Exhaust: what would you do?

[sinikl]

I have an '06 xb9sx that seems to be a sort of a bitsa -- notably the exhaust box is a Ulysses box for some reason (also the primary cover is black rather than silver... there's a bunch of weird things i'm trying to sort out).

I have read a BWB forum thread with a dyno test where an xb12 box on an xb9 with the 'active exhaust' was wired open and it had (IIRC) a big hole in the midrange but some gains on top. Mine was apparently ziptied open and the zipties melted because of course.

I have the exh box off to deal with a kickstand mounting bolt that is broken of inside the case (lovely) and i'm wondering what you would do in this scenario....

1. wire the active exh valve open, fix the kickstand and ride awhile knowing the setup is not ideal (this is sort of fine with me, I am recently back on two wheels and don't need or want loads of power). eventually, send to drummer or swap for stock

2. well heck, may as well send it to drummer (i'm in NC, turnaround time would be minimal). downside: $$$ [also i'm not sure what their core exchange policy is for this sort of 'not exactly a core' situation]

3. try to find a stock xb9 box ($) and sell the uly exhaust on ebay (downside, time spent and no guarantee it'll make any $)

4. become an ace at ecmdroid and create a map for this weird frankenstein combo --->> this is never going to realistically happen

i have no *need* to ride this thing urgently and i'm leaning heavily toward option 2 (send to drummer). But if it's sunny and 65 deg (hey 5 days ago it was snowing HARD, welcome to life in Durham) I also kind of want to just throw on gear and ride when we get nice winter days.... to the point that I'm considering riding it around this coming week and finding a tree or pole to lean it up against if i need to stop!

 

[Mesozoic]

If you can't afford to upgrade the exhaust system, I would wire it up as factory and make sure the actuator is functional. I have a Drummer SS on my XB12 and am very happy with the sound and performance, but obviously there is a cost to it. I had to send it back to KDFab for repacking the core recently as well, but I'm now at the 30K miles mark.

Another attractive option for the financially challenged might be to look at Dean Adam's RT-XB-2 exhaust system. At $425 it's cheaper than most and makes use of a venerable Magnaflow can: http://ecommerce.deanadamsdesigns.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=38

Yet another (and cheaper) option would be to consider Hawk's modification to your existing can. At less than $200 it's not a bad deal! http://hawkperformancemufflers.com/BUELL-XB-MOD.php

 

[submax]

My bike had a modified exhaust with a mismatched ECM and a cracked exhaust header (hidden under header wrap, so I didn't know about it). It ran ok, but after a while started having a lot of sputtering issues. I went ahead last year and replaced it all with a Drummer SS, matching ECM, and new header. Runs great, love the look and sound, and am much happier with the bike knowing that it is put together correctly. So, I guess that shows what my choice would be. But, it depends on the condition of your bike, how much money you want to spend, and what your goals are.

 

[sinikl]

If you can't afford to upgrade the exhaust system, I would wire it up as factory and make sure the actuator is functional.

The XB9 never had the actuator, is the problem. The PO 'solved' that by trying to 'wire' (as in baling wire) the valve in a fixed open position (but didn't use baling wire, and used plastic zip ties instead).

For the sake of riding it around i was going to wire (using actual baling wire) it in the open position, then I got to thinking about sending it out for rework by Drummer (instead of buying a Drummer SS, have them redo mine).

 

[ocgreenmachine]

I have an actuator from an 06' and 09' xb12 if you decide to go with your stock exhaust.

 

[sinikl]

I have an actuator from an 06' and 09' xb12 if you decide to go with your stock exhaust.

Honest question I don't know the answer to: Is the XB9 ECU different from the XB12 in terms of its ability to turn the actuator on or off and when to actuate it?

I suspect there just is no provision for an actuator whatsoever in an XB9 ECU however?

And thx for the offer!

 

[ocgreenmachine]

Honest question I don't know the answer to: Is the XB9 ECU different from the XB12 in terms of its ability to turn the actuator on or off and when to actuate it?

I suspect there just is no provision for an actuator whatsoever in an XB9 ECU however?

And thx for the offer!

Absolutely no clue... So on the stock XB9 they just leave the valve closed at all times? Or is the XB9 exhaust made without a valve? Also, I wonder if you went into your ECM using ECMDroid if you would have the option to turn on the exhaust actuator... I turned the setting off on my XB12 using ECMDroid (check box in settings) when I got my aftermarket exhausts.

 

[sinikl]

Absolutely no clue... So on the stock XB9 they just leave the valve closed at all times? Or is the XB9 exhaust made without a valve?

Correct, XB9 has no valve. I learned this in a roundabout way when i took my airbox off to change plugs and discovered that the top of an XB9 airbox has a screw-on coverplate that says THUNDERSTORM 984 that covers...nothing. So why make nutserted mounting bosses just to mount a BS cover? Because that's where the actuator lives in a 12.

I actually just hung up with Kevin at Drummer and he told me to leave the valve *shut* for a muffler that acts closest to a stock XB9, and offered a helpful tip on how to get the kickstand bolt out.

Think I'll def send the exhaust his way, if not today, soon

 

[sinikl]

Also found the BWB thread I thought I remembered, linking it here for reference if anyone else ends up with a frankenstein bike like mine.

If you scroll down to the dyno traces, you'll see the torque of the xb12 with the valve shut (Radmoment Serie xb12) closely follows the stock xb9 (radmoment serie) but has a slight dip from around 3700 to 6k and corresponding gains after 6k, while the XB12 wired open (Radmoment xb12 serie offnen) has a HUGE hole in torque and corresponding HP in the midrange.

http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/159899.html?1163476022

Guess I'm glad those zipties melted.

 

[ocgreenmachine]

Correct, XB9 has no valve. I learned this in a roundabout way when i took my airbox off to change plugs and discovered that the top of an XB9 airbox has a screw-on coverplate that says THUNDERSTORM 984 that covers...nothing. So why make nutserted mounting bosses just to mount a BS cover? Because that's where the actuator lives in a 12.

I actually just hung up with Kevin at Drummer and he told me to leave the valve *shut* for a muffler that acts closest to a stock XB9, and offered a helpful tip on how to get the kickstand bolt out.

Think I'll def send the exhaust his way, if not today, soon

If you like Kevin and want to go with an exhaust from him, I suggest the Drummer SS exhaust. It is worth the extra money on top of the regular Drummer. Here you can listen to the Drummer SS compared to the Dean Adams and Jardine:

 

[sinikl]

Hey sorry for not replying sooner to say thanks to ocgreenmachine for the link comparing pipes. Thank you!

I'm tabling the exhaust thing for a while but i'll go Drummer someday (probably just the stock box rework and not the SS because i'm cheap, but the SS looks and sounds great)