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Drilling holes on my stock exhaust?


Leo Vannucci

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Leo Vannucci

Hi guys!

 

I own a 2017 MT07A (FZ07 with ABS in Peru, hence the MT name instead of the FZ name) and its my daily driver. I like the looks of the stock exhaust but its too quiet in terms of being noticed in traffic while driving, and sometimes the horn and using the hi-beams isn't enough, compared to reving your bike and having people noticing you riding by - I've been almost hit many times by drivers who weren't aware of my bike when they were about to make a turn.

 

I am planning on getting the Akrapovic Titanium/Carbon full system this Christmas, or posibly January, and that's sort of a long time away. I've seen some ghetto videos of people drilling holes on their stock exhausts and to be honest, as a  solution in terms of how the bike sounds, doesn't seem that bad... However, my concern is the bike's function before anything else, I don't want to damage the engine at all, so I have the following questions, for me to consider drilling these holes and living with a louder bike before I get the actual Akrapovic exhaust in about 5 or 6 months:

 

1) Will drilling the holes (say 4 or 6 3/8" holes) damage the bike's engine in any way?

 

2) Will drilling the holes require any sort of ECU flashing?

 

3) Will drilling the holes cause a power loss?

 

4) Is this something safe to do?

 

Thanks so much!!

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There have been a few guys on the forum who have drilled holes in the toick exhaust without any problems.  Most of them drill five or six around where the pipe exits the muffler, that way the shroud around the pipe hides the holes.  I have not heard any complaints about it, in fact all the post I read were very positive.  You should not need a flash for that small an increase in air flow and I don't expect any performance lose would be noticable. 

 

I would recommend flashing your bike even with the stock exhaust anyway (that is my configuration).  It makes a huge difference to how the bike behaves.  @2wheeldynoworks will reflash it for free when you get a new exhaust.  

 

Finally, without getting in to the loud pipes debate, never assume someone hears you.  Always ride like you are invisible as it is amazing how people can look right at you and then pull out or charge lanes anyway. 

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Leo Vannucci
1 hour ago, mjh937 said:

There have been a few guys on the forum who have drilled holes in the toick exhaust without any problems.  Most of them drill five or six around where the pipe exits the muffler, that way the shroud around the pipe hides the holes.  I have not heard any complaints about it, in fact all the post I read were very positive.  You should not need a flash for that small an increase in air flow and I don't expect any performance lose would be noticable. 

 

I would recommend flashing your bike even with the stock exhaust anyway (that is my configuration).  It makes a huge difference to how the bike behaves.  @2wheeldynoworks will reflash it for free when you get a new exhaust.  

 

Finally, without getting in to the loud pipes debate, never assume someone hears you.  Always ride like you are invisible as it is amazing how people can look right at you and then pull out or charge lanes anyway. 

Thanks for your reply!

 

I’ve also read very positive comments about the whole drilling thing, and I’m glad it doesn’t require any flashing, however my concern is that some people mention (in the comments section of the drilling videos on YouTube) that you will loose power.

 

I ride quite safely, remember that Peruvian traffic is basically HELL, so I have to. However, even though I’d prefer to wait for my Akrapovic, the fact that that will happen in almost half a year, makes me wanna try this option as it will somewhat help get my bike a bit louder and at least be heard compared to the stock exhaust which sounds like a scooter lol!

 

I also wouldn’t wanna cause any damage to the  engine itself (the valves or whatever) because of the holes and increased flow...

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Most exhaust changes will cause a power loss as the engine is tuned for the back pressure of the stock exhaust.  An ECU flash will fix that.  I would be surprised if the slight power loss from drilling your exhaust will be noticable. 

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I drilled mine while waiting on funds for an aftermarket exhaust. It gave just enough sound to finally know the bike was alive. I liked it. Zero issues with anything. Drill away, chief!

Edited by shinyribs
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Leo Vannucci
12 hours ago, shinyribs said:

I drilled mine while waiting on funds for an aftermarket exhaust. It gave just enough sound to finally know the bike was alive. I liked it. Zero issues with anything. Drill away, chief!

I don't really like the "power loss" idea hehe, but I'll give it a good thought and post updates if I do.

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Just a suggestion, I haven't heard of doing this or tried it on this bike (or any other). Is there fiberglass packing around the baffle on our bike? If so, maybe you could try removing that before you drill your pipe to see how it sounds. My packing on my Akra carbon fiber pipe is worn and the pipe is quite a bit louder now so I'm thinking an original OEM pipe would act the same. Maybe I'm wrong, you would have to experiment to hear it and know  for sure, for yourself. GL, whatever you choose to do, she's your baby!

Beemer

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Leo Vannucci
1 minute ago, Beemer said:

Just a suggestion, I haven't heard of doing this or tried it on this bike (or any other). Is there fiberglass packing around the baffle on our bike? If so, maybe you could try removing that before you drill your pipe to see how it sounds. My packing on my Akra carbon fiber pipe is worn and the pipe is quite a bit louder now so I'm thinking an original OEM pipe would act the same. Maybe I'm wrong, you would have to experiment to hear it and know  for sure, for yourself. GL, whatever you choose to do, she's your baby!

