Leatherat Posted April 14, 2011 Posted April 14, 2011 After discussion with another XVS 650 Dragstar owner, I ordered these pipes 6 days ago through Ebay. The advert stated an estimated delivery time of 11 - 23 days, but to my suprise they arrived today. An hour later they were fitted. Not as straight forward as I'd expected but as you can see, they're on. Stealth mode off! The originals came off easily enough, the old gaskets were prised out of they're recesses and new ones fitted. The new pipes were offered up and I found that A. the front pipe was a pretty good fit, but the R/H foot rest and brake lever assembly had to be removed to allow access. The reg/rectifier had to be moved a 1/4 inch forward of its original position by means of a spacer, to allow clearance. B. The rear pipe was not bent correctly and the bracket to hold the rear end of the pipe was leaning outwards slightly, requiring a 3/8 inch spacer to be fabricated. Had the pipes been stainless rather than chromed I might have bent the bracket to suit, but the spacer does the job without detracting from the overall look as it cannot be seen. C. Once fitted, I found that the two pipes could not be made to run parrallel with either the frame, or each other. A new mounting would have to be fabricated or the old one adapted, neither of which was going to happen today. I can live with this as most people won't notice, but it's not ideal. The pipes come with bolt in baffles, I ran the motor up without them at first, and the pipe sounded lovely at tickover, but very loud and raspy at anything above that. So I fitted the baffles and that really attenuated the noise level a tickover, still a good sound but not as much of a rasp, but on the open road the pipes still bark........a lot! Moving off in first sounds great, pulling up through the gears.......lovely, but rip the throttle open for a quick overtake and you get an awful lot of noise, So much that even I was expecting the bike to be moving a lot faster than it actually was. All in all, the new soundtrack suits the bike far more than the original pipes had provided, however the new ones are very shouty and certainly not for shy or retiring types. I was stressing quite a lot about the need for re-jetting prior to fitting these pipes, the people I'd talked to were mentioning that I might lose mid range torque and top speed unless I re-jetted the carbs, and after looking into that I can report that it's pretty expensive to do it properly, so I haven't bothered. The general concensus is that it won't harm the motor but I might get slightly less economy from the bike. In reality, I think there is a little less torque in the mid range, it feels a bit slower from 30-50mph, but that might very well be me looking for a problem, who knows. The top speed hasn't been affected........at 90mph flat out it's still really slow! LOL! In conclusion, at £210.00 delivered, I'm pretty happy with these new pipes, although I'll reserve jugdement for a couple of months to see what quality the chrome is.
Ttaskmaster Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 For those wondering, these are the straight versions of the same pipes that Elvira has on her. A. the front pipe was a pretty good fit, but the R/H foot rest and brake lever assembly had to be removed to allow access. The reg/rectifier had to be moved a 1/4 inch forward of its original position by means of a spacer, to allow clearance. Really? Interesting... Must be a nuance of the Classic. The Custom's reg/rec was fine. B. The rear pipe was not bent correctly and the bracket to hold the rear end of the pipe was leaning outwards slightly, requiring a 3/8 inch spacer to be fabricated. Had the pipes been stainless rather than chromed I might have bent the bracket to suit, but the spacer does the job without detracting from the overall look as it cannot be seen. Ah... yeah.... sorry - I think I forgot to mention that part. I chose to bend my bracket, resulting in very straight and level pipes. I can live with this as most people won't notice, but it's not ideal. Have to say, t'was the first thing I noticed.... If you do decide to bend the bracket, just be gentle. The pipes come with bolt in baffles, I ran the motor up without them at first, and the pipe sounded lovely at tickover, but very loud and raspy at anything above that. If you run the bike with NO pipes at all, it goes bubble-bubble-bubble-bubble-bubble.... Literally. It's hilarious!!! Bubble Bike!! Baffle-less, mine was quite barky, rather than raspy. So I fitted the baffles and that really attenuated the noise level a tickover, still a good sound but not as much of a rasp, but on the open road the pipes still bark........a lot! Damn straight, they do!! It's an angry puppy, is that bike. Just not as small a puppy as you might expect!! The only part I dislike is the resigned growl-down when you slam the throttle shut. I was stressing quite a lot about the need for re-jetting prior to fitting these pipes, the people I'd talked to were mentioning that I might lose mid range torque and top speed unless I re-jetted the carbs, and after looking into that I can report that it's pretty expensive to do it properly, so I haven't bothered. I said raise the jet a notch. A full re-jet is only if the raising doesn't work. It shouldn't be that expensive. Maybe not this month, but next payday, perhaps? I'm also starting to find some discolouration at the pipe heads, so I'll be looking to fiddle with my jets soon. The general concensus is that it won't harm the motor but I might get slightly less economy from the bike. No no - MORE economy. You're using less fuel because the mix is lean. I have to say, I last filled up quite a while back and have not even hit reserve yet... A bit less torque, yes, but you should still be able to beat most cars off the light easy enough. Actually, you might be doing OK on the top speed as you're slightly more aerodynamic with that screen... And yes, I am aware that I've STILL not taken any photos!!
