GT550 Cafe project

[Suzukidave]

A little tip from when i was building my pipes .. make sure you can get you toes under the shifter and be able to shift up when sitting on the seat .

[imquattro]

Good to know! Well, they're all just tacked and Ill look into the brake/clutch pedal fitment prior to the final weld. Thanks!!!!!

[imquattro]

Baffle suggestions?
I need some suggestions for what size baffle to make/use in the pipes.
I guess I'm asking what length & ID should I make them?
The pipe tips are 2" OD x 13" long

[imquattro]

A little tip from when i was building my pipes .. make sure you can get you toes under the shifter and be able to shift up when sitting on the seat .

Thanks for the suggestion! I looked into it first thing this morning. IF I stick with the stock foot pegs brake lever & shifter, I'm safe -albeit warm. I mocked it up and have no troubles shifting. Not the position I was going for, but the rear set I have won't work with the pipes so... stock, I guess, here I come!
Thanks for the thoughts!

[Coyote]

Mine are retained by a gigantic snap ring. Pipe ID is 1.125. It is perforated and fiberglass wrapped. Baffles are approx. 1 foot long.. Retention could be accomplished with a cross pin or a sheet metal screw on the underside of pipe.

[Coyote]

CORRECTION! I just checked the baffle length with a bent coat hanger wire. They are exactly 6" long. Measured 7", but I had to subtract the distance in from the end cap which was 1"

[Coyote]

I never had the baffles out, but I did remove one of the end caps. Behind the end cap is large, very stout spring. I assume this to keep the baffle from ever rattling. But that also means the baffle is pushed up against something. I can't tell what it is, but if I had to guess -- a plate. Very similar to the way the OEM pipes are made.

[imquattro]

Thanks Chris, I'm wondering what the difference between yours (are yours Jemcos?) and this other set of Jemco's:

Anyway, some of the baffle set up.

[Coyote]

No Nate. Not Jemco. They are Bassani (sp). There is no name on them but I have seen other Bassani sets and that's what these are. I have a no name 4 into1 header on my GS1000. Never seen anything like them and have no idea what they are. They DO allow retention of the center stand. They were rusty, peeling chrome when I bought the bike. I had them stripped and ceramic coated.

[imquattro]

Just some quick picts and updates.
Ditched the rearsets idea. With the pipes there's no way short of a considerable amount of extra work would the be feasible.
So after mounting the pipes I found the stock setup still works but looked aged.
I thought maybe running w/o the rubber pads on the foot rests but then decided to update the look a bit.
I took the pegs off the rearsets, found a set of matching grade 10 bolts, chopped off the applicable amount from the factory pegs and after removing the excess from the bolts, welded them onto the pegs.




(no pic yet of the final product... it's done but got missed by the camera)

I then set out to making baffles for the pipes.
I had some perforated sheet metal, rolled it around a 15/16" pipe, cut some rings from a piece of 15/16" ID pipe, tack welded it along the overlapping seam w/ ring at the end.














Pipes are near done, fully welded, ground, and almost all scuffed with a blending pad.
Here's one of 3 done & ready for paint. (WISH it would stay this shiney!)




I'm going to use these (because they fit near darn perfectly in the ends of the 2" OD tale pipes) for the baffles.
They're going to be cut in two and the baffles fit inside.

[Suzukidave]

The Kawasaki guys have said if you would like to leave the chambers unfinished but still looking nice is to give them a couple of coats of Mop n Glow floor wax , they say a new coat now and then keeps them looking nice .

[imquattro]

How does that hold up with the heat? Do they apply it over brushed steel or polished steel?

[Suzukidave]

From what i was told they apply it right over the bare clean steel .

[imquattro]

After you posted that suggestion I googled "mop n glo pipes" and read countless threads/links regarding the application and use of it.
Pretty cool idea. I think i may try it
Wonder how it will turn out.

[imquattro]

Ok, I got the baffles completed. Still waiting on the glass matting.
I essentially used the front mid-pipe's couplers as tips and after creating the perforated tubes, welded the two together.
The tips are flush with the pipes and held in place with a set screw threaded through a nut welded to the bottom of the pipe.

Pics are of the pipes upside down (nut's centered on the bottom when mounted).








Here's the shot of the finished pegs (and kickstand):


Just another shot of the pipes (center pipe (actually the right pipe) still needs a final polish: