[GeorgeR]

There has to be a proven method of getting the baffles out. Please help! Tell me how you did it!

My 1300C has great sounding Bub Jug Huggers but I wanted to take it down a notch for my neighbors sake so I ordered the Stealth baffles. These pipes have been on the bike for a while so they have been thru several heat cycles and have carbon built up on the inside.

Well yesterday I set out to swap out the stock baffles with the Stealth bafflles. Removing the tips went ok. Removing the short bent pipe not so easy. The first one I got off while it was still on the bike. The allen heads of the screws on the second pipe started to strip so off came the pipe and onto the bench where I had to drill and easy-out the screws. With all the screws out and the pipe seated in my bench vise (chrome heat shield removed as well) a made a long hook from some 1/4" round steel bar and began to attempt to hook the baffle and use a hammer to bang it ou of there. I could only get it to move about 3/4" in all. I used heat on the outside to try and expand the external pipe. I also tried heat on the inside. By now I was extemely frustrated because what I thought might take 2-3 hrs at most now has taken all day and the baffles are still in! I should mention that I do not have oxy-acetylene for the heat... I used a plumbers MAP gas torch. This got the pipes locally red hot but I am sure that if I had oxy-acetylene I could have got a more uniform hot spot all around.

Calling all experts... What is the secret!!! :yikes:

 

[GeorgeR]

One down one to go...
When I am done I will share the puller that I/we have devised and full step by step...
I must go back to the hardware store for some more things.
Tonight I fashioned a puller and wedge system which was working quite well.
Patience is the key and lots of penetrating oil.

 

[Eazy-E]

This is what I use, it's the lock bar for my tool box.
Slip it through the baffle and come back with a quick jerk.

 

[moo315]

Thanks I cant seem to get my cobra slash cut baffles out either. Im thinking I may just take the slipons off and push them out. I bought some stove gasket to rap the baffles to (hopefully) quiet them down some.

 

[VTX1300cnME]

***When I removed the stock baffles I knew they were never going back in. As such, the method of removal for me is NON REVERSIBLE (unless you have access to a welder)***

Got the disclaimer? Good. . .


I used a metal blade in my Royobi Sawzall. I went slowly so I only would cut the baffle and NOT the pipe. I must be very clear, you have to keep the blade EXACTLY squared to the exhaust system, or you will cut your actual exhaust pipe. I had the same issue you did. One of the stock baffles came right out, the second one was a bear. . . after 2 hours of trying every possible idea, including fab-ing up a makeshift slide hammer, I was at wits end. When you cut the baffle lengthwise, it takes just enough material out so that it'll close up a little to pull right out.

It's an absolute last resort, but there comes a point when you just can't fight with it any more.

 

[VTX1300cnME]

This is what I use, it's the lock bar for my tool box.
Slip it through the baffle and come back with a quick jerk.

I tried this on mine, all I did was bend the bracket for the lockbox. :dontknow: I musta had he-man strength stock baffles. :shock: :shock: :shock: :dontknow:

 

[GeorgeR]

I had read your post Eazy-E about using my toolbox lockbar. This may work on brand new pipes but mine are a couple of years old.

Rule #1: remove the pipes from your bike and then remove the chrome heat shield. I believe there is no possible way this baffle replace could ever bee done with the pipes bolted on the bike.

The first tool I made and used was a long 1/4" bar that I bent a hook on the end. That and a hammer and heat started to work but trust me my arms felt like I was a blacksmith after a while and the baffle had only moved about a 1/2" at most. The frustration led to the sawsall method like VTX1300cnME describes... this method along with my level of frustration led me to completely destroy the baffle end which at this point I did not care.... it still didn't come out. Next I soaked it with WD40 and let it sitting in the bench vise for a day. When I got back to it with vise grips and hammer it eventually all came out. I would heat the outer pipe just ahead of where the baffle necked down too.

