Hey everyone.
Finally decided to do some upgrades to " The Bee" this season. It's been bone stock since new in 2012 and the first thing on the list was a new exhaust. Researched several and decided on the new Fullsac ceramic coated stainless steel DX and 2.25 power cores. Side note, Cammy was a pleasure to speak with and was very helpful. Even through in some nice swag which included a couple of can coozies and a tee shirt!
I was going to have this installed by a local shop in my neighborhood but decided to make it a DYI project. It's been a loooong time since I wrenched on my own machines but figured I could handle it. Truth be told, it was replacing out the head pipe that had me a little nervous since I've never done that but what they heck. Figured worst case if I screwed it up, could alway throw it in a trailer and let the professionals fix my mess if need be!
Prepping the bike for the install is pretty strait forward. Seat, bags and heat shields all came off easy. I also decided to remove the tour pack. I rarely travel long distances and figure once a year if needed, it's easy enough to putt back on. Like the look better without and the weight savings, better handling in town is worth it to me. Pardon all the crap in the garage. Remodeling the basement so my garage now looks like a big storage locker!
The mufflers were a bugger to get off but eventually with a little elbow grease they came off. First minor set back was one of the torx screws on the left slip on end cap was practically welded on. The head striped trying to get it off. Ughh! Tried to use an easy out to remove it and it broke the bit off. That sucker was tight! Ended up drilling it out. No local HD dealer close so first stop was to an auto supply store to get a new clip. FYI, many cars use those clips so if you ever need one, any NAPA or auto supplier will likely have them. They didn't have the screw so tried the Lowes by me and they did. Yeah! No biggie but added an hr to the project.
Next up was switching out the OEM cores for the new power cores. I watched a few YouTube videos on how to do this and will tell you if your're going to do this, don't mess around with a crappy grinder bit. Go spend the $25-30 for a high end carbon die bit. I have a pneumatic die grinder but even if you only have a Dremmel, get a good bit. Mine took off the spot welds in a few minutes. Take your time and be careful so you don't grind through the housing.
I was shocked when I pulled the second core out and saw this...
The insulation was all bunched up and was in tatters! Since everything had never been touched since it was originally assembled, this was how it left the factory. Gees folks. Not much in the way of quality control there!
Author
Topic: Upgrades to my 2012 CVO Ultra. First up, complete Fullsac exhaust! (Read 3340 times)