Well I'm not sure where the derned thing fell off. And as much as I could always use a good excuse to go for another ride, the 7 inches of snowfall followed closely behind by an armada of snowplows made that possibility unappealing if not impossible.
So I started looking at other people's end cap solutions, and people were REALLY ingenious. I tried the can thing, but it looked like garbage on the outside and just as crappy when i tried it on the inside.
Then I saw this thread for a $3 Home made Muffler End Cap:
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=34063
I rushed to the store, bought a 2 inch fender washer and a locking nut (for 25 cents) and rushed home to repair the muffler..only to find out that the mounting stud is OFF CENTER! Not to mention..I realized that drilling a hole into the washer for exhaust was going to be daunting without a drill press and some good bits. I had neither onhand.
Well I didn't feel like going back to the hardware store that day, so I just sort of stewed on it to see what I could come up with.
Then I started making some lunch and opened a can of soup. That's when I got the idea to use the soup can lid as an end cap.
1. First, I took the can lid and positioned it at the end of the stud and eyeballed it to make sure it would cover the whole exhaust hole. Then I hit the soup can lid with a hammer a couple of time to mark it (the stud underneath dents the can at the spot where we need a hole.)
2. Now you can drill the hole out, punch the hole out, whatever you have handy and feel like doing. Just make a hole where the stud mark is. Make sure the hole is big enough for the soup can lid to go all the way down onto the stud and sit flush with the rim of the muffler housing.
3. Hold the soup can lid completely still as you use scissors to trim off any soup can lid that sticks out past the muffler's rim. Let the outside of the muffler act as a guide for the scissors. When you're done, you should have a circle that is as big around as your muffler with a mounting hole in it.
4. Carefully trace out a hole for the exhaust to come out. I used a sort of "semi circle" shape. Make sure to cut it smaller rather than larger at first. You can always make it larger as you tune your bike in. Also round off any sharp corners. You don't want to stab yourself with the thing while you're working.
5. Take a washer with a large center hole that can fit over the stud and make sure the soup can lid stays flush to the exhaust.
6. Add a spring washer on top of the washer.
7. Put a locking nut on top of the spring washer and tighten the whole thing down. Make sure the soup can lid is centered on the open muffler end and sits flush with the muffler rim.
8. Carefully press the edges of the soup can lid down until they go INSIDE the muffler just a bit. (I used a small standard screwdriver and tried to make mine flush with the muffler edge.) On mine, I also pushed them in farther near the exhaust hole so that the exhaust gases wouldn't blow the tabs out of the muffler which would have the effect of widening the exhaust hole.
9. At this point you could JB Weld the inside lip of the muffler where the soup can lid meets the side of the muffler. Or just use it as is.
10. I plan to cut the excess stud off, mask the outside of the muffler and the exhaust hole with tape, then paint the soup can lid, washers and locking nut black so it just looks like an open exhaust pipe.
Good luck, ride hard and come home safe,
daf
So I started looking at other people's end cap solutions, and people were REALLY ingenious. I tried the can thing, but it looked like garbage on the outside and just as crappy when i tried it on the inside.
Then I saw this thread for a $3 Home made Muffler End Cap:
http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=34063
I rushed to the store, bought a 2 inch fender washer and a locking nut (for 25 cents) and rushed home to repair the muffler..only to find out that the mounting stud is OFF CENTER! Not to mention..I realized that drilling a hole into the washer for exhaust was going to be daunting without a drill press and some good bits. I had neither onhand.
Well I didn't feel like going back to the hardware store that day, so I just sort of stewed on it to see what I could come up with.
Then I started making some lunch and opened a can of soup. That's when I got the idea to use the soup can lid as an end cap.
1. First, I took the can lid and positioned it at the end of the stud and eyeballed it to make sure it would cover the whole exhaust hole. Then I hit the soup can lid with a hammer a couple of time to mark it (the stud underneath dents the can at the spot where we need a hole.)
2. Now you can drill the hole out, punch the hole out, whatever you have handy and feel like doing. Just make a hole where the stud mark is. Make sure the hole is big enough for the soup can lid to go all the way down onto the stud and sit flush with the rim of the muffler housing.
3. Hold the soup can lid completely still as you use scissors to trim off any soup can lid that sticks out past the muffler's rim. Let the outside of the muffler act as a guide for the scissors. When you're done, you should have a circle that is as big around as your muffler with a mounting hole in it.
4. Carefully trace out a hole for the exhaust to come out. I used a sort of "semi circle" shape. Make sure to cut it smaller rather than larger at first. You can always make it larger as you tune your bike in. Also round off any sharp corners. You don't want to stab yourself with the thing while you're working.
5. Take a washer with a large center hole that can fit over the stud and make sure the soup can lid stays flush to the exhaust.
6. Add a spring washer on top of the washer.
7. Put a locking nut on top of the spring washer and tighten the whole thing down. Make sure the soup can lid is centered on the open muffler end and sits flush with the muffler rim.
8. Carefully press the edges of the soup can lid down until they go INSIDE the muffler just a bit. (I used a small standard screwdriver and tried to make mine flush with the muffler edge.) On mine, I also pushed them in farther near the exhaust hole so that the exhaust gases wouldn't blow the tabs out of the muffler which would have the effect of widening the exhaust hole.
9. At this point you could JB Weld the inside lip of the muffler where the soup can lid meets the side of the muffler. Or just use it as is.
10. I plan to cut the excess stud off, mask the outside of the muffler and the exhaust hole with tape, then paint the soup can lid, washers and locking nut black so it just looks like an open exhaust pipe.
Good luck, ride hard and come home safe,
daf