Drilling the stock exhaust - quick poll...

[BamBam77]

What side & size did you drill mate?
Also did you use a regular drill piece or a hole drill?


The exhaust is 9.5 inches deeps
Also it's just less than an inch wide


I've ordered a 22mm step drill bit

Also 300mm drill extension bar

Thnx

NOW THAT"S THE set up I was dreaming of using
I just happened to have a 3/8" drill bit 12" long from a job I did so it cost me nothing
The one thing I would do is drill a starter hole for the bigger bit that's some really hard metal your drilling through.
O and by the way I drilled as many holes as I could get started on the right side.
With that step bit you'll really be able to waler it out :thumbup:
I just saw the masonry bit to start the hole
The only reason you read about a masonry bit was because they could get a long and wide bit.

 

[Premises187]

Unfortunately that extension bar was too wide to fit in the exhaust. It's far bigger than what it looks in the picture.

So anyway I have bought a 22mm x 300mm drill bit. (23mm should fit but pretty tight)
Will do one side at a time.

 

[Caesar]

Does anyone know of any reasons not to do this mod? One of my friends says that it will make the bike run lean and cause extra build up on my cylinders or some BS... I'm not 100% sure bc I am not a mechanic....

 

[Premises187]

Does anyone know of any reasons not to do this mod? One of my friends says that it will make the bike run lean and cause extra build up on my cylinders or some BS... I'm not 100% sure bc I am not a mechanic....

The exhaust flow itself will not effect the fuel to air mixture. If you got an air filter upgrade / airbox mod, then you'd need to worry about that. A pipe does not make you run lean. Modding air intake is what makes a bike run lean or rich.
Air won't exit faster unless it is introduced faster. Well at least that's my understanding of it.

 

[Caesar]

ok I just spoke to him and he says that he thinks it could screw up the back pressure and in turn screw up the air/fuel ratio... It looks like a lot of people have done this mod has anyone noticed decreased fuel econ? or burned out valves?

 

[Premises187]

ok I just spoke to him and he says that he thinks it could screw up the back pressure and in turn screw up the air/fuel ratio... It looks like a lot of people have done this mod has anyone noticed decreased fuel econ? or burned out valves?

Back pressure is only crucial on a 2 stroke.
Only a very small amount of back pressure is needed on a 4stroke. Remember this bike has 2 cat converters which alone would give more than enough BP.
Again, this is my understanding.

 

[jdmdohcpower]

Youre fine with drilling, I did it and no issues. Sound is improved over stock, not much but for a free mod its worht it. You can add a slip on with out any tunning and that reduces back pressure, so drilling is no problem

 

[Premises187]

Ok I have drilled my exhaust. I like the sound improvment.
I've got a good before and after video comming up too.

All I've gotta say is it was a nightmare to drill if you dont have the correct drill & drill bits!
If your using a 22mm concrete masonry drill piece like I did then expect a tough time.

I found the best approach is to use a small 8-14mm to punch a little hole and then use your big peice to follow on.

The first drill I used started smoking. Then I managed to find an industrial use Black&Decker made in 1965 which did the job nicley.
Also remember drilling steel is best done on a slow speed rather than fast.

For the non metric guys
1 inch = 25.4 millimetres

 

[Premises187]

Better sound quality watching it on YouTube in HD.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGLPMVqjzg0&hd=1]‪FZ6 Exhaust Drilled Before & After (Short Version)[/ame]

 

[Caesar]

do you have video of you drilling?

 

[Nelly]

Does anyone know of any reasons not to do this mod? One of my friends says that it will make the bike run lean and cause extra build up on my cylinders or some BS... I'm not 100% sure bc I am not a mechanic....

I have done it recently and I am pleased with the exhaust note. There is no Performance gain at all. I use ear pads to listen to the radio under my lid. The exhaust means I have to turn my radio up.
I would undo it in a heart beat and go back to stock if I could. I am looking out for a stock muffler as we speak.
Nothing wrong with the mod. I just pefer a quite bike.

