Stainless steel 4 into 1 exhaust

So I did a bunch of research, crossed my fingers and basically said "f$&% it. I purchased a set of stainless headers for my 1982 XJ550 Seca. They are not for the model I have, they are for the European XJR400. They are well made, look sweet, fit great the only caveat is that you loose your centers stand. That didn't matter to me cause I have spools installed and I use a paddock stand.
My install will include a Cone Engineering Quiet Core stainless muffler. I won't be loud, I guarantee that, I hate that crap. Should sound different, for sure. I will report back soon with pictures and if tuning issues arise.

 

Oh.... they did cost a little bit more, not to mention the shipping cost, but I wanted them. I'm glad I took the gamble!

 

Gonna need some pictures! Where did you find 400 parts? Another member has a thread going about how difficult xj4s are to get parts for. Can't remember her name, but she's in Europe, and shipping is brutal expensive!

 

Username is Robyn

 

Man said XJR400 - a different beast (to the XJ400s)from the 90s.. Not even sure they were ever an official European model, just a Jap import..

 

Right, but if he's going to a 4/1, it's not original to the earlier 400 anyway, so it doesn't matter----if's AFTER market even if it is from the factory.

 

Dave, not sure what point you're making. I merely pointed out that 'Robyn' probably has knowledge of a different model.

 

I definitely am not an XJ purist. Bone stock from the factory is reliable, sensible and looks great. It just doesn't work for me.

 

Awaiting an 18 degree ss mandel bend to make it happen. I didn't like the length of the of the 18" quiet core muffler from Cone Engineering. Way too long for my liking. I decided on the Cone Engineering shorty ss muffler which is well made and to scale but it's a straight through design. An auger style spiral baffle will be installed to manage exhaust decibel volumes as well as to provide back-pressure. It will louder, I understand that, it just won't be obnoxious....

 

What are you considering to be as "appropriate back pressure"?

 

Whatever back-pressure that is provided based on how the system is built that doesnt cancel out any low end torque, create flat spots during acceleration and doesent create a tuning nightmare. I'll have to find what's "appropriate" based on my riding style characteristics along with my butt dyno.

 

Sounds great, not obnoxious one bit but healthy exhaust note when you goose it. There's no flat spots accross the throttle range so I'm not going to mess with anything, period. As for looks, it's good for me, nothing over the top gorgeous but it's a needed change. The bikes a little more fun to ride at this point.

 

Keep an eye on plug color; maybe do a few chops. Just because she pulls well doesn't rule out the mixture being lean (stock jetting is lean to begin with, so even little changes matter).

 

Your clairvoyant..... Good call!
After my second spirited ride this afternoon, my curiosity got the better of me so I pulled the plugs. Too mucho lean, no es bueno. Shit. So I'm gonna fiddle with the carbs a bit, chop the plugs repeatedly and see what the results offer.
I forsee possibly having to go up in the jet size to feed the beast now it breaths better.

 

I noticed the two outer and the two inner plugs showed the same results upon inspecting them. I have a set of #115 and #117.5 jets that I might try out. The larger on the two inner carbs and the smaller on the two outer.

 

After thinking about it long and hard, I decided to go back to my semi stock 4-2 setup. Why f*** with something that works just fine?
So my "new plan" is to use the stainless down pipes from the pictured header and replace the stock ones that are somewhat pitted. There is more than enough pipe and the OD is the same. Just gonna use the stock collector, which I bought as a NOS part. My mufflers are fairly new and are packed with stainless steel wool which is superior over fiberglass packing.
The bike responded perfectly with the 4-1 set up, but to be honest, I don't care for the noise it makes now compared to what I was before. And the one side of the bike looks bare with no muffler there, don't care for it.
Lesson learned, money spent, no harm done. All I really lost during this experiment was time and some cash but I have that much more experience now.

 

Cheap tuition.

 

I agree with Moe. Mistakes are lessons not gathered. You confirmed what I've read about the efficient scavenging of the stock collector box. I had already decided as well that i love the symmetry of the dual exhaust..... Which begs of me the question..... What mufflers are those that you reverted back to? They do not appear stock. My XJ550RH Mufflers were rotted through. I look forward to a warm, louder than stock note. And yours fit precisely how I want what I make/ purchase to fit. Looks great! Btw Moe, I love your tool tubes! That a sub military unit you have there! Bike looks great! As does yours Robyn!

 

The mufflers are 16"Emgo reverse cones that I packed with SS wool. SS wool lasts much longer than the fiberglass packing that a lot of exhaust mufflers come with, doesn't rust from condensation, which saves mufflers from rotting but costs about twice as much. It can be found on Ebay.

 

What make and model are your rear shocks? Cost? Satisfaction?

 

They are debadged 13.0" RFY shocks off of Ebay. I paid like $85.00 for them. They come from Japan/China/ HK so shipping can take a few weeks. They have various color combos as well as different lengths. The trick is to disassemble them redrill the passages a bit larger, fill them with equal amounts of quality shock oil, new orings and charge them with 3-7psi of air or nitrogen. Then they function satisfactory for typical semi-aggressive street rides. If you skip the overhaul they are fair to poor comfortwise but luckily they are adjustable. An adjustment spanner is included with them but you don't receive any literature or instructions with them.
I have purchased two sets, one for another larger bike. They are made surprisingly well but lack quality control with the charging of air and fluid amounts. One set had unequal amounts of fluid and the other had none at all.
I am happy with them after the modification plus they look cool IMHO. They are definitely not "Ohlins" but work well with this generation and style bike.

 

If you Google "RFY shock rebuild" there are several different spins that have been posted explaining the process and results. If you have everything it is a 1-2 hour job total. Day and night difference, very worthwhile.

 

Thanks for the info. I understand that there could be a model that would fit my Seca900.