Exhaust Interchangeability

[John Boat]

I have a 97 RSTD and want to install a 2 into 1 exhaust system on both sides without having to change jets if possible. While at my local bike shop he had a sweet bike in for a service, I believe it was an 06, and my question is would the stock exhaust system on his bolt right up to the heads and existing brackets on mine or would there need to be mods made? I have included some pics of both.

 

[John Boat]

Sorry guys, didn't realize the pics would post sideways. 

[M61A1MECH]

The header pipes should bolt up with out issues, they both have the same motor (more or less), but the newer Venture style bikes 1999 to 2013 use larger diameter pipes, so that may require rejetting due to change in the back pressure. Also you would need to find or fabricate some type hangers for the muffler sections, the tail pipe sections are to heavy to just let them hang on the header pipes.

On the original Royal Stars 1996 to 2001 that had 4 into 2 pipes they used a hanger that was part of the saddlebag supports,  you may be able to find some of those systems for sale, but I am not sure if there is a place to hang the pipes on a bike that came from the factory with 4 into 4 pipes.

Good luck in your search, if you come across a set of BUBs for Royal Stars they are great sounding pipes, but as they have been out of production for many years they are very hard to find.

Here is a picture of a 98 Royal Star Tour Classic with BUB pipes.

 

[John Boat]

That is a nice looking bike. Mine has the brackets off the frame for the mufflers and separate brackets for the bags so I should be able to make something fit the factory brackets. I'll keep looking. I'm attaching 2 more pics and again 1 is 1/4 turn off which I have come to find out is an Apple problem. Funny thing it is intermittent. May freebird will see this and chime in. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by John Boat

[John Boat]

Well I finally have my answer, the 06 RSTD 2 into 1 bolts right up with a few mods. I will try to describe how I went about it.

As with any project with me I usually start on one thing and before I know it my bike is in pieces with multiple ideas taking shape. I keep telling myself this is one of the reasons I bought it to play with it

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So it all started with doing some carb work and one thing lead to another, drivers back rest,  exhaust system with some deeper sound, flashing LED brake lights, rear floor boards for my wife, and I hope It stops there. Here in the south I could be riding. I found my exhaust system on ebay and it looked good from the pictures. So I bought it in hopes it would work with out a ton of work and expense.

My desire to change it was I wanted a cleaner look and deeper sound which meant with the original meant buying 4 mufflers and then there is the space limits under the bags. I am pleased with the purchase from Show time power sports, but I did have to buy one of the head to pipe connectors and the nut flange that holds it to the head. Also with the 06 they were parting out I was able to get a nice set of factory floor boards. One of the first of 2 mods was to fab a bracket for the 2 into 1 as the original was made for 2 separate pipes. The 06 has a different mount  made for the saddle bags and also holds the mufflers. The factory mount location on the bike is the same so that gives me a sold place to start from.

 

So the first step is to start with a bracket of some kind to to catch the 2 into 1 pipes before they go to the muffler where the factory bracket on them are. I started with a flat plate and 1"x1" square tubing and made a flag then cut and ground it to fit . There has to be a left and right version has the "flag" portion has to be to the back of the tubing.

Continued 

 

[John Boat]

In these pictures I show the new bracket mounted to the factory location and how the 2 into 1 pipes mount to it, I wanted to maintain the rubber vibration isolation like the originals are so I tapped the bracket on the bike so the bolt would go through the sleeve in the isolators on the factory brackets. That also allowed for me to use blue lock-tite on the bolts.

Again, not sure if all this will be worth, but from the early stages I already like the look.

 

So I have chosen to go with some HD street glide mufflers my local bike shop had and that created my next mod. I made some temp brackets out of aluminum that I will change to polished SS from flat stock. So Yamaha mounted the 06 muffler to the bag frame and HD mounted their mufflers to a rubber mount under the bags and their bags are deeper then mine so the brackets will show. 

So my ides here is to weld some flat bar to the bottom of the bag frame and have the SS muffler bracket meet it and use rubber grommets to do the final mount to maintain isolation. I have to finish that part and put her back together to make the next post.

Here are a few pics of how it will turn out. I think it will be clean and I was able to maintain the height of my stock mufflers.

 

 

 

 

[Marcarl]

Lookin good, keep on keeping on!