Joined Dec 2011
18 Posts | 0+
Southampton
RSVR Exhaust conversion / coring
I researched forums and others on the exhaust conversion for the >04 RSVR and compiled a document with all information I felt was useful in there. After reading it a few times I did the conversion and I have a few hints and tips on top of the base document.
I hope this useful to the readers of this forum.
1. Start to look for a pair of spare exhausts. I bought mine for £20,- (ok I spent £30 on top of that on fuel). Just in case you mess up or you have a stringent MOT tester :biggrin:biggrin. The key to finding good deals is taking your time.
2. Buy materials: you need
a. Exhaust Stainless Steel Perforated Tube 63.5 mm -- 2.5" (< £20)
b. EXHAUST SILENCER PACKING SHEET - 450MM X 1M ( < £15)
c. 50 5.0mm Standard Open Dome Aluminium Rivets (< £3.50)
d. Odds and sods: masking tape, self-tapping screws
3. The usual bla bla such as prepare well and have the right tools but you all know that…. :thumbup
The things where I think you can improve over the document are:
• To not hammer the stainless steel back section of the exhaust to get it out. Instead use a block of wood and hammer it out from the back side.
• If you like bleeding ears ignore this point. Mine is louder than any other twin I have heard and that is enough. So I conserve a bit of loudness and create a deeper sound by not taking-out the cat nor the balance/joining/spaghetti pipe for the headers. This saves a lot of work and creates a throaty green exhaust. Here’s what you do:
o Leave the down pipes / headers on the bike. Don’t touch them. So that’s one job done….
o Leave the cat in. Everyone says what a pig it is to get them out. Leave them in. Another job done. BUT…… Yes there is a but. The new perforated stainless or Alu tube is 63.5mm diameter and that is close to the inside of the cat pipe. What you do is you open up the stainless core and bent it over the cat pipe, as in the picture below:
View attachment 4335
o Use Alu rivets instead of stainless steel. They are cheaper, much easier to mount and remove in case you ever want to change your pipes.
o Drill out the old stainless rivets with a 8.5 – 10 mm drill bit. The 5 or 5.5 mm drill bit will create a right mess if you are not careful. The bigger drill bit will just drill the ‘head’ of the rivet. Then hammer the remainder of the rivet into the can. Use normal oil to cool your drill bit. No need for Titanium carbide or other exclusive hardened drill bits. Use a normal HSS drill bit. The 8.5mm HSS drill bit is thicker and less brittle so you do not need a dozen of them, again saving loads…..
o Put the exhaust not only on an old blanket but also on a work mate, so it is stable and will not roll when you remove the rivets.
o The RSVR has an oval exhaust. This makes the packing tricky. I bought packing sheet with a nylon cord in there which burns by the exhaust gas heat and this stretches /releases the packing sheet, just like a curtain. Just roll it up and put it all together, go for a (smelly) ride and job done.
o Do not bin the old metal damper parts. I took out the original db killer saving another £20,- (ebay: DB KILLER TO SUIT ANY 2.5" ANGLED EXHAUST CAN). See pictures below. These fit snugly into the new cored exhaust (might come in handy on a long motorway ride or holiday. One screw removes them)
View attachment 4336View attachment 4337View attachment 4338
Overall you need to spent well under £100,- and have an excellent sound (and that is not just my opinion, honestly), stock looking can with optional db killers. Can’t beat that.
Ps you might want to switch to map2 to get the fuel a bit more optimised, but I haven't bothered (yet).
I researched forums and others on the exhaust conversion for the >04 RSVR and compiled a document with all information I felt was useful in there. After reading it a few times I did the conversion and I have a few hints and tips on top of the base document.
I hope this useful to the readers of this forum.
1. Start to look for a pair of spare exhausts. I bought mine for £20,- (ok I spent £30 on top of that on fuel). Just in case you mess up or you have a stringent MOT tester :biggrin:biggrin. The key to finding good deals is taking your time.
2. Buy materials: you need
a. Exhaust Stainless Steel Perforated Tube 63.5 mm -- 2.5" (< £20)
b. EXHAUST SILENCER PACKING SHEET - 450MM X 1M ( < £15)
c. 50 5.0mm Standard Open Dome Aluminium Rivets (< £3.50)
d. Odds and sods: masking tape, self-tapping screws
3. The usual bla bla such as prepare well and have the right tools but you all know that…. :thumbup
The things where I think you can improve over the document are:
• To not hammer the stainless steel back section of the exhaust to get it out. Instead use a block of wood and hammer it out from the back side.
• If you like bleeding ears ignore this point. Mine is louder than any other twin I have heard and that is enough. So I conserve a bit of loudness and create a deeper sound by not taking-out the cat nor the balance/joining/spaghetti pipe for the headers. This saves a lot of work and creates a throaty green exhaust. Here’s what you do:
o Leave the down pipes / headers on the bike. Don’t touch them. So that’s one job done….
o Leave the cat in. Everyone says what a pig it is to get them out. Leave them in. Another job done. BUT…… Yes there is a but. The new perforated stainless or Alu tube is 63.5mm diameter and that is close to the inside of the cat pipe. What you do is you open up the stainless core and bent it over the cat pipe, as in the picture below:
View attachment 4335
o Use Alu rivets instead of stainless steel. They are cheaper, much easier to mount and remove in case you ever want to change your pipes.
o Drill out the old stainless rivets with a 8.5 – 10 mm drill bit. The 5 or 5.5 mm drill bit will create a right mess if you are not careful. The bigger drill bit will just drill the ‘head’ of the rivet. Then hammer the remainder of the rivet into the can. Use normal oil to cool your drill bit. No need for Titanium carbide or other exclusive hardened drill bits. Use a normal HSS drill bit. The 8.5mm HSS drill bit is thicker and less brittle so you do not need a dozen of them, again saving loads…..
o Put the exhaust not only on an old blanket but also on a work mate, so it is stable and will not roll when you remove the rivets.
o The RSVR has an oval exhaust. This makes the packing tricky. I bought packing sheet with a nylon cord in there which burns by the exhaust gas heat and this stretches /releases the packing sheet, just like a curtain. Just roll it up and put it all together, go for a (smelly) ride and job done.
o Do not bin the old metal damper parts. I took out the original db killer saving another £20,- (ebay: DB KILLER TO SUIT ANY 2.5" ANGLED EXHAUST CAN). See pictures below. These fit snugly into the new cored exhaust (might come in handy on a long motorway ride or holiday. One screw removes them)
View attachment 4336View attachment 4337View attachment 4338
Overall you need to spent well under £100,- and have an excellent sound (and that is not just my opinion, honestly), stock looking can with optional db killers. Can’t beat that.
Ps you might want to switch to map2 to get the fuel a bit more optimised, but I haven't bothered (yet).
