like this and can't work out for the life of me why nobody else has ever done it this way.

Will be waiting for the pics to see how it went,good luck Dave

Very interesting indeed If this comes off I can see Ebay being full of used aftermarket pipes

If I can get the deep thud that I am sure those two big pipes are capable of putting out with the right internal modifications, Ebay will have my set of V&H Cruzers on there for sure .
I always liked the stock pipes but always hated the unusually long top pipe. Equalised, they look friggin ace.

So how did you get on then? Makes for a good read.

Well the pipes have been cut, shortened and semi gutted. I just need to find time to pop over to Doc Cox's to get them welded, so I am nearly there but not quite. Time sadly is my biggest enemy, I will try to make a point of getting them finished this month and come back to you guys with the results.
If I can get the tone/sound right they will stay on the bike and my V&H cruzers will be sold, Time will tell.

I cant wait... Awesome idea.

Fingers crossed:goodluck:

Awaiting with baited breath as they say,am really wanting to do this mod,good luck Dave,details please,when you have some time on your hands,cheers.

you done that yet Dave

I have a tig... come on over...

Hi Mr Intruder , I'm new on this forum
did you finally shorten the top exhaust?
I think they are F*******g too long , but nice slash cut 
let me know or show us pictures