A fellow Intruder owner has a ? about pipes.

[tigerdude77]

A friend of mine that I usually ride with also has an Intruder 800. I think his is a 1995 or '96. He asked me about possibly changing out the pipes for some louder pipes and hopefully more power in the process. I like my pipes just the way they are, but does anyone here have any ideas for him?

Personally, I think the Intruder runs pretty sweet with the stock setup, but you guys probably know different.

Anyway, if you can think of anything, just let me know and I'll pass along the info.

[DrBob]

There are several options for aftermarket pipes for the 800, with multiple offerings from Cobra, Jardine, Cruiser Magic, and Hard Chrome. All make more noise than stock, but they don't really make much more power. The drag-style pipes make lots of noise and more power at wide-open throttle, in exchange for less power off the line, while a good set of slip on mufflers will add throttle response at the bottom end and mid range without hurting the top end much. The less restrictive the system, the more likely he will have to rejet the carbs, a real PITA on the Intruder.

As a cheap option, have him try THIS MOD to the stock pipes. It reduces the restriction to give more bottom end and quicker throttle response, and give you a deeper, louder sound, but without having to re-jet the carbs. All it costs is a drill bit.

[tigerdude77]

Thanks Dr Bob -you're always so helpful.

I'll pass this along to my riding buddy.

[ORBrit]

I just performed Dr. Bob's pipe mod today - wow what a difference it makes in noise - I feel like I'm riding a real bike now!
My first couple holes were a little close to center I think, but after that I think I got them in the right spot - the second pipe has all three holes almost touching the outside of the "circle" (imagine looking end on from the back).
I must admit I was a little worried about messing up my new S50 with only 1300 miles on it. That 1/2" bit just looked huge.
I took it out for a quick 20 mile ride and I love the sound at idle and the roar when you get on it. Butt dyno is not calibrated so I don't know if it's any quicker - the bike always feels fast to me so it's still great!
Thanks Dr. Bob.

[DrBob]

[TheNialk]

Would this work on my 87 Intruder 1400? I realize this thread is a little old. It's a little bit quiet for my taste and I am too poor for new pipes.

[mrgr8ness]

What about a Honda Shadow Spirit 750? Would this work?

[kumaster]

i did that a few years back and i love it.

[Blade]

When you change out pipes for louder ones and anything that opens up the fuel flow, you need to make sure the jetting is correct. Sometimes it will be minimal and sometimes it is not.

By adding pipes, you will gain some horse power, but not as much as you think. By rejetting, you will help a little more and maybe an aftermarket air filter like K&N.

By making an engine breath better, you will increase horsepower. But if the engine is getting more air, you need to add more fuel.

[DrBob]

This mod works ONLY on the Intruder 800. Drill some holes, get more noise and quicker throttle response. No rejet required.

The Intruder 1400 pipes are similar and can be drilled the same way, but you WILL have to rejet both carbs.

I have no idea what the internal structure of the Honda pipes is, but I higly suspect it is nothing like the Intruder 800 pipes.

[tigerdude77]

Okay - my friend and I both finally mustered enough courage to drill those holes in the pipes of our Intruders. So far - all seems well. I made some pics during the process.

Pay close attention to what Dr Bob instructed - about not getting too close to that inner baffle. We almost did that on the first bike. The hole ended up being bigger than the others to avoid the baffle. The area that you're drilling is slanted, so the drill bit might slip a little if you're not careful. We counter-punched the locations for drilling. Then, just to be safe, we drilled some smaller starter holes before using the installer bit.

We were both nervous, but it went pretty well. We're almost 'experts' now.

If you like the 'throatier' sound, then this might be worth doing. Thanks to Dr Bob for the excellent diagrams/instructions.

The first 5 pics are his bike, and the rest are my bike.

Here's a few pics:
tigerdude77/Drilling Intruder Muffler - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[ORBrit]

nice - use your friend's bike as the guinea pig! Good thinking!