XS650 Build - My first chopper!

[Guest]

"Hey mom I didn't know you were a member of the 33. "

Son, is that you?
My opinion is that straight pipes blow in every way:
noise is too much which pisses off folks who then demand crackdowns and law changes to limit bike noise (not much new there), and open pipes usually produce poor power unless the carbs are set up to just puke gas in to counteract the unrestricted flow out the exhaust since the intake valves start opening while the piston is still rising on the exhaust stroke.

And WTF ANYWAY? Who needs to listen to that crap - other riders probably have ear plugs in anyway so they won't be impressed! I wear plugs when I'm riding so that my sweetie can still whisper sweet nothings to me at home and I can still hear them! Awww.

So I suggest that lovechild might want to man up and design and build some nice small muffies that reduce the pain level and make the engine run a bit better. Or not. I ain't the cops and I won't be riding with him.
zag

[Guest]

Cheers guys. I'm not putting any mufflers on the exhaust, but maybe some baffles in there. Haven't really thought that far ahead. Unfortunately I need to go back and adjust one of the bends in the pipe. When looking from above, the top pipe is supposed to run directly over the bottom, but its slightly out of line. I thought it wouldn't notice, but now its fucking with my head and needs changing.

Mr. lovechild,
I see zero benefit in creating a ton of noise. Unless you are gonna make this puppy run super rich, unrestricted pipes will make less torque and power while providing you with anger from other riders who don't want to go deaf and attention from the cops. I'm guessing that the cops in the UK are even less enthusiastic about straight pipes than ours are! IMO, open pipes are just a cheap-ass gimmick to "sound like a race machine" when a true race machine has totally different carbs and cams to actually use the increased airflow.
But, I ain't your mama so if you want to go deaf while riding slow - please feel free to do so.
zag

[Hippie459MN]

Dang! Someone has had them selves a big old glass of hater-aid today. Let the man build the bike how he wants. Just cause you dont like straight pipes doesnt mean you have to come and piss on someone elses build.

I myself like my louder pipes. I do have very short baffles in mine that while they didnt quiet it down much, got rid of the nice little flat spot in my mid range. I can still hear my passenger on my bike and his pipes are much longer and out back further then mine and I have yet to have a single person complain about the noise of my 4 banger even at 8k RPM going down the interstate. Hell, 3/4 of the people I ride with have way louder bikes then mine and I dont think any of us have gotten a single complaint about the noise from people. Then again, We ride respectfully in residential areas when it comes to noise. Now out on the open road... Fair game!

As for me, I love them pipes and cant would love to hear what they look like!

[junkyardxl]

"Hey mom I didn't know you were a member of the 33. "

Son, is that you?
My opinion is that straight pipes blow in every way:
noise is too much which pisses off folks who then demand crackdowns and law changes to limit bike noise (not much new there), and open pipes usually produce poor power unless the carbs are set up to just puke gas in to counteract the unrestricted flow out the exhaust since the intake valves start opening while the piston is still rising on the exhaust stroke.

And WTF ANYWAY? Who needs to listen to that crap - other riders probably have ear plugs in anyway so they won't be impressed! I wear plugs when I'm riding so that my sweetie can still whisper sweet nothings to me at home and I can still hear them! Awww.

So I suggest that lovechild might want to man up and design and build some nice small muffies that reduce the pain level and make the engine run a bit better. Or not. I ain't the cops and I won't be riding with him.
zag

Go away man. Since your not the cops stop acting like it. Since your not riding with him stop caring.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Guest]

Go away man. Since your not the cops stop acting like it. Since your not riding with him stop caring.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

whatever. Love and suckage won't bring back his torque or horsepower and since he lives in the UK, not on my street, I don't personally care how annoyingly loud he is. So chill. Besides pointing out that loud pipes annoy everyone not wearing earplugs and bring cop attention (duh!) the actual engine performance is reduced. You are on the wrong side of this pissing match and not a help - but then I don't actually care about your motherly concern. I'd just like to see the newbie build something that doesn't result in his arrest! I'm not his nanny, or yours, but I do care about guys who actually devote the time and effort to build stuff. Hugs and kisses from WI.
zag

[Dieselchanic]

Nice thread derail over something that doesn't matter or concern you. He'll do what he likes (at least I would) and just because you dunno how to tune a carb or bike to run with strait pipes don't mean ya got to attack someone for running them. Dumping fuel in there to satisfy the extra flow isn't making it run rich, its preventing it running lean.... Strait pipes doesn't always mean reduced power. On a site that's about 90% strait pipes, not a good place piss on em