Before attacking the second pipe I decided I would put this one back together. For this I used a half-round and a wire wheel/brush on a drill to clean out the inside of the pipe. Then I took the new Stealth baffle and cleaned it up with my bench wire wheel and sand paper as if I was doing some plumbing. With the two very clean surfaces I inserted the baffle backwards at first to see how well it would go in. I could twist it in nicely so I pulled it back out... did some sand paper cleaning, aligned the line of holes and pushed it in. I then used a large punch and small hammer to "tap" it, every so gently, into place. The next steps were easy, put the small bent section back in, put the chrome heat shield back on and then finally the tipo. The tip aligns and goes on quite easily when the chrome heat shield worm gear clamps a re still loose. No need for a third hand as I have seen in other post but I will say this if you ever remove a tip with the pipes on the bike you will have the "twist" issue unless you loosen the heat shield pipe clamps.

Now it was time for my special puller to be made so I went to the hardware store and got a piece of flat steel, 1/8" x 3/4" x 36" and a 3/4" square steel tubing 36" long. I bent the flat steel into a long puller so it was almost like the kitchen tongs I use to grab my chicken wings off the grill. the ends were bent outward and I grinded them a bit. Most pullers grab from the outside, this one needed to go down the baffle to the end and then expand out to the walls off the pipe. To wedge and spread I cut a piece of the square tubing a pushed it down the middle. Using a bolt, a nut and a small piece of the sqwuare tubing all I had to do was crank on the bolt which in turn evenly applied pressure to the pipe while pulling the hook/tons. IT WORKED.. woohoo... but a had to reposition to do it again... This is where things went bad again. While tapping the wedge down the center I did not reealize that I was hung up on the baffle and was pushing it in deeper. STOP... !!! I took the puller out. Soaked the insides with penetrating oil and called it a night. I have it figured out... I just needed to walk away before I pulled out the sawsall again.

Stay tuned... tonight after work I am going to finish what I started on the second pipe.

 

[POKX]

If you can get this penetrating oil called Aerokroil it really works. It's made by Kano Laboratories, Nashville, TN 37211 or www.kanolabs.com, e-mail: [email protected]. This is by far the best penetrating oil I have ever seen. I would think that it will help loosen it up. :thumbup:
P.S. let us know how the Bubs sound with the new baffles.

 

[GeorgeR]

Eazy-E... now that I can see your pictures (they are blocked or something at work) your lock bar is much beefier than mine. I was looking at my top box lock bar which is a much thinner gauge steel. I can see that yours would work.

POKX... thanks for the tip on the penetrating oil. I am using S'Blaster stuff from Autozone... it is working pretty good right now.

Also, when I am done I will post Db graph for Before and After. I already did the Before (I have a sound meter that I can borrow). I posted the results in the VTX Forum somewhere. basically it was something like 94 to 104 Db ramping from 1000 to 2 or 3000 rpm (Idle, Cruisin, and then some). A quick blapp on the throttle results at 109 Db. Bubs say I might knock of 5 Db which fine with me... I am hoping for 89 Db to 99 Db which should never be a problem for getting an inspection sticker or check point at the beach.

 

[VTX1300cnME]

Rule #1: remove the pipes from your bike and then remove the chrome heat shield. I believe there is no possible way this baffle replace could ever bee done with the pipes bolted on the bike.

Mine were on the bike. I made more work for myself I'm sure. But once I sawzall-ed it. Everything came right out.

 

[GeorgeR]

Bub Baffle Removal Tool

Here is a few pictures of the Baffle Puller Tool I made. Tomorrow I am going to measure how much these reducing baffles actually reduced the Db's then I can post the before and after results.

 

[Forsaken]

Here is a few pictures of the Baffle Puller Tool I made. Tomorrow I am going to measure how much these reducing baffles actually reduced the Db's then I can post the before and after results.

Not sure if any of you that are looking to quiet down your Bubs for a sticker etc have used, heard of or tried the Smart Partz baffles...
They use inversion technology and simply bolt into the end of the pipe under the end caps... I have a set I use every year for a sticker here in NH..
Then promptly pull them out and stick em in a zip lock baggie and they nap in my tool box til the next year.. Our dB limit is similar etc May help some that don't want to deal with yanking the factory ones..

link to the ones I am talking about
http://www.smartpartz.com/SPZBJH2-5.html