Mufflers

I pulled my Seca out into the sunlight to see if my winter tinkering paid off (it was previously dead). It did, as it started right up, idled, and revved very nicely, so thanks for all the info I've gotten here. It was tempting to take it out for a quick ride up and down the street, but I resisted temptation as I have no helmet, no plate, a cop living two doors down, and apparently no mufflers. It has the original four into two exhaust, the headers are in good shape as is the crossover joint, but the mufflers, though still shiny, have no undersides. New mufflers are not in the budget, Anyone know of an easy way to patch these holes? Do they have to be brazed/welded?

 

Eeeek! That must sound terrible! Welding is your only option (brazing temperature is too close to the operation temperatures of the exhaust down pipes, I wouldn't do it). It can be done rather easily but you gotta get all the corrosion out of the way. Easy with a TIG unit.

 

Just a thought, but if you're not a welder yourself, it might end up costing more to get your pipes welded up than it would to get a stock set off of ebay. I've seen them go for as cheap as $20 before. I'd check there before you spend $60-75 getting them welded up. And chances are, if they TIG it, it'll be even more than that.

 

I figured I had to replace them for State inspection, but I was advised not to sweat it yet by a buddy whose Suzuki passed inspection and whose mufflers were not in much better shape. According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, bikes manufactured before 1986 have to be below 102 decibels. And according to my buddy, most places sort of check it by ear. If I smooth out the idle a bit and its not smoking, I might do OK.

 

And the die is cast... That is a risk, what are the ramifications if you fail that section, do they let you repair and return? Or is it a one time deal (don't have those little inspection things here in CA).

 

I'm not sure what the ramifications are, I'm trying to find some biker friends that have failed the inspection process but am not having any luck, which means either my friends keep their bikes in impeccable shape, or the state is really lenient. I've seen their bikes, so I think I have an ok chance. I know I'll have to replace the mufflers eventually (its not like they're going to get better) but money-wise, later would be better.

 

Sounds like a risk worth taking, good luck to you!