Comfort tweaks?

K

kermit007

New Member
So my china girl bike is running great thanks to awesome people on here. Well, great as far as one can go after the muffler housing fell off last night when I didn't realize the previous owner's snapped the strap (spent a few hours pounding it back out).

What's the best way to really quiet these things down & knock out the vibration? Tried searching around, but guess I don't know the right search combination. Would love to get this thing down as low as I can without sacking too much power. Much lower than 23mph on flat ground max and I miaswell be peddling my road bike! Which I do still love to ride (73 Peugeot FTW!).
 
Oooook...anyone have input on the