| Author | Message | ||
     Evilphoton |
I put on a NIB factory muffler on yesterday in place of the jardine (no name on it, by images it looks to be the closest) and it's so much easier to ride. before it had trouble running between idle and 2k, which makes it tough to ride in slow traffic or creeping through a parking lot. I thought it needed a TPS reset, and I did a couple, but it didn't make a difference. It also shook more than i remembered another stock one doing...like my eyes would vibrate on the interstate making things blurry with the new muffler, the difficult running between idle and 2k is completely gone. it's super smooth. the intake is stock '06, stock ecm/map. what i had read is that for this setup the factory mufler runs the best. the most interesting thing is that it hardly vibrates at all anymore, at any rpm. i don't know if this is due to increased backpressure, or because the stock muffler is about 19lbs vs. the 9 or 10 of the jardine. it feels easier to rev. feels like there's more torque down low, but that could be because it just "goes" instead of making noise. the only thing that popped up so far is the check engine light came on and stayed on until it cooled off. i read this could be a faulty o2 sensor, but until i get a new laptop battery, i can't check the codes. just interesting to me, thought i'd share | ||
| Ratbuell |
...almost as if the engineers at the factory actually KNEW what they were doing.... You are not imagining the beefier midrange torque, either. Did you hook your actuator cable back up? Have you verified that it works, or is it sticking? (Thinking possible causes for the CEL) - there's a decent chance if the cable and motor were simply abandoned in place while the other muffler was on, they could be frozen... | ||
| Evilphoton |
they definitely do. when i got the bike, all the exhaust actuator stuff was gone, so all i have is the long pipe. i do have the exhaust actuator turned off via ecmspy. i used a vm and got windows 7 running on my mac (thank’s other threads on here!) and am getting a code 13, o2 sensor. i have a new shock for the bike (the preload adjuster is loose for the first several turns currently) so when i do that i’ll replace the o2 sensor. i guess just a little sooner than i thought. | ||
| Tootal |
While your low end torque is back you're loosing high end HP. Without the actuator the muffler won't open up at higher throttle and rpms. If that doesn't matter to you just leave it as it is. | ||
| Simond |
I'm tempted to go back to a stock muffler. Mine is a UK spec '09 that originally came with the more restrictive EU spec headers and cat. The first thing I did was to buy US spec headers and a Remus exhaust - I left the actuator fitted. Eventually both the actuator and the Remus failed. I replaced the muffler with one of Alan's lovely APH creations and disabled the actuator with ECMSpy. The APH is loud but quite mellow and the bike runs much better than it ever did with the Remus but I'm tempted to get a stock setup working again should I ever have the need. I've got the failed late model actuator (S0138.2aaa) and a good s/h older one (S0138.2aa). Just need to pick up a non-cat muffler to see if I can get it all going again. I'm not quite sure what the difference between the old and new actuator is and whether this will work.... any thoughts? | ||
| Tootal |
The old actuators are held together by screws. The newer ones used rivets. The older ones had plastic gears inside that would fail. The new ones have steel gears. I don't know why the newer one failed. I know you're not supposed to turn the outer pulley by hand as it can damage the internals. I don't know if the steel gears are a direct replacement of the plastic ones but I'd hang onto the newer one in case the older one fails. If it's just the plastic gears failing you might be able to drill out the rivets of the newer one and put the steel gears in the older one. I would only try this if both units are bad so you don't have anything to lose! Somebody on here might already know the answer to that. | ||
| Tpehak |
I never considered aftermarket exhaust because all of them do not fit well and leave empty space making Buell looks ugly. Stock exhaust is the best looking exhaust you can have on your Buell. There is aftermarket exhaust based on stock exhaust, maybe those mufflers still look OK. Another benefit of stock exhaust is it has jacking points for motorcycle maintenance. None of the aftermarket exhausts have this feature. (Message edited by TPEHAK on May 16, 2020) | ||
| Motorfish |
Here’s another actuator option. https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?52942 -Disabled-exhaust-valve-actuator I like my stock muffler, although I’ve been fighting the rust problem. Powder coating is not working out too good. I’m going to try rattle can high heat paint, maybe the POR-15 high heat. Cheap, effective, and easy to touch up, from what I’ve read here. The stock muffler also acts as a skid plate, heavier than other models. | ||
| Simond |
I accept that a stock exhaust will need regular repainting. I've used Camcoat ceramic coating over here in the past but it really doesn't last longer than any other type of paint finish. I'm perfectly happy with the APH exhaust I have it is beautifully made, looks and sounds good and was very reasonably priced:   The oe actuator that came with the bike (part no S0138.2aaa) is definitely held together with screws as I have opened it up. It looks fine inside so I am unsure why it tripped a code. I can't lay my hands on the old one (S0138.2aa) at the moment but will use this lockdown time to find them both and have a play with ECMSpy. That Ford part looks interesting too. I'm not in a hurry as I'm happy enough with the bike as it is now but I suspect there will come a time when I'll need to quieten it down. The Police were trialling roadside noise detectors last year. (Message edited by SimonD on May 17, 2020) | ||