That would mean I'd have to remove the exhaust from the bike? Cause what I wanna do is the least time consuming way, without any power loss or engine damage, before my actual Akrapovic arrives.

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@rotaryryan24 cut up a stock exhaust a while ago.  There is no packing in there, which is another reason I am still running the stock. 

514D02C9-2F7D-4A12-BC53-314623EC100A.jpeg

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Understood. With your parameters it seems you'll just have to wait for a new pipe. I was the same way when I wanted a louder pipe. I didn't want to go cheap. GL and stay frosty, even with your new pipe.

Beemer

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2 hours ago, mjh937 said:

@rotaryryan24 cut up a stock exhaust a while ago.  There is no packing in there, which is another reason I am still running the stock. 

514D02C9-2F7D-4A12-BC53-314623EC100A.jpeg

This looks so ineffective when it comes to air flow!

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2 hours ago, mjh937 said:

@rotaryryan24 cut up a stock exhaust a while ago.  There is no packing in there, which is another reason I am still running the stock. 

514D02C9-2F7D-4A12-BC53-314623EC100A.jpeg

Wow....no wonder it sounds like a moped with stock exhaust!!

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michigan400

I'm not trying to be "Buzz Kilington" here but,,,, my opinion is some additional marker lights or other high visibility items would get you noticed better and quicker than a little bit of extra sound.  I just don't think the desired results would be there for you. People pull out in front of loud Harley's every day. I doubt if they had a different pipe that was say 1-2 db louder, it would have made any difference at all 99.9% of the time. 

 

Just my 2 cents there. If you want it louder than go ahead and drill away. I prefer quiet and stealthy for myself but know a lot of others who dig the pipes and the sound. I like it as well, but just for a few minutes at a time.

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There's no power loss when drilling the stock exhaust. It creates such a tiiiiiny difference in airflow that it's a nonissue. All it does is allow a bit of sound to escape at the point rather than working it's way through the rest of the muffler. 

 

Don't overthink it!

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19 hours ago, michigan400 said:

I'm not trying to be "Buzz Kilington" here but,,,, my opinion is some additional marker lights or other high visibility items would get you noticed better and quicker than a little bit of extra sound.  I just don't think the desired results would be there for you. People pull out in front of loud Harley's every day. I doubt if they had a different pipe that was say 1-2 db louder, it would have made any difference at all 99.9% of the time. 

 

Just my 2 cents there. If you want it louder than go ahead and drill away. I prefer quiet and stealthy for myself but know a lot of others who dig the pipes and the sound. I like it as well, but just for a few minutes at a time.

What about the people that don't see or hear you when you get beside them and they suddenly decide to change lanes into you. I can't count the times that people have started to do just that and when I cracked the throttle hard to get out of their way they heard it and moved back. Not to mention all the times in parking lots that people were backing out and I did the same thing and they stopped.

 

A louder pipe or a pipe that can be loud if you choose to make it loud (like my Akra carbon fiber) if you rev it high enough can be effective in getting peoples attention and it's for the right reason, not to annoy. I know some people have a problem with that. I don't understand why car manyfacturers don't put sensors on the sides of car to detect whether another vehicle is beside them or not. They have the technology, why don't they use it for that? Maybe then people would be less inclined to use louder pipes. I know I would. (but I like the sound of mine, still)

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Beemer

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My wife's car has sensors to let you know when there is a vehicle in the blind spot.  It works when there is a motorcycle there (I checked it).  I love it. 

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6 minutes ago, Leo Vannucci said:

I got a 2 year warranty on my bike... I'm guessing that drilling holes will void it, correct?

it'll only void the "warranty" on your muffler.

DewMan
 
Just shut up and ride.

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Drill 1/2 inch holes in a spiral from each header to the Y.  One this for each header drill them in opposite directions this increases the mechanical disturbances in turbulence while increasing downdraft.  

This makes tons of HP

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria

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I drilled my exhaust and never noticed any difference in performance.  It sounded great to me.  I ran it that way for about a year.  I thought I had a picture of it on my computer, but I can't find it.  If I do, I'll post it.

 

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As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

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Leo Vannucci

I just want the bike to sound alive at least while I save up for my Akra. Would you say that drilling the exhaust will get the exhaust tone louder/deeper in a way closer to what the Akra sounds ?

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Leo Vannucci

Also, I’ve seen this video, where the dude drilled 4 instead of 6 and at least to me the sound seems to be deeper and more v-twin like... is there a way of knowing how many holes to drill in order to get a desired “tone”? I was thinking doing 4 3/8 holes and 2 little 1/4 holes (instead of one big 3/8) in the middle... but I don’t wanna waste time if it won’t make a difference... however this 4 vs 6 (maybe it’s just the camera angle?) may be a good example.

 

https://youtu.be/tiVGcpKDszI

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I think you are going to have to try it.  Everyone has a different idea of what the best sound is.  I would drill two, listen, drill another, decide if it is getting better and continue like that until you are happy.  Good luck. 

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