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Message started by HeresPaco on 11/29/06 at 14:54:47

Title: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by HeresPaco on 11/29/06 at 14:54:47

I need some ideas. ??? What different kinds of adapters did you all settle on when you installed a Harley or other muffler?

I have a few HD mufflers to try on my '87 and wanted to see how you all adapted them to the Suzuki headpipe. It's clear you need to have a slightly curved and properly sized connector pipe to connect the Suzuki's headpipe to a muffler so that it will mount straight along the side of the bike.

What have you all come up with? Can you give me some sizes, dimensions, pictures or some kind of specs of what you got and worked for you best?

Thanks much!

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by sluggo on 11/29/06 at 15:41:29

while i can't give you the specifics of what you asked, i can suggest you do a search of the site for what you are looking for. set the days searched to the max.

this subject has been discussed many time, and you would benifit greatly by reading those topics.

i know this doesn't answere your question but it does give you a great place to get answers from people that may have left the site. and you get the satisfaction of "finding" the information you seek, it may even lead you to other things of intrest.

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by HeresPaco on 11/29/06 at 16:09:01

Hi and thanks,

I've looked through the history but really didn't see any pictures or the type of details I'm looking for. I'll search some more with varying key words however.

;)

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by Steve530 on 11/29/06 at 16:17:05

Note this is a Dyna muffler.

I got an adapter made at a local muffler shop for $5. I took the muffler and the head pipe to the shop. I didn't bother with the recommended 10 degree bend. It fit pretty well, but I could not get it to seal. Note that I did not have a gasket on the head pipe.

I did use a car "U" and saddle clamp to tighten the adapter to the head pipe. That was probably a mistake. It deformed the adapter so much that it was no longer round.

Recently, I tried to seal the adapter with Permatex Ultra Copper. I think this would have worked had the adapter not been deformed by the "U" clamp.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try to try a stock adapter. I bought a 1 3/4 " ID X 1 3/4" OD adapter at an Advance Auto store. It's about 4" in length.

The small end fit the muffler well, but the large end was too large for the head pipe with a gasket. Since the dealer did not have a gasket in stock, I cut a shim out of 0.020 " aluminum sheet metal. I cut a couple of 1/16" slits in the adapter and used two of the excellent HD muffler clamps to tighten it down really well.

That seemed to do the trick. No leaks.

Below is a picture of the completed connection.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h210/Steve530/Completedconnection.jpg

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by Reelthing on 11/29/06 at 16:25:16

That have a stock a Dyna? - there seems to be more different types of HD mufflers around than carters has liver pills -

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by Steve530 on 11/29/06 at 16:31:53

It's for a FXD 1340/1450. I think that's a Dyna Super Glide or Wide Glide.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h210/Steve530/DynaMuffler2.jpg

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by HeresPaco on 11/29/06 at 16:34:00

Thanks Steve. Good pictures.

So most have a custom adapter made? I guess you'd definitely need to have it made if you want to bend in it.

Reel.. I have a half dozen different HD mufflers and yup, even when a few of them look the same something is different about each one, including the sound and even the inlet sizes!

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by Steve530 on 11/29/06 at 16:39:58

Here's a picture of the shim I made. Not pretty, but it worked. Note this is not the correct adapter, it's a 1 3/4 OD X 2" ID adapter. You need a 1 3/4" ID X 1 3/4 OD adapter.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h210/Steve530/Adaptersandshim.jpg

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by HeresPaco on 11/29/06 at 16:49:01

Great pic, thanks! Your shim is similar to most production shims and would seal fairly well.

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by smokey02 on 11/30/06 at 01:59:05

here's my installation

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1158709374;start=3#3

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by Rockin_John on 11/30/06 at 02:17:52

Mine is Dyna Muffler also. Like Steve530 I tried the muffler shop adaptor pipe and brute force U-bolt clamps first. Good news: it didn't leak, and one leg of one clamp lined right up with the original mounting bracket and made a solid fit.

http://catoosatrading.com/images/vehicles/cycles/my_ls650/dyna_muff/PA160003.JPG

The bad news: My heat shield wouldn't fit over the big u-bolt clamps. I tried cutting slots in my (no angle) adaptor pipe, and using regular Harley muffler clamps, but couldn't get a good seal. Then I decided I liked the shorter look of the muffler mounted directly on the header, but that wouldn't seal good, and it made the hole in the Dyna muffler's sliding track bracket line up perfectly with the hole
in the bike's bracket. So... the stove head bolt couldn't slide in the track and get a grip.

Final solution: Positioned the muffler exactly where I wanted it on the header pipe, used a brute force u-bolt clamp to hold it together; removed the whole rig and took it to my friend/neighbor's welding shop and had his son Tig weld it with stainless rod. Here is a fuzzy shot of the bottom. The weld is just to the left of the hose clamp holding on the heat shield:

http://catoosatrading.com/images/vehicles/cycles/my_ls650/dyna_muff/PB300006.JPG

http://catoosatrading.com/images/vehicles/cycles/my_ls650/dyna_muff/PB300001.JPG

I swear that the Dyna muffler sounds a bit louder and better without that couple of inches of adapter pipe. I knew that before having it welded; because I ran it with the single clamp for a few minutes before committing to welding it up. Now that it's done I don't regret welding it.
As Lancer remided me in another thread, welds can be removed too if a later change is wanted.

One of these days I'm going to have to clean my bike before I go showing more pictures of it on the forum.

Title: Re: HD muffler adaptor.. again..one more time!
Post by HeresPaco on 11/30/06 at 09:25:38

Rockin John, you just got me thinking I want to use stainless pipe for the connector, no rust! Thanks!

Smokey, thanks for the great detail. I've come to the conclusion I'll pretty much copy your example. I'll see if the muffler shop can make the connector pipe from some stainless pipe pieces out of their dumpster.

Thanks to all of you for the great detailed information!!
When I get the old '87 back together I'll post some pics and put it on the map.

This is a great forum with a super group of members! Certainly well worth a little website expense donation to John! :)

Cheers to you all for a great holiday time.
;)