Topic: MAC 4-1: Took baffle out now WAY too loud. Easy glass pack fix?

[Gorms]

I took the "baffle" out of my MAC 4-1 on my cb550.  Looks like this:

Now the bike sounds great but its WAY too lou and I think I would get pulled over.  I would like to use something else like a perforated pipe wrapped in fiberglass but I'm cheap and dont want to buy something expensive.  I could cut out the two pipes on the original baffle and replace it with a perforated pipe but I dont want to destroy it just yet and I dont own a welder.  Is there an easy, cheap, homemade solution here?

[ANVkevin]

Ear plugs?

I'm about to go through the same issue. I think I might just end up building a new set of baffles and hope for the best. Hopefully someone can chime in with a proper answer.

[bucky katt]

get you some good stainless steel wool to re-pack it. a nice heavy gauge one.

[laser145]

get you some good stainless steel wool to re-pack it. a nice heavy gauge one.

How do you keep the steel wool from blowing out?

[Steve F]

get you some good stainless steel wool to re-pack it. a nice heavy gauge one.

How do you keep the steel wool from blowing out?

You can't.  The stuff vibrates and breaks up and blows out.  Also, the problem with your current baffle is it can't be packed in any way because of the way the exhaust gasses are routed.  If you want to make a "glass pack", you need a perforated straight tube that goes from one end to the other and is wrapped in fiberglass. The stuff Kerker uses is REALLY coarse fiberglass, not at all like you use for house insulation.

[domer]

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/baffles.htm
i think the kerker one they make might work, but dont quote me... but the have the fiberglass for 8 bucks... just an idea.

[bucky katt]

i have a stainless steel supertrapp muffler that would probably work out okay for you. pm me if interested for pics.

[jeremy929]

This was my solution. Its metal gutter guard rivited to the mac endcap and some dirtbike muffler packing. And this

[ekpent]

Be careful with regular steel,steel wool. The stuff believe it or not is very flammable,especially the finer grade 00 - 0000 material. Light some and try it.

[Gorms]

This was my solution. Its metal gutter guard rivited to the mac endcap and some dirtbike muffler packing.

Thanks. This was the type of solution I was looking for.  How does it sound/perform?  I dont want to regret cutting up my stock baffle...

[Kframe]

Be careful with regular steel,steel wool. The stuff believe it or not is very flammable,especially the finer grade 00 - 0000 material. Light some and try it.

I wonder if that brillo pad type material would do better?  Or burn up less at any rate.



-K

[paulages]

i've made cheap baffles for the mac can by cutting the middle section out of the stock baffle, leaving about 1.5" sticking inward in either direction. connect the middle with perf sheet metal wrapped around the two solid tubes, secure with hose clamps, wrap with fiberglass (i've used both wall insulation and the stuff sold for wrapping HW heaters, as well as the stuff sold for mufflers), and reinstall. takes about 30 minutes to make, and sounds great.

[jeremy929]

I like the sound, its not to loud. On the performance side feels faster, probably does little to nothing, but you know its louder so it has to be faster  . I dont regret cutting it up at all the stock mac sounded awful to me.

[KeithB]

That is the "mechanical" baffle and doesn't sound that good.
MAC makes a different style of baffle that will fit and uses fiber glass or something of that sort.
Installed one on the 'CB 750 and it sounds great!

[Gorms]

Thanks all, I am going to cut up the stock baffle and make what a couple have suggested.  My only worry is that both end flanges on my stock baffle fit very snug inside the muffler and I'm afraid the perforated metal tube will collapse when I install or have to remove the baffle.  I had to knock the baffle out very hard with a broom handle through the front end of the muffler.  Do you think I should even use the inside flange at all and just make what jeremy929 pictured above or what paulages suggested?

[bender01]

I seperated my mac baffle and stuffed a kitchen sink strainer in the pipe first. Wrapped the remaing outer baffle with stainless steel scrubbies and reinstalled. It was snug so the strainer wouldnt wiggle free. It was on a 350f and sounded so much better.

[domer]

why not take that stock baffle and a 1/4" drill bit and swiss cheese the m.f.? if your gonna hack it up anyway it might be worth a shot... ive seen baffles made of swiss cheesed 1 1/4" pipe that didnt sound bad.

[cb650]

why not take that stock baffle and a 1/4" drill bit and swiss cheese the m.f.? if your gonna hack it up anyway it might be worth a shot... ive seen baffles made of swiss cheesed 1 1/4" pipe that didnt sound bad.

Thats what I did to my oldest mac.   

[paulages]

Unless the perf sheet you use is really thin, you won't have a problem with it collapsing. I've made lots of baffles this way and have never had a problem. Of course, once I had the set screw vibrate loose on my BSA, and the entire baffle shot out on the freeway somewhere.

The stock baffle requires the exhaust gas to enter, fill the can, and exit through the second tube. A glass-packed straight through design will flow much more freely. The amount of baffling depends on the ratio of open area in the baffle tube and the amount of packing. Mine is 1.5" I.D. straight through, and is actually pretty quiet at idle. Sounds #$%*ing great at 9K RPM though.

[HondaDano]

I made mine from an old oil filter. Cut the filter in half about 1/2" from thread on side, pull 6" perforated tube from center of filter, and weld it to the center of the old threaded filter side. I don't know what a stock Mac baffle sounds like because mine didn't have no baffle when I got it but I think this sounds pretty good. It's way to damn loud just open without a baffle. It's a inexpensive trick to try especially if you've got old filters laying around. I can't remember what make the filter came from but it's about 4" diameter. Dano