Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
|
Post by trailheadmike on May 3, 2014 15:10:18 GMT -5
So I was riding the Vog, not a care in the world, and I heard a sound that got louder and louder. Turns out I dropped the headpipe somewhere never to be found again. They wanted close to $100 for the head, so I took the opportunity to get a Dragon Custom Double Shot Exhaust. It's awesome. There was no headpipe to take off because it fell off. The gasket was still in there, but it was a deformed, crushed mess. At the same time I ordered the exhaust I ordered a gasket, which was a nice copper solid one. Should last. I got the wrong size in the mail (need to be O.D. 38-39mm) but mine came as a 41mm. Rather then return it I ground it down with my dremel. Easy enough. So here is the beautiful Dragon Custom Double Shot:   As you'll see, it only uses the two bottom mounts. The top bracket is not to be used, even says so in the instructions. I believe it is for the air intake which i'm not using. Note that the left bracket has blood on it. It wouldn't be a trailheadmike special without some blood.   The kit comes with silencers to attach to the exhaust tips. I put them in because this thing is LOUD.  Finally, here's where it attaches in case anyone cares:  This kit was for a Linhai style 257cc, and when they were new on the market they went for over $350. The company is selling them on eBay now for much less, and there is a Double Shot for a 150cc also, as well as Single Shot mufflers as well. This is a very substantial unit and very well made. Here's the listing that I used: www.ebay.com/itm/DRAGON-CUSTOM-SCOOTER-PERFORMANCE-RACING-EXHAUST-PACK-250cc-260cc-300cc-/130990357877?pt=Other_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item1e7fa23d75&vxp=mtrIf you use the air intake, which is also beautiful, you'll need to upjet which I did not feel like doing. I did it for the look. Good riding to all. |
|
|
|
Post by shalomdawg on May 3, 2014 18:02:19 GMT -5
howdy, I must say I like the looks of that! kind of half retro 50's look? but modern also--nice job.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
|
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on May 4, 2014 1:49:05 GMT -5
Trailheadmike,
VERY slick! No old-school chopper jockey could resist a second squint at THAT setup! It would look mighty good on my old Kymco, too. If "Minnie Mouse" didn't just have a brand-new muffler and headpipe installed, and run like a bear, I'd surely be tempted!!!
In case I didn't make it clear, I LIKE it!!!
Leo in Texas
|
|
|
|
Post by earlylight160 on May 4, 2014 5:37:25 GMT -5
All I can say is WOW !!!!!! I like it!!!!! 
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
|
Post by trailheadmike on Sept 22, 2015 15:42:04 GMT -5
Well, after 16 months, I am back to the original exhaust. About a month ago a  degree weld snapped on one mounting bracket, and while I was deciding if I should get rid of it or find a place to have it welded the actual mounting plate on the other mount cracked in half. No sense in welding it if the metal itself is going to fail, so I put on the old muffler back on and tied it into the Dragon head pipe. The head pipe is too short, so I bridged the gap with one of those clamps you use to tie together metal pipe to pvc. I ordered the correct head pipe and in the mean while this fix seems to be working fine. One thing I'll say is that it is very odd to have the scooter be so quiet again! The Dragon was very loud but in a good way. I loved the way it looked and sounded, but it never quite seemed to fit and needed regular adjusting. Here's a pic of my gerry rigged transition. You'll note the high tech aluminum foil used for gaskets at either end. i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l559/trailheadmike/001_zpsx3d2yf1o.jpg |
|
|
|
Post by spandi on Sept 22, 2015 16:34:02 GMT -5
Dang, sorry to hear this as it looked SO sharp!  |
|
|
|
Post by horace on Sept 24, 2015 14:54:14 GMT -5
That exhaust indeed looks very cool..... It seems though a cheapo 50$ ebay china exhaust may have accually be a better system to use...... Please, correct my misinformation.... Did the pipe snap right where the 3Rd brace should have been used? From the pics posted it does look like a brace was intended in Picture 4 of the original post..... Looks like that general area of bends is a bit weak. That exhaust is known to be just for looks, along with the matching oil Catch Can..... "off road" use only  What are you going to do now? I'm sure that setup cost you a healthy amount of money........ Now the stock configuration is a bit off too...... |
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 24, 2015 17:18:20 GMT -5
Trailheadmike,
Hey, I wouldn't completely give up on the double-shot muff just yet.
Sounds like only the mounting tabs are at fault. The mufflers on scooters take an AWFUL lot of abuse, bouncing with the suspension. If the sharp-looking mufflers are still sound, I'd seriously consider BOLTING "doublers" of hefty 1/4" or 3/8" steel or better yet, aluminum bar-stock behind the muffs, strengthening the mounts. Where a right-angle tab broke off, a stronger mount could be attached to the muffler with stainless-steel hose-clamps, or similar, and would still look "factory" even though they'd show. Place a strip of heat-resistant rubber or fiber-glass under the clamp and it would look fine.
You might even find some Chinese muffler clamps that fit around the mufflers, and adapt them to any handy attachment point.
Too neat a custom exhaust to discard without at least one attempt to salvage it!
Worst case, you could likely sell the double muffler set to a tinkerer who'll try to mod it to his bike!
All my best to whatever fix you devise! Have a bone for effort!