Nelly

 

[Premises187]

do you have video of you drilling?

Yes, the long version will be made when I have some time.

 

[expatmanxman]

I bought a stock can off fleabay for £20, took it to my local exhaust bloke who cut the front end off, drilled it then welded it back together for £40 so total cost £60. Interesting exhaust note, sounds a bit like a ferrair rasp, got a power commander and one of our Australian friends has sent me a custom map from a dyno out in Oz although we've nad so much rain in the past week I haven't had a chance to take it out with the new map yet. For such a small outlay it's well worth a try, now my only concern is if it will pass a track day noidse test, with small outlets I can't fit a Db killer. fingers crossed.

 

[rivermill2011]

I did it with a long masonary bit-I think 7/8". Sounds better than stock, no real performance difference. A deeper throaty sound, now it doesn't sound like a scooter. Just do it...

 

[Corsara]

I also drilled my exhaust (3/4 holes). I don't know if it's a figment of my imagination, but I somewhat think that the bike had more torque before drilling... The sound is better though, no doubt! Since I can't find a 22mm (7/8) bit, I'll try using a file or something to widen the hole as much as possible. It's still not sounding as nice as the one in Premises187 video.

 

[Poon Stick]

So I just drilled mine half an hour ago.

What I did was I took a long 1/4" bit and drilled a pilot hole in each side before switching to a 7/8" masonry bit. The 1/4 went through like it was nothing, but the 7/8 was a bit more stubborn... overheated the drill twice :thumbdown:
Eventually I got through and cleaned the holes up as much as I could by running the bit in and out.

Sounds better than stock, with a low throaty grumple at idle and just over. Doesn't change the sound a lot at higher revs, it's only louder.
I DID notice a huge drop in power in low RPMs, like if I try to blip the throttle, it'll do almost nothing up until 4k, then it'll behave like normally.
I'll try disconnecting the battery for a while so it can re-learn.

VIDS!
Before:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgjFDOWj0AY&videoformat=1080p]Yamaha FZ6 Drilled Exhaust (Before) - YouTube[/ame]
After:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_ntter1z2E&videoformat=1080p]Yamaha FZ6 Drilled Exhaust (After) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[templar]

Did the exhaust drilling mod. I used a 1/2"-12" long Aviation drill [$12 US]. Same price as a masonry drill. Drilled two holes into each exhaust port, reamed holes out more. No problems, but use low rpm's on drill. Cuts better.

Result: Considering the price of aftermarket exhausts this is a good mod for $12. Seems the larger hole, or more holes, drilled the deeper the idle sound. The mod makes things louder, but IMO you won't get the attention of local Law. I'm certain 7/8" drilling isn't too loud.

Also: It seems the mod makes the seat cooler running in town traffic.

 

[Boro8907]

Hi I did mine with 14mm a while back (I just happen to have the drill bit) and no real difference. So I've now gone up to 22mm and Yes it is slightly raspier rather than throaty. No real power difference either way but the noise is much better, less like a hair dryer. So should you do it, Yes as long as you are not expecting more power. After market cans would be the way to go but over here (at $1000) way out of my league for a commuter bike.

 

[Bram]

Did it as a cheap mod, but i have Akrapovic's now.

Did a little writeup here http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-...ler-drilling-vs-performance-2.html#post310075

 

[wrlomas]

I did it the first day I owned my bike. It gave it a rougher sound but not much volume change. It growls a bit more around 5k. Performance? Not sure if it added but I liked the sound. I used a 1/4 inch bit 1 foot long and made 3 holes, each one added a little volume but not much. I ended up using a 1/2 inch bit and augered it out. This got it sounding less like a sewing machine. I rode it that way for a year and then bought two brothers cf cans from a forum member who crashed in LA. Got the cans for 420$ and had to buy turnsignals. Fantastic change, I love the BARK of my bike now. After that fz1 bars and I'm happy. When I can ride thru the apex WFO I'll think about more upgrades. Probably never happen.