My VLX 600 DIY drag pipes
Despite the faults I can find with my VLX 600 (the runt of Honda Shadow line-up), I still love it. It's great for around-town riding, comfortable, and doesn't look terrible from the factory either. However, my two primary complaints about it are the lack of overall power (I can't say at what RPM power starts dropping since it doesn't have a tach), and the sound. I could even live with the power it has stock but it's way too quiet. With stock pipes, the VLX sounds like a really awesome sewing machine. To top it off, the bike sat for the better part of 2 years before I bought it. The previous owner said that he started it up every now and again and it seems to run alright, but low-end throttle response is choppy at best. It also took longer than average to warm up and seemed to show symptoms of running bit lean. With that, my goal is to make the shadow run better, get a bit more power and overall, just give it some balls.
Did I mention I'm on a tight budget? I can't swing $500 on pipes for a bike I hope to replace next year. What some call ghetto, I call resourceful and creative. With that in mind, I want to do it cheaply but still do it right. I've included a picture of everything below for your viewing pleasure.
For the exhaust, my plan is to cut the pipes between the second bend and the mufflers. In replacement of the original mufflers, I'll be using some 2.25" inlet exhaust tips ($8/each) with a home-made lolli-pop baffle in each of them. The exhaust tips are the clamp-on style so I'll be drilling into the heatshield of the exhaust to securely bolt the tips onto the pipe. To cover up the obviousness of clamp-on tips and to give the bike a bit of an old-school, bobber vibe, I'll be wrapping the pipes in exhaust wrap (2x 15' rolls at $15/each). As an additional cost cutting measure, instead of using the stainless steel zip-ties as recommended by the companies that sell the exhaust wrap, I'm just using stainless hose clamps, found in the plumbing section of any hardware store ($4).
The lolli-pop baffles are smaller stainless eye-bolts with a lock-nut on the bottom, and 1" washers ($4). My girlfriend's Dad had a guy he works with weld them up for me.
To balance out the increased exhaust airflow, I want to increase the intake airflow too. I'll be removing the factory airbox assembly and replacing with a 4" mini-pancake filter from Auto-Zone ($13). With this increased airflow on both ends, I'll need to rejet the carb as well ($20 from Carbjetkits.com). I've ordered a jet kit and will clean the carb while I'm installing the jet kit ($5 Gumout carb cleaner).
Just to give you an idea of what we're starting with, here's a pic of the bike. The only thing I've changed from stock are the handlebars (and I'll be changing them again soon, hopefully).
First, we'll need to remove the seat so we can remove the gas tank, then take off the airbox and carb.
I'm not going to write up a tutorial on how to rejet your carbs because there's already great videos and written tutorials on the net from people far more experienced with carbs and mechanics in general. One tip I will give is have a clean, organized place to tear apart your carb. There's little pins and washers that are important to the function of the carburetor so you'll want to take care and not lose anything. I did all my work on a bath towel in the garage. If you have a work bench or someplace to sit and to this, I suggest that over bending over on your knees for an hour or more.
DAY 1
My friend, Ron, and I had started work about Friday at noon. By 6pm, we'd gotten the mufflers cut off, carb cleaned and rejetted and mostly put back on along with the gas tank. When we put the carb back on the bike just to test without any mufflers, it wouldn't run. It would turn over, but no cigar. During the reinstallation of the carb, I hadn't taken care to note which hose went where so it was sort of a guessing game. Some are vacuum hoses, a couple were fuel, etc. I tried to start the bike a second time and noticed fuel dumping out of an overflow hose under the air filter onto the engine. I quickly shut off the bike and looked to see what could be causing the issue. At that point, I was ready to call it a night. Took the gas tank back off
DAY 2
After consulting with some friends on Facebook as well as my Dad, I learned I had to take the carb back off and see what I'd done wrong. Admittedly, when I'd removed the float-bowl initially, as well as the float, A pin fell out and I wasn't totally sure where it came from. This was the float pin and apparently, I hadn't put the float and float pin back in properly. After fixing this, I put the carb back on the bike, this time making sure every hose had a home. When I went to put the gas tank back on, apparently, the petcock wasn't turned all the way off so a lot of the gas had leaked out of the tank (thankfully, it wasn't but 25% full at the time). I put the gas tank back on, tried to start the bike and it just turned over. It turned over so many times that the battery started to sound like it was dying out. One of the terminal screws had been loose anyway so my lights would flicker at night and in the morning and the bike had been hard to start in the morning. I borrowed a battery charger, set it on trickle and called it a night (again).