Leo in Texas |
|
|
|
Post by horace on Sept 25, 2015 16:35:36 GMT -5
I'll buy them off you-- At a used price of course.... it would seem a new header pipe could solve your issue, either a "Slip on" or "two piece" header connection...... could solve the problem with a bit of creativity. I do hope you get this scooter back to the way you want it !!!!!!!!!!! I just don't understand how the Stock setup is now FUBAR as well..... I do agree though, With what you paid and on Looks alone, Don't give up yet!!!! It's just a real bummer the exhaust only lasted a short while. Good Luck brother, No doubt you'll get er done. |
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
|
Post by trailheadmike on Sept 25, 2015 18:03:10 GMT -5
oldchopperguy horace - thanks for the encouragement! The only reason the old set up doesn't work in that pic is because the header pipe is not for the old muffler, it was for the double shot and is too short. I got the new header for the old muffler today so I'll be back to the complete old set up tomorrow. So quiet!! I think the exhaust would have been much better if it could have used all three mounting points instead of two. That third bracket up on the top is not supposed to be used and couldn't be (not sure why its there at all) - Its not even close to lining up with the hole. Also, aside from the general banging around, the fact that it only had the bottom two attachments meant it was top heavy and had some sway which certainly could not have been good for the brackets. If I went back to the old set up I would find some of those strap braces to hold the exhaust on. I think it would be more secure. Something like this: i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l559/trailheadmike/773_zps8ij6fkfy.jpgI'll keep it on the shelf in the meanwhile.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 26, 2015 0:23:09 GMT -5
Hey, THAT bracket is the ticket for clamping a muffler!
When I put the 2-stroke exhaust on my old Xingye, I had nothing to attach it to... LOL! So I made a simple aluminum bar-stock piece to bolt to the stock mount-holes and clamped the exhaust to the bar with the original muffler clamps, hammered down to size, resembling the clamp you show.
My "muffler" had no front attach-point since it was cut off from the unusable 2-stroke header. I made a header from a stub (made from a generator header) and the rest from flex-exhaust tubing made for RV generators. That allowed me to get the header where it needed to end up...
Here are pix from a post I made on the exhaust.
I know my setup is different from yours, but it shows some easy "hillbilly-engineering" that could adapt to most any exhaust. You could fashion a flex-header to work with most any need, and tie the two mufflers on the double shot system together and stabilize them in a similar fashion, using bar-stock and clamps. No special tools needed... I can see how the top muffler would leverage the whole thing, causing failure of the mounting tabs on the double-shot.
All the tie-together parts could be behind the chrome mufflers and painted black. They'd almost "disappear" looking like factory frame members.
Just a thought... And that flex-exhaust tubing is not available in most parts stores. I found mine on eBay, and I think it's available at RV supply centers. It comes in several SMALL diameters to fit generator engines.
Maybe this could help out.
DANG! That scoot of yours is one GREAT looking ride! Never saw one that color. Hope it goes as good as it looks for sure!
Ride safe!
Leo
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Commuting is the best part of my day!
Posts: 213
Likes: 14
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 7:56:23 GMT -5
|
Post by trailheadmike on Sept 26, 2015 11:19:09 GMT -5
oldchopperguy You are the master Leo. You have the knowledge and the tools - an excellent combination. funny, but I was spending a lot of time last night looking at aftermarket slip on exhausts to see how they are attached, and much like your solution, many had a bracket made to fit all three stock mounting points that then had appropriate spots on the bracket to attach the hanging clamps. I'll revisit this thread when I get my mojo up to dive back into this project.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 26, 2015 19:29:33 GMT -5
oldchopperguy You are the master Leo. You have the knowledge and the tools - an excellent combination. funny, but I was spending a lot of time last night looking at aftermarket slip on exhausts to see how they are attached, and much like your solution, many had a bracket made to fit all three stock mounting points that then had appropriate spots on the bracket to attach the hanging clamps. I'll revisit this thread when I get my mojo up to dive back into this project.
Thanks! But I'm no master... LOL!
All I have is stone-age Harley "knowledge" and hand-tools left from that 1960's era... I did pop $15 for a cheap angle-grinder though. VERY handy... Cuts steel like wood, and grinds like a 50's burlesque dancer.
I think one could pretty much find any old mounting holes (on the swing-arm/motor mount assembly ONLY) and hack out a few bar-stock connectors, drill 'em out and make most any combination of header/muffler stuff work.
I specified the "moving suspension parts" because I once saw a guy mount a muffler to the scooter FRAME... When he sat on the scoot, the header broke the engine head as the suspension tried to flex! Yeah, like me, he was an old-school big-biker used to mounting mufflers and pipes to the frame... EEWWWW!
The need for scooter pipes to bounce with the rear-suspension is somewhat "foreign" to cycle-riders. Also responsible for many muffler and mounting tab failures... The heavy bouncing REALLY fatigues the metal, and Chinese steel seems to be a tad hard (and brittle) to boot.
You'll get it the way you want it. Just takes some time. You might even play around with mounting the double-shot muffs parallel to the ground, Harley chopper "shotgun" style. Once something breaks, you can fix it any way you like! All part of the fun!
Stay safe!
Leo
pc screenshot
|
|
|
|
Post by urbanmadness on Oct 6, 2015 15:13:28 GMT -5
Part of the fun?  ? I thought it was the price you paid to have fun.... --Ray -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get it the way you want it. Just takes some time. You might even play around with mounting the double-shot muffs parallel to the ground, Harley chopper "shotgun" style. Once something breaks, you can fix it any way you like! All part of the fun! Read more: itistheride.boards.net/post/new/5834#ixzz3nowNOqkg |
|
degree weld snapped on one mounting bracket, and while I was deciding if I should get rid of it or find a place to have it welded the actual mounting plate on the other mount cracked in half. No sense in welding it if the metal itself is going to fail, so I put on the old muffler back on and tied it into the Dragon head pipe. The head pipe is too short, so I bridged the gap with one of those clamps you use to tie together metal pipe to pvc. I ordered the correct head pipe and in the mean while this fix seems to be working fine. One thing I'll say is that it is very odd to have the scooter be so quiet again! The Dragon was very loud but in a good way. I loved the way it looked and sounded, but it never quite seemed to fit and needed regular adjusting.