| Hughlysses |
I’d love to have a stock configuration muffler built of 300 series stainless. All I lack is metal forming and TIG welding skills.  | ||
| Hangetsu |
Simond, That APH unit looks nice. Would yo mind sharing how much they charged you for it? Other than it being a bit loud, have you had any drivability issues with it? Did you make any adjustments to your fuel map? I'm also curious - this question is for the community at large - has anyone tried the Buelltooth products. They make two of their own and a third unit that is a modified Supertrapp silencer. Buelltooth also provides a corrected fuel map tuned specifically to their product. I'd be interested in hearing any comments or opinions about these products. Sorry - I don't mean to hijack this thread. Cheers! A - | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I have the Buelltooth/ Supertrapp setup. I'm on the fence as to whether or not it is too loud. Every once in a while it bothers me, but usually not. Neighbors have made no comments and neither has family. Appearance is good, fit is good. I do miss the jacking points. A lot. | ||
| Hangetsu |
Hey Mark, Any comments on drivability compared to stock? Thanks, and I hope this little sidetrack in the conversation is providing useful information to everyone else as well. Sorry again for hijacking. A - | ||
| Simond |
I seem to remember that the exhaust was around £385. At the time pre '08 Remus pipes were not available. '08 on Remus mufflers are still available in Europe but the going rate is £900 to £1000. The way mine split at the chin fairing mount discouraged me from going down that route. The quality of construction of the APH is far superior to the Remus and the top end power improvement is very noticeable. The only issue I had was the popping and backfiring on the overrun. My bike had always done this - even with the oe exhaust - it was just more noticeable with a less restrictive muffler. The Remus was much the same with the baffles removed. Have a look on UKBeg. Nick Pashley noticed that there were some strange ignition advance figures on the map at a closed throttle in the 2k - 4.5k range. He recommended increasing these figures in line with those at slightly wider throttle openings. I'd say that this got rid of 80-90% of the popping and banging. Remember though, this is only for DDFI3 models ('08 onwards). For earlier models I believe you'd need to reduce fuelling at a closed throttle. I'm very happy with the exhaust and am only checking out quieter options because I think there might be issues in the future....and I have time on my hands! Lastly.....thanks Nick. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Purely seat-of-the pants, I think that it's as least as good when using the supplied map. MPG has been steady too. | ||
| Pushr0d |
When I bought my '08, it had been fitted with what I believe was a 'Special Ops' pipe. It looked to be a stock can with the ass-end cut off. I assume the guts were removed except for the valve, and then a new end cap welded on with two big outlet nozzles. Wow, it was obnoxious! And, the bike had a couple of flat spots in the power, and backfired like crazy on decel. I'm too old for that sh*t. The bike had the Buelltooth 'Race tune with aftermarket can'. I bought a couple of cheap 'dB Killer' type of inserts off Amazon, and installed them. They made a significant difference in the power delivery, and the sound was much more --- civilized. A buddy had a stock pipe laying on a shelf, so I bought it from him. Installed it, put the Buelltooth 'Race tune with stock can' in, and the bike runs great. And now I can hear all the other noises the bike makes!  | ||
| Evilphoton |
has anyone tried a solenoid in place of the stock pull mechanism? i guess a solenoid would draw power the whole time it's holding the valve open, but it wouldn't be for very long. | ||
| Ourdee |
Pushrod, I would guess it to be a Hawk pipe. | ||
| Simond |
I'm a bit out of touch here but I noticed that the EBR site is still offering pre-programmed ECMs. Are they still operating? I see that the last new update on the site is from 2018. Secondly, my '09 bike has an early (Oct '08) build date. It is fitted with an actuator held together with screws (s0138.2aaa). I think I have managed to get hold of a good s/h later one with rivets (s0138.2aab). The only issue is how this might work with a EU spec DDFI3 map - hence my question about EBR. | ||
| Arry |
Simond, on 5/17, about the actuator, posted- "It looks fine on the inside..." The teeth on my plastic gears also looked good, but I found out (from others experience) that it's the "dogs", on the side of the gears, that wear and cause problems. I believe someone came up with a fix, to repair the "dogs". You might find that post, with a search, but often difficult to find old posts. I had replaced mine, before that repair was posted. | ||
| Simond |
Thanks for that. Will have a closer look once I have confirmed that the replacement is working ok. | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
I think the pre-programmed ecms are just repackaged ones from IDS, who you can also buy directly from...I think their prices are comparable. They are still operating, if they still have leftover xb parts they'll surely sell them, since all they build now is 1190 stuff. | ||
| Shoggin |
Just chiming in that I also have the Buelltooth Supertrapp exhaust and really like it. I don't like super loud bikes and it's borderline loud, but livable. The stock Buell "Race" tune works great with it. I'm a firm believer in keeping CL activated. I don't miss the jacking points at all, it's very easy to remove but with a steering stem stand the problem dis-appears. |