DAY 3
I came back the next day with 2 gallons of new gas and a freshly charged battery. I installed the battery, which wasn't particularly easy on these VLXs. The battery sits under the shock assembly, behind the engine, in between Narnia and Mordor in this little plastic cubby. I made sure everything was tight filled the tank, started it up and it ran like a champ. Loud as hell, no more choppy throttle.
I noticed that the bike felt quicker but not quite as "torquey" as before. I didn't feel a serious loss of power, however. Throttle response improved as well. Before, I'd have to crack on the throttle in order to get the bike to do anything. Now, it just takes a gentle twist to bring that little V-twin to life. It feels less restrained in the upper power-band, which is common when you open up the intake and exhaust. I wrapped the pipes in DEI Titanium exhaust wrap the next morning, completing my 4 day weekend. A friend of mine on Facebook suggested that black would've looked better but I've seen plenty of VLXs with black wrap. I hadn't seen a VLX with this wrap yet. The pic he saw showed the pipes as golden/bronze color which was in direct sunlight but in person, they're more of a burnt khaki with a sheen to it. It looks pretty trick to me and really sets off the look of the bike.
It was definitely a learning experience. For Ron, he mentioned that this was the first time he'd done something like this without any kind of formal instructions. He'd installed the intake and axle-back exhaust on his Mustang but this was much more DIY. I think it's a success. Now, as long as I don't piss off my neighbors when I leave for work at 6:30am, I think I'm in the clear.
I wrote this primarily to be a source of information for VLX owners looking to do the same mods. I'd read about modding the VLX for months (since before I even got one, actually) and there isn't a definitive topic on cutting the pipes. The two main online forums for the Shadow (www.hondashadow.net/ and www.shadowriders.net) don't really have a name for it. One thread called them "Shorty Pipes", another called referred to it as "Chopped pipes", etc. Shadowriders specifically has stickied threads for the airbox mod, however. Once you get the airbox off, it's pretty self explanatory. The exhaust is a simple mod as well but with less documentation.
If you're thinking about doing this, do it. Even with buying tools, steel wool, nitrile gloves, RTV sealant (for the tips), hardware for the baffles, and all the little things, I didn't spend more than $120. If you already have a lot of this stuff, The jetkit, tips, baffle hardware, and air filter would cost about $60. Fiberglass exhaust wrap is pretty cheap too, at around $30 for wrap and high-temp silicone spray. That's $90, to give your VLX awesome sound and make it run better.
If you're concerned with resale value, then you really have to evaluate what you want out of the bike. On one hand, modding a car or bike usually brings down the value, not increase it. On the other hand, these bikes are already going for between $1500 and $2500, and that's in great condition on a good day. So long as your mods don't suck, I wouldn't worry about hurting the resale value. When I sell the bike, the next owner will probably either like the mod or they can buy their own set of pipes. New pipes are the most common and often the first mod most owners make to their rides. The pipes are the only permanent mod I'll be making. Everything else will have an OEM part in a box for it.
Did I mention I'm on a tight budget? I can't swing $500 on pipes for a bike I hope to replace next year. What some call ghetto, I call resourceful and creative. With that in mind, I want to do it cheaply but still do it right. I've included a picture of everything below for your viewing pleasure.
