How do I drill the stock mufflers on my Yamaha Virago to make it louder?

Question

The mufflers on my Bike are the factory originals. Have them off right now and was wondering where to drill to make it a bit louder until I can get new exhaust.

Answer 1

As another Virago rider I would advise against it. Because I ride in all weather, my original upwsept megaphones collected some water and ended up developing holes all by themselves. They were loud all right, and back fired like crazy. Also it was almost impossible to maintain a steady idle. I was working the choke as much as any other control. Dont worry about making more noise. If your bike is loud its loud and if it isnt it isnt. Trying to make it loud just for the hell of it means you are trying to imitate something else, and that just sucks. Ride the hell out of it. Miles are more impressive than pipes anyday. My virago is pretty heavily modified and my new pipes have a nice throaty rumble, but but one thing I wouldent do is try to make it loud just for the sake of being loud. Concentrate on doing things with your bike that are original rather than trying to be like everyone else. Viragos are perfect for that because most of them arent really customized beyond a few factory add-ons, so the ones that are really stand out. Get in the garage and get to chopping, but leave the pipes alone until you get your new ones.

Answer 2

When you replace the factory pipes, you will most likely have to have some re-jetting done as well. To drill out your pipes properly would take a loooong drill bit, about 14 to 16 inches and could cause problems with jetting and performance. I suggest being patient and waiting on the new exhaust.

Answer 3

i done one for a fella before.the best way is to find someone who is a dab hand with a tig welder.split the pipe up the middle then take out all you want.weld it up again polish out the weld an there you go.rem to get it checked on a rolling road for the air fuel mix.if ya dont wanna do all that you can buy a 6mm drill with a 14" shaft an drill away till your hearts content.only thing is it gives a totally different sound from a race pipe;hard to explain.has to be heard

Answer 4

Don't do it. It plays hell with the tuning. I used to ride a Norton 850 Interstate and one morning in a cue of traffic in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne the engine was ticking over nicely the traffic moved forward and as i blip ed the throttle the baffles shot out the back of the silencer straight through the radiator of a Rover behind me. I legged it, The Norton sounded terrific but the consumption plummeted. Wait and get a pair of aftermarket cans its well worth it.

Answer 5

Don't do it.

Just buy an after market muffler. The reason is one day you may want to sell it in which case the new potential owner is unlikely to want modifcations, particularly illegal ones.

You would be devaluing your bike by doing drilling the stock exhausts

Answer 6

Yeah, don't do it. If you come to sell the bike in the future, you'll wish you had the standard pipes. Save up for some noisy ones instead. Then you can spend ages arseing about with your carbs trying to get the fucker to run right.

Answer 7

Not only do you allow the rust to get into the pipes, but you also lower the back pressure of the exhaust, which can lead to burnt out valves. This is a much bigger expense to have repaired.

Answer 8

If you knock the baffles out it will make it louder but will alter the performance as well. You will upset the engine setup and will probably find yourself being overtaken by toddlers on their tricycles.

Answer 9

why would you want to make it louder?

The Virago is not the kind of bike for bravado, macho, i've-got-a-small-penis types and is in a completely different league from those little tossers on mopeds- why? why? i don't understand