How to Remove Baffles From a Motorcycle Muffler

Removing, or "drilling out," the baffles of your motorcycle's exhaust system is a great way to intensify its sound. By effectively doing away with the silencers that dull the sound of your engine before it hits the open air, you can make your motorcycle sound bigger and more powerful without making expensive performance upgrades.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/2-inch hole saw or metal-cutting drill bit
• Hand-held drill
• Drill bit extender
• Basic socket and wrench set

1. Find out from a reliable source, such as the maker of your motorcycle or exhaust system, how many baffles are housed in your muffler. You must be sure that you do not drill too far into the exhaust, potentially causing serious issues. Most bikes with have two or three baffles in each muffler.

2. Remove the exhaust (as a whole) from your motorcycle. The exhaust system is usually held on at the cylinder head and a mounting bracket on the side or underneath the motorcycle.

3. Insert a hand-held drill and a 1/2-inch hole saw or drill bit into the outlet of the exhaust. When you hit the baffle, the drill will not slide any farther into the exhaust.

4. Drill through the first baffle. To avoid potential sound issues, such as whistling, try to center the bit as best you can.

5. Drill through each baffle one at a time until you are finished. Remove any pieces left inside the exhaust.

6. Re-install the exhaust system on your motorcycle.

Tips & Warnings

• Because of the way motorcycle exhausts are designed, removing the baffles may result in a lack of compression. If you feel a loss of power from your bike after performing this procedure, it may need to be re-jetted to run correctly again.

References

• Pipes 101