For the exhaust, my plan is to cut the pipes between the second bend and the mufflers. In replacement of the original mufflers, I'll be using some 2.25" inlet exhaust tips ($8/each) with a home-made lolli-pop baffle in each of them. The exhaust tips are the clamp-on style so I'll be drilling into the heatshield of the exhaust to securely bolt the tips onto the pipe. To cover up the obviousness of clamp-on tips and to give the bike a bit of an old-school, bobber vibe, I'll be wrapping the pipes in exhaust wrap (2x 15' rolls at $15/each). As an additional cost cutting measure, instead of using the stainless steel zip-ties as recommended by the companies that sell the exhaust wrap, I'm just using stainless hose clamps, found in the plumbing section of any hardware store ($4).
The lolli-pop baffles are smaller stainless eye-bolts with a lock-nut on the bottom, and 1" washers ($4). My girlfriend's Dad had a guy he works with weld them up for me.
To balance out the increased exhaust airflow, I want to increase the intake airflow too. I'll be removing the factory airbox assembly and replacing with a 4" mini-pancake filter from Auto-Zone ($13). With this increased airflow on both ends, I'll need to rejet the carb as well ($20 from Carbjetkits.com). I've ordered a jet kit and will clean the carb while I'm installing the jet kit ($5 Gumout carb cleaner).
Just to give you an idea of what we're starting with, here's a pic of the bike. The only thing I've changed from stock are the handlebars (and I'll be changing them again soon, hopefully).
First, we'll need to remove the seat so we can remove the gas tank, then take off the airbox and carb.
I'm not going to write up a tutorial on how to rejet your carbs because there's already great videos and written tutorials on the net from people far more experienced with carbs and mechanics in general. One tip I will give is have a clean, organized place to tear apart your carb. There's little pins and washers that are important to the function of the carburetor so you'll want to take care and not lose anything. I did all my work on a bath towel in the garage. If you have a work bench or someplace to sit and to this, I suggest that over bending over on your knees for an hour or more.
DAY 1
My friend, Ron, and I had started work about Friday at noon. By 6pm, we'd gotten the mufflers cut off, carb cleaned and rejetted and mostly put back on along with the gas tank. When we put the carb back on the bike just to test without any mufflers, it wouldn't run. It would turn over, but no cigar. During the reinstallation of the carb, I hadn't taken care to note which hose went where so it was sort of a guessing game. Some are vacuum hoses, a couple were fuel, etc. I tried to start the bike a second time and noticed fuel dumping out of an overflow hose under the air filter onto the engine. I quickly shut off the bike and looked to see what could be causing the issue. At that point, I was ready to call it a night. Took the gas tank back off
DAY 2
After consulting with some friends on Facebook as well as my Dad, I learned I had to take the carb back off and see what I'd done wrong. Admittedly, when I'd removed the float-bowl initially, as well as the float, A pin fell out and I wasn't totally sure where it came from. This was the float pin and apparently, I hadn't put the float and float pin back in properly. After fixing this, I put the carb back on the bike, this time making sure every hose had a home. When I went to put the gas tank back on, apparently, the petcock wasn't turned all the way off so a lot of the gas had leaked out of the tank (thankfully, it wasn't but 25% full at the time). I put the gas tank back on, tried to start the bike and it just turned over. It turned over so many times that the battery started to sound like it was dying out. One of the terminal screws had been loose anyway so my lights would flicker at night and in the morning and the bike had been hard to start in the morning. I borrowed a battery charger, set it on trickle and called it a night (again).
DAY 3
I came back the next day with 2 gallons of new gas and a freshly charged battery. I installed the battery, which wasn't particularly easy on these VLXs. The battery sits under the shock assembly, behind the engine, in between Narnia and Mordor in this little plastic cubby. I made sure everything was tight filled the tank, started it up and it ran like a champ. Loud as hell, no more choppy throttle.
I noticed that the bike felt quicker but not quite as "torquey" as before. I didn't feel a serious loss of power, however. Throttle response improved as well. Before, I'd have to crack on the throttle in order to get the bike to do anything. Now, it just takes a gentle twist to bring that little V-twin to life. It feels less restrained in the upper power-band, which is common when you open up the intake and exhaust. I wrapped the pipes in DEI Titanium exhaust wrap the next morning, completing my 4 day weekend. A friend of mine on Facebook suggested that black would've looked better but I've seen plenty of VLXs with black wrap. I hadn't seen a VLX with this wrap yet. The pic he saw showed the pipes as golden/bronze color which was in direct sunlight but in person, they're more of a burnt khaki with a sheen to it. It looks pretty trick to me and really sets off the look of the bike.
It was definitely a learning experience. For Ron, he mentioned that this was the first time he'd done something like this without any kind of formal instructions. He'd installed the intake and axle-back exhaust on his Mustang but this was much more DIY. I think it's a success. Now, as long as I don't piss off my neighbors when I leave for work at 6:30am, I think I'm in the clear.
I wrote this primarily to be a source of information for VLX owners looking to do the same mods. I'd read about modding the VLX for months (since before I even got one, actually) and there isn't a definitive topic on cutting the pipes. The two main online forums for the Shadow (www.hondashadow.net/ and www.shadowriders.net) don't really have a name for it. One thread called them "Shorty Pipes", another called referred to it as "Chopped pipes", etc. Shadowriders specifically has stickied threads for the airbox mod, however. Once you get the airbox off, it's pretty self explanatory. The exhaust is a simple mod as well but with less documentation.
If you're thinking about doing this, do it. Even with buying tools, steel wool, nitrile gloves, RTV sealant (for the tips), hardware for the baffles, and all the little things, I didn't spend more than $120. If you already have a lot of this stuff, The jetkit, tips, baffle hardware, and air filter would cost about $60. Fiberglass exhaust wrap is pretty cheap too, at around $30 for wrap and high-temp silicone spray. That's $90, to give your VLX awesome sound and make it run better.
If you're concerned with resale value, then you really have to evaluate what you want out of the bike. On one hand, modding a car or bike usually brings down the value, not increase it. On the other hand, these bikes are already going for between $1500 and $2500, and that's in great condition on a good day. So long as your mods don't suck, I wouldn't worry about hurting the resale value. When I sell the bike, the next owner will probably either like the mod or they can buy their own set of pipes. New pipes are the most common and often the first mod most owners make to their rides. The pipes are the only permanent mod I'll be making. Everything else will have an OEM part in a box for it.
did u weld ur tips to the pipes or did u just clamp them im looking to do the same thing next week to my 600 shadow i think this is badass
ReplyDeleteTrace, sorry for the late reply. I did not weld-on the exhaust tips. I got clamp-on units from my local Autozone and drilled out holes in the factory heat-shield on the pipes.
ReplyDeleteRemove the screws from the clamp-on tips and cut off the mufflers (die grinder, hacksaw, whichever you wish). Then, line up the tips where you want and mark where the holes are with a sharpie. Remove the tips, drill out the holes where you marked, replace the tips and screw in the clamp-on screws. It should go through the heat-shield and keep the tips on there pretty securely.
Could u tell me what jetting u used.
DeleteJames, I believe it was a 130 main jet and a 90 pilot jet. I used the jetting size calculator on carbjetkits.com. Just choose your bike, answer a few questions and add to cart.
Deletehttp://carbjetkits.com/bikes-with-jet-kit-calculator.html
How did you secure the lollipop baffles into the pipes?
ReplyDeleteDid you do anything with those clamps that stick out of the back of the pipe that stick out and hold the heat shield on or did you just wrap around them or over them? I would love to see some pictures of the back of the pipes up close maybe?!?! I'm about to do this to my Shadow 600 and just trying to figure that part out.
ReplyDelete