Knocking a catalytic converter out

[Wild Willy]

In my younger days when cats first came out I took them off and chugged or knocked the honeycomb out and put them back on. Has anyone had any experience wit the cats on the Spyder. I just bought my first. It is a 2012 RT. It already has a TwoBrothers muffler on it and am going to do something with the cat to maybe get rid of some more heat. I think it already has spyderpop items on it.

[Dallphin]

I had thought of doing the same thing, but if you look at how it is made, seems not so easy because of the inlet and outlet pipes being at a 45 degree angle or so. I believe J.T's Machine shop has the cat delete pipe for sale and seems to be the way to go but maybe someone else will chime in. Good luck and safe riding!

[Chupaca]

I believe they have been cut into but found it is easier to get the cat delete pipe. There are several out there to choose from, Lamonster, pit bull, Attitude, JT Machine shop etc. Good idea to hang on to the original cat for redsale or the event they decide to smog bikes...:thumbup:

[Wild Willy]

Thanks
I guess I just hate spending that kind of money for a pipe. I wonder about cutting a hole in the top or bottom so I can get to the comb. Then weld it back shut. Just thinking out loud.

[Peter Aawen]

Cutting the bottom off the 'primary muffler' (or what we all recognise as the OE Cat Converter that weighs so much!) will very quickly reveal why it's impossible to just 'knock the honeycomb' out from outside the casing or without cutting things apart on this particular breed of converter!! But people HAVE done the 'cut the bottom' thing and then removed the honeycomb - I'm pretty sure there's even some pics posted here on the Forum.... :dontknow: So it is possible, but why would you bother! :shocked:

Doing this will remove the catalyst material & make the box itself marginally lighter, but seriously, it doesn't do much else!! Even if you entirely gut the box, it's still a heat trap that's been designed to create a hot spot in the exhaust just between your feet and unless you toss the box entirely (ie, install a cat eliminator) you will still have that hot spot.... possibly marginally less hot, but nonetheless, still HOT!! And to add injury to that insult, you'll still have MOST of the excess weight in the OE unit and the way the header pipes direct the gasses in & the tail pipe allows them out will still mean there's a fairly significant restriction in exhaust flow thru that box, so if that's what you are after, it gives you no reduction in back pressure nor does it change the exhaust noise much at all.... :lecturef_smilie:

Sooo, while cutting the bottom off the OE converter & gutting it will achieve the aim of removing the honeycomb & letting those emissions run free, it won't really do ANYTHING else much for you, in which case, why bother?? :dontknow: If you want to reduce the weight your Spyder carries, it barely does that.... If you want to change the exhaust note, it barely does that.... If you want to reduce the heat under there, it barely does that.... If you want to change the exhaust back pressure, it barely does that too.... :dontknow: AND it's not all that easy to do - so why not just fit a Cat Eliminator like everyone else??

If you object to the cost & you are capable of doing all the 'cut, gut, & re-weld' work on the OE Cat, you should be capable of making your own Cat Eliminator pipe fairly cheaply, but you'll probably need to cut the joins off the OE box & use them on your eliminator, they aren't something you'll be able to knock up in the average back shed. And if the thought of doing all that is too much, you could bite the bullet & buy one of the Cat Eliminators being sold commercially - yeah, they cost a bit, but for many, you DO get some benefits, even if it's just losing all thed useless weight in the OE Cat and significantly reducing the heat generated between your feet! :thumbup: Go on, you know you want to! Most of us who've done it have never looked back! ;)

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

In my younger days when cats first came out I took them off and chugged or knocked the honeycomb out and put them back on. Has anyone had any experience wit the cats on the Spyder. I just bought my first. It is a 2012 RT. It already has a TwoBrothers muffler on it and am going to do something with the cat to maybe get rid of some more heat. I think it already has spyderpop items on it.
I wouldn't bother. I replaced the cat on the 2013 RT I had with the cat bypass pipe from Pit Bull. Net result was negligible improvement in power, mpg, and heat and slightly louder exhaust. One of the poorest investments I made on that Spyder.

Somewhere here are some pics of the inside taken by someone who did just what you're contemplating. Maybe you can find them by searching. Here's one: http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?75772-Cat-Bypass-Installed-(with-Photos-amp-Sound-Clips)&p=1154470&viewfull=1#post1154470
and another http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?53502-Looking-for-a-picture-of-the-inside-of-the-Spyder-RT-or-ST-catalytic-converter&p=648569&viewfull=1#post648569, and another one http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?107322-SAVING-MONEY-ON-CAT-DELETE&p=1291179&viewfull=1#post1291179.

Do a Google search for cat honeycomb photo site:spyderlovers.com.