Leatherat Posted April 15, 2011 Author Posted April 15, 2011 Really? Interesting... Must be a nuance of the Classic. The Custom's reg/rec was fine. Yeah, honest Mister...... It's not easy to take good pictures of it,but the gap between the reg/rec and the new pipe is still really small....even after spacing with these spacers.... Have to say, t'was the first thing I noticed There's always one.... Baffle-less, mine was quite barky, rather than raspy. Agreed, just a symantic issue as I wished to use Bark a little later in the paragraph It shouldn't be that expensive. Maybe not this month, but next payday, perhaps? The Dyna Jet kit is £97.00 and a K&N filter (Recommended) is £40.00........I've just spent £210.00 FFS! I'm also starting to find some discolouration at the pipe heads Yeah me too! The rear pipe especially. It was OK until a flat out run down the motorway to check the top speed was still alright. No no - MORE economy.Yes please! I'm looking forward to that!
Ttaskmaster Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 It's not easy to take good pictures of it,but the gap between the reg/rec and the new pipe is still really small....even after spacing with these spacers.... Oh, I believe you. I just didn't find the same myself. Agreed, just a symantic issue as I wished to use Bark a little later in the paragraph A-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! I LOL'ed!! Yeah me too! The rear pipe especially. It was OK until a flat out run down the motorway to check the top speed was still alright. Hmm... if they're notably different, perhaps one cylinder is running richer (and thus hotter) than t'other? I usually have my rear one tuned to run slightly cooler as it's behind the front and so doesn't get quite as much air cooling. This is why I have a mechanic who works for beer. Small jobs like this can be done for the price of a 4-pack of Windhoek or Bud
Kerryxvs Posted April 29, 2011 Posted April 29, 2011 Hey I ve ordered a set of pipes for my dragstar 1100 ,and I m worried about running the bike lean ,will that not cause the bike ti run hotter thus increasing wear in the long run ? Also I ve ordered a hyper charger (man am I in for it when the wife see s the credit card bill ) My other concern is that this stuff is made in the states and I m wondering is there a big difference in the stock jetting between the American and uk versions?
Leatherat Posted April 30, 2011 Author Posted April 30, 2011 I think you'll find that the Hypercharger will come with the recommended jetting kit supplied., and that will be the end of the problem. If not and you're worried, while you've still got the credit card in your hand (and she's yet to see the bill! ) get it set up properly by a bike shop. Mine seems fine, albeit without a hypercharger, I can't tell whether it it runs a little hotter or not, the pipes have gone a bit golden right at the exhaust port, but they're single skin chrome pipes, whereas the originals were unplated steel with chrome covers and shrouds, so who can tell? As for wear, well mines 13 yrs old and has only covered 13000 miles, so I think I've a bit of catching up to do anyway. Pics and a report on the hypercharger would be good, they've always seemed to be a lot of money for little return to me.
Recommended Posts