First off I’ll announce that D&D is making my Bonneville Racing Exhaust System. This system, designed to take may ass to Sturgis, is the street version. My goal was to make a set of pipes that performed well and were close in so I could bolt them to the driveline. It’s prohibitive to attach a rubber mounted engine exhaust system to the frame. Suddenly there’s more vibration and it will generally tear the shit out of the pipes.
The engine and trans move around, and the frame remains solid. I’m working with Wil Phillips of True-Track to control the standard touring wobbles and handling problems. Wil is the master of Touring Handling with the True-Track (under the transmission Heim joint system), stronger front motor mount, Buell style rear motor mounts and he recommended I use his stainless Heim joints and a ¾-inch transmission axle. We’ll cover that more, but if you have a dresser, you need to check his site.
Wil also supplied me with solid, lubricated bronze swingarm bushings. I pressed the stock rubber jobs out of the swingarm before I sent it to powder. The bronze bushing also eliminated all the caps, washers and spacers associated with the stock bushings. I will also us Wil’s fork dampers for both bikes, for handling and fulfilling the SCTA Bonneville racing rules.
I hate to admit this, but we may have eaten a couple of digital film cards and I’m pissed. I don’t know why? Well, I do. It’s a pain in the ass to work on a bike, then stop to take shots. It’s like the mad scientist trying to stop, so he can document his insanity. Actually I enjoy slapping these articles together, just wish I had a staff, a photographer and a gorgeous redhead note-taker following me around all day.
We started with the notion of a two into one system for several reasons. We wanted a tight system and Jason, from Roland Sands Design, recently told me that a properly designed two-into-one system can make up for unequal length pipes, because one pipe is helping to pull the exhaust pulses out of the other. I grabbed a used Thunderheader and sliced it off at an angle and positioned it near the center of the transmission and made a mounting bracket.
Then I started bending a chunk of 16-gauge, standard car exhaust pipe coated with aluminum to prevent rust. I bent a piece of welding rod as a guide and went to work with my Muffler Master non-mandrel bender. It’s a blast to mess with, but unable to make super tight bends.
I turned to Hooker header bend segments and began to piece the exhaust, with various bends, cut with a Makita saw and held in place with Hooker exhaust alignment sleeves then tack-welded. My bender is cool for slight adjustments, or spreading pipes to slip over another one, but it won’t give the tight bike bends I need and make ‘em cool.
Shit, I got off track. Not really. I was going to discuss baffles, sound suppression and performance. I’m actually going to start on an extensive exhaust science article in the next couple of days, drawing from most of the pipe manufacturers in the industry. I’m writing it for American Iron Mag and Bikernet.com. I’m hoping to find out all the secrets to exhaust tuning known to man. Yeah right, but I’ll give it my best shot. Back to my system, I ordered three-point exhaust flanges from Accurate Engineering and discovered why they are cool and why the factory never used them. They are bitchin’ and strong, but touchy to mount.
Okay, I pieced several pieces together then decided I better call Berry Wardlaw, from Accurate, and ask a delicate question. You can build an Evo system as a one-piece unit in most cases and be able to remove it, but could I do the same with a Pan with three-bolt exhaust flanges. Also, did I need to run the pipes into the heads or cut them off at the mouth of the exhaust port.
Berry was in the middle of helping his girlfriend, Gypsy, build a bike for the Discovery Channel Biker Build-off against Kim Suter. They were scrambling, but he took a moment out of their pressurized schedule to give me a call. “It’s best to have the system break into two pieces,” Berry said. “There’s also a lip inside the exhaust ports, and you can run the pipes up to the lip. Now, get back to work. Sturgis is just around the corner.”
”Thanks a fuckin’ lot,” I said as he hung up. I was able to use a spreader tool on my Muffler Master and spread the front pipe to slip over the chunk left-over on the Thunderheader.
After everything was tacked into place I removed the system and finished all the welds. I need a TIG welder. Then I ground all the welds and rattle-canned them with flat black barbecue paint. It’s the only way to go, but I didn’t make heat shields, because I have some Lone Star Choppers Heat Wrap that I might try out. Larry Curik, the owner, was also working on Gypsy’s Build-off and out of his shop.
How’s this for a Panhead Sportbike Luggage rack. I’ve removed all the normal sportbike crap and replaced it with old school touches, I suppose. We’re hoping to engine turn this and clear powder them to match the dash. We’ll see.
Recently all the parts were shipped to Foremost Powder for special coatings. We hope to start assembling the 45 flathead by Friday. In the meantime I dug up this brass/bronze experiment and made another belt buckle. It’s sorta a ride-on-acid buckle, but what the hell.
Just when I thought we had these bikes under control a couple more projects surfaced. We need a kickstand for the 45 and I’ll order a center stand and have it powder coated. I also need lowered struts to replace the shocks on the Panhead to lower that puppy to the ground for salt running. Oh, and I need various sized sprockets to push the top end on the salt. Here’s what John Reed, the V-Bike designer, told me about the wheels and sprocket.
Don’t forget that the rear sprockets on the V are not Harley wheel fit, They are ducati fit, with Harley size on the outside(chain).You will either get someone (a manufacturer) to make the sprockets, or modify Harley style (fxr) ones, which means welding up the holes round the center, putting it on a Lathe, which is an absolute pain in the ass, and opening up the hole in the center to fit the wheel and drilling holes to fit the hub.
I use a rear-wheel sprocket with two less teeth than the one that comes on the V, and it makes it a lot better for my style of riding.–John
Holy shit.