[Hippie459MN]

whatever. Love and suckage won't bring back his torque or horsepower and since he lives in the UK, not on my street, I don't personally care how annoyingly loud he is. So chill. Besides pointing out that loud pipes annoy everyone not wearing earplugs and bring cop attention (duh!) the actual engine performance is reduced. You are on the wrong side of this pissing match and not a help - but then I don't actually care about your motherly concern. I'd just like to see the newbie build something that doesn't result in his arrest! I'm not his nanny, or yours, but I do care about guys who actually devote the time and effort to build stuff. Hugs and kisses from WI.
zag

Dude, You dont get it, If you dont like his build, move along. How do you know he is a newbie? By the looks of your post count that would make you more of a newbie them him. How do youy know he hasnt been building or working on bikes for a good number of years? Sounds like he has a plan and doesnt need people like you to chime in and be a complete fucking dick. You could have just said, nice build but them pipes could be a power issue, might want to try some type of muffler instead of putting the guy down and pretty much calling him an idiot. If his straight pipes are that much of an issue for you, Might want to bash 75% of the other builds on this web site and tell them how dumb they all are for running straight pipes. So your from Wisconsin? Let me know where so I can drive my bike with straight pipes over, that runs amazing mind you, and make a fuck ton of noise right next to your bedroom window, Move along already and go hate yourself and not everyone else for doing or building shit the way they want, not the way you want!

[Guest]

Dieselchanic,
The thread is about his build and I'm simply suggesting that he continue with the good looking pipes he made and knock the noise down a bit. It's not going to sound like granny's stationwagon no matter what he does! I really like XS650's and I respect anyone who takes the time, effort, and money to make and modify them. Living in the UK, he will be facing tougher noise enforcement than in the rural USA - so I will predict that he will be forced into noise reduction even if he just loves the sound of open pipes. I'm not suggesting that aftermarket mufflers need to be clamped on to destroy the clean look or make it sound like crap. I've designed and built my own mufflers (how many on this board can say that?) which sound and work great. My comments about tuning are valid for most people because they are not about to start making their own cams to get the valve operation to work better with low back pressure. The usual simple fix is to simply diddle the carbs to run super rich so that the engine isn't burning pistons and valves by running super lean due to the flow out the open exhaust. Ripping me a new one just because I'm suggesting a way to get better performance with less noise does a disservice to a new builder who is trying to make a bike that will actually run well and be fun to ride. I think that his work so far looks interesting and I simply suggested something he might want to consider. I seriously doubt that I will ever hear his bike run or ride with him in the UK so I am sure as hell not making these comments for my benefit. Or maybe I will look him up the next time I'm over at the Ace Cafe and see how it turned out.
My suggestion: if you and others don't like my comments, don't read them. Maybe Chopcult has some way to permanently block your view of my posts so that I never darken your doorstep again.
zag

[Guest]

OK, I GET IT.

Looks great man, really like the exhaust!!

zag

[Phail]

I'm running an XS650 with straight pipes and baffles in them. It's not that loud. My wife doesn't even hear me come up the drive way late at night. I'm also running stock jets in my BS38 with pods. I get around 55MPG and it doesn't run hot. Plugs look perfect.

Just saying.

[lovechild]

Glad some people dig the exhaust! Just for the record, I don't want to create 'a ton of noise'. Just look at my sporty, it stills runs stock mufflers! All my buds give me shit for it, but I don't want to spend loads of money on some other mufflers, I will just wait until I rebuild it in the spring and build my own exhaust. I just like the clean look of these pipes on my XS and don't want mufflers clamped on them. Like I said, i will probably put some baffles in, but I haven't really thought that far ahead. I am just trying to build my dream machine, and this is always how I planned it!

Moving on, I didn't really get a lot done tonight. My new fork tubes came in the post, so I thought I had better put in some more work on the legs. Just a bit more sanding and polish and they are done!

[lovechild]

Cheers Phail, that's encouraging! I remember seeing your red xs650 in a thread a while ago. Fucking love it man!

[SLO]

Love the look of this one. So badass!!!

[Gyllenberg]

Sweet start!

[lovechild]

Been so busy with all the Christmas shit that I haven't made much progress. Had some free time this morning, and managed to sort the exhaust bends out and get the rear exhaust mount made up. I used the two exhaust flanges I got with the TC Bros kit,turned the other end down a bit, joined by a small piece of flat bar, then bolted through the middle into a bung welded in the frame.