exhaust question....I'm confused

[TJEvans]

once again, I'm a beginner, so please excuse me if this is a stupid question...I have a 76' CB500T that I've completely torn apart. I'm redoing just about everything, to give the old girl a complete makeover...I plan on changing the exhaust. I don't like the look of hte OEM crap, and the prechamber is quite gaudy as well....so, what are my options:

1. Remove prechamber, weld patches over the holes (I plan on using high heat wrap anyway) then replace the mufflers.

OR, what I'd LOVE to do, is get a hold of some CL450 pipes, the high ones with the heat shield...I like those...question is, would they fit? I know the 76' 450 pipes will, but they are CB, right? damn Honda and these letters, anyway...

I guess in a nutshell, I'm wondering, would ANY "twin" exhaust headers work on my bike. I just looked at the KZ750 thread in Big Arse Projects, and his headers appear to look like they might fit on the 500T with very little modification...

P.S....I want to let EVERYONE know that I have learned WAY too much about motorcycles just from reading posts on this wonderful forum...I have a fiberglass seat in progress, used tricks for stripping paint, got ideas for electronics upgrades, sources for parts, etc....this is really an invaluable tool for me, and I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate any help thrown my way...gotta get a chapter in Pittsburgh, PA. I know that there are a few of us on here now, and hopefully riding our bikes around town next summer can generate more interest in this niche of cycling...this city is dominated by hard headed harley types...

 

[boomshakalaka]

I can tell you for sure that not any pipes for a parallel twin will fit, so dont go buying any pipes you like the look of, thinking theyll fit. If you know for sure that the cb450 pipes fit though, then the cl450's should fit. At least the headers should since the cb450 and cl450 carry the same motor.

 

[brewtown16]

good luck finding a cherry set of CL450 pipes... ive been looking for 3 years, and you will pay good money.

 

[johnson_steve]

I made my pipes if you can weld just start with the header pipes that you have; you know they fit on your bike. I switched sides (the left header pipe is on the right now and vice versa.) added some generic exhaust tube, a cherry bomb car mufler, some welding a bit of black paint and wella cool new pipes for about $25:

 

[ericngsta]

you can usually have a exhaust place bend exhaust for pretty cheap, I've even had them bent for free just by asking. so if the headers are close enough, you might be able to get them bent to fit.

 

[TJEvans]

I made my pipes if you can weld just start with the header pipes that you have

That's my issue, I don't like the header pipes that I have...they have a "prechamber" that just looks goofy....see below for example...not my bike, as mine is in hundreds of pieces at the moment...it's that part that is in front of hte frame...it connects the left header with the right header...if I were to remove it completely, I'd end up with little tubes coming out of each header, remove the tubes and I'll end up with holes in each. I could patch the holes, since I'm going to wrap them anyway, but I'm still thinking that the headers would appear to "float" too far from the rest of hte bike. know what I mean?

edit...BTW, I like your bike, I had admired it previously....

 

[johnson_steve]

If it were mine I'd just chop the headers before that goofy looking thing (what the hell was honda thinking?) and add tube to finish the exhaust. or if I felt lazy I'd do exactly what you said and patch the holes then wrap. I was able to get a whole new look out of mine by swaping sides they hug the engine more then they did stock. as long as you have the part of the headertube that connects to the engine and enough tube to weld to you should be able to weld something up. thanks for liking my bike but it's allready torn apart for a more radical rebuild and will have a different exhaust (among other things) next spring.

 

[TJEvans]

I'm just glad you agree that the prechamber is goofy looking....and made it 10 times more difficult to get the exhaust off the bike...can't do it one at a time, it's both or nothing.

 

[johnson_steve]

Wow, what were they thinking. mine had this ugly crossover chamber underneith the motor and that was bad enough. I'ts hard to believe anyone ever thought that looked good enough to go on a production bike.

 

[Swagger]

A crossover in these motors isn't a bad idea, especially if you get to tweaking for more power. Just have an exhaust shop cot you a piece of tubing in the appropriate size and replace the stupid box.