Muffler question

Just to get everyones opinion what are some good replacement mufflers for a 82 xj650? Noise reduction is not a concern. I had to cut my muffler cans due to them rotting off and didnt want to lose them going down the road. So anyone with any suggestions on some what inexpensive replacements? Thanks for the advice in advance.

 

sportster mufflers. they sound great and can be had for cheap. the ones on mine sound awesome.

 

They need to be before a certain year. I don't remember which year. Maybe someone will speak up.

 

Anyone have the info about this? I'm also looking into changing out the mufflers on my bike and would like to know what would fit.

 

the early sporty mufflers that had the crossover pipe on the header. i think it was pre-2003 or something. the newer ones have an extra pipe or something on them that is supposed to join the mufflers together. you do not want those ones.

 

I have the Sportster mufflers on mine (the ones with no crossover tube on them) and they are the cat meow. They sound great, nice deep low tone and are not loud at all. Highly recommended.

 

JCWhitney has them.

 

i bought mine used on craigslist for $20 the harley guys seem to replace them right away. i would post an ad there looking for some before i bought any online. or check your local harley shop, but talk to the mechanic not the salesperson.

 

Paid $30 for mine off cl,as new condition.Don't remember the last year w/out the nipples There is a forum post on it,let your fingers do the walking.Or ask the seller,he maaaay know if you explain it.Yep,I like the sound as PD said.

 

My local Harley dealer (right next door) doesn't keep the stock mufflers. It seems that most riders have after market mufflers installed at the dealer before they pick up the bike (new) so the mufflers get sent back to the factory to be installed on another bike. I wonder how many trips they make back and forth before someone actually keeps them?!!

 

That's weird cause it's the customers parts so they should have the option to do with them what they want. Cause in the marine industrie we have to give the customer his old parts if he doesn't want them then they become junk or scrap. Some marine mechanics even keep a few things to rebuild/tinker with or make into special tools. But I guess if the customer doesn't want them and the dealership can make a extra buck off of the by returning them it makes sense I guess.

 

I see the customer probably just doesn't want to deal with having to re-sell them, or the dealer makes a deal (better price) when exchanging them for another exhaust system. Who knows?

 

Would a person need to re-jet after switching to sportster mufflers?

 

I did not re-jet after installing the Sportster mufflers. Just re-synched the carbs to make sure it wasn't running out of balance and read the plugs to make sure it wasn't running lean. Just make sure the mufflers haven't been punched out (alot of riders do that first before swapping to after market systems)

 

I did not re-jet. Checked plugs, showed a bit leaner than I liked.I now add marvel mystery oil to gas,plugs show more tan.I may be wrong,but I believe added ethanol causes leaner burn. (Thought I was wrong once,but I was mistaken) I asked the seller if mufflers were gutted,he had no idea what I was asking. Typical.

 

It should be easy to see if the mufflers have been gutted. When looking into the rear of the muffer, you should see a smooth tapered opening. If they have been gutted, the baffle protion in the back has been drilled out with a holesaw or simply cut out.

 

i didn't rejet with mine either and my plugs are nice and tan, but on the other hand the rooted out shells that were the stock cans probably weren't doing much for the situation in the first place.

 

Has anyone tried using the baffle inserts I found some for like 5 bucks on ebay

 

The cheap baffles your referring to will help but they are still too loud for my taste and do not give enough back preasure. You would need to rejet to use them.
Most stock mufflers have only about a 1" to restrict the exhaust gases and to keep the exhaust note to a low muffled tone. The Harley Sportster muffflers had a larger opening, which helps the engine breath a bit better, and gives it a deeper, louder tone, but are still baffled so you don't have that sharp crack when the cylinders fire. There is still enough back preasure to keep from rejetting but you may have to adjust the air screws on the carbs out a little bit to keep from running too lean.
You could also just get a set of stock mufflers off of other bikes that will work if you can find ones that will fit the header pipes.
I have a pair of shorty mufflers (about 1 ft. long from JC Whitney) that sound much like the Sportster mufflers and are fairly cheap too. The only reason I took them off is because they blew the exhaust straight toward the bottom of my saddlebags, so I changed to the longer Sporster mufflers to get more length.

 

Forgot to mention,centerstand stop is on stock 750 muffler.I bolt mine on as needed to work on bike.You could fab a replacement,I didn't.