E-Bay $100 cat delete with a baffle

[Dennis in Lodi]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Can-Am-Spy...302763?hash=item4684a7d6eb:g:EqIAAOSwvoNbkWgg

I have felt all along that cat delete pipes are ridiculously overpriced. Ugly or not, this is all a short piece of pipe should be worth.
Hyperone and I have have tested and proven that having two baffles in the cat delete restores low end power loss.
Depending on the style of baffle they provide it would seem logical that adding a second Big City Thunder baffle would fix the low end loss?

https://www.bigcitythunder.com/product-category/qq-thunder-monster-baffles/

With 10,000 miles of performance exhaust modifications and ECU flash testing, I have not been able to measure a performance gain anywhere at the test track with anyone's cat delete.
It wasn't until we tested cat deletes with two baffles that we were able to restore the significant low end power loss.

So going with a two baffle cat delete comes down to weight and heat reduction. And with a slip on pipe a change of sound but no measurable performance gain.
I have yet to see any data to back up any cat delete's performance improvements claims?

Just want to share what my measured performance testing revealed about removing the cat.
Dennis

 

[PMK]

There is no free lunch per say. To clarify, it would be nice to know your definition of low end. No doubt the bottom number is idle, but where does low end transition to mid range power in your viewpoint?

Our bike had a Lamonster cat delete installed in mid 2014. Certainly wish there were dyno runs accomplished after the computer had time to make some adjustments, say after 50 miles. But unfortunately, there are no true dyno runs at all.

Our experience was the engine power felt soft and wanted to short shift around 3500 with the oem setup. Just never felt like it reved freely.

With the bypass and no baffle, never noticed any power loss down low, but truly did not look for it either. Simply found the bike pulled harder from 2500 on up until shifted between 4000 to 4500. Still run the oem muffler, unmodified except for very slightly shortening the two stingers.

Regardless, the power to weight ratio with two up, some stuff on a 14 RTS is kind of dismal. 14lb / hp is no rocket.

 

[KX5062]

What the heck is all that wrinkling about???



Hint: poor quality. :shocked::shocked:

 

[Hypurone]

View attachment 165728


What the heck is all that wrinkling about???



Hint: poor quality. :shocked::shocked:

Yup! That's what happens when you don't have a Mandrel type bender! :yikes:

 

[Hypurone]

but where does low end transition to mid range power in your viewpoint?

Dennis will chime in I'm sure, but for me, mine (a 15 F3-S that had always run super strong out of the box) was soft from off idle to about 3-3500rpm and even if I was moving down the road under that RPM range. Roll-ons in any gear below that range were weak. This was after 250 miles of ryde time for the ECM to "relearn"....

 

[aka1004]

$450 for cat bypass was not acceptable but neither is this.
$250 from JT seems to be the way to go.
I was going to get it from JT but he didn’t have one on hand so I bought a never inatalled lamonster’s version for $300 from a member and no, I would not have paid $400 for it.

I did a thumb screw inside the bypass for baffle.
Thunder crap was another unacceptably overpriced product.

 

[JohnMc]

I am not sure the non-mandrel pipe would be all that bad. The wrinkles may just add to the necessary back pressure for the low end. Wish some one would try one with a less aggressive baffle (such as the old kind that do not block one end completely and require gas to go out the sides) and the flash. Wonder if that should be me.....

 

[PMK]

I am not sure the non-mandrel pipe would be all that bad. The wrinkles may just add to the necessary back pressure for the low end. Wish some one would try one with a less aggressive baffle (such as the old kind that do not block one end completely and require gas to go out the sides) and the flash. Wonder if that should be me.....

Seriously, those wrinkled pipes, regardless of the brand display their low quality.

As for the Lamoster pipe, it is expensive, but does display many inches of TIG welding that takes time. I cringed buy a Lamonster pipe when they first came out, however after getting the pipe and installing it, the quality is there with the higher price.

Some of the wrinkled pipes are really horrible. As if they took a $10 section of automotive stainless or even plain steel exhaust tube. Spent a few minutes to bend and swage it, then welded on a couple of mounts.

 

[BajaRon]

That is one gruesome looking pipe! :yikes:

 

[kiwirs]

View attachment 165728


What the heck is all that wrinkling about???



Hint: poor quality. :shocked::shocked:

and Ugly
the flare where it meets the muffler doesn't look that good either.

 

[Peter Aawen]

View attachment 165728


What the heck is all that wrinkling about???



Hint: poor quality. :shocked::shocked:

I doubt there'd be all that much low end loss from that thing, except maybe in your wallet!! :shocked:

One reason for using Mandrel benders is so that the exhaust pipe is smooth internally, with no kinks or wrinkles to create turbulence, increase back-pressure massively, & cause hot spots in the exhaust flow.... hot spots that cause melt points, create weaknesses, encourage rusting, & eventually (or, looking very likely in this case, sooner rather than later!) cause holes in the pipe!! :shocked:

On top of that lot, I reckon you wouldn't even need a baffle with that pipe!! The turbulence, high pressure points, & hot spots from the kinks & wrinkles would be a helluva lot more restrictive & noise sapping than most baffles anyway, and you'd likely get lotsa bangs & pops & crackling as a result of the irregular gas flow in the exhaust too, but I doubt you'd save much money in the long run, cos if the 'steel' quality in that pipe is anywhere near as good as the workmanship, then you'd probably need to replace the pipe AND the final muffler (due to the blow-out damage the bangs & pops & crackles will cause in any packing & baffling) every season!! :yikes: Excessive back pressure caused by exhaust pipes with bends like that in them have even been known to cause engine &/or valve damage... resulting in the development of & call for straight &/or mandrel bent exhaust pipes, especially on engines like those in our Spyders!! :yikes::yikes:

Buy quality, buy once; buy crap, buy often! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[KX5062]

and Ugly
the flare where it meets the muffler doesn't look that good either.

Yeah, and that joint has no gasket, so a proper sealing surface is critical. Otherwise you'll get all kinds of leaking, which would sound horrible among other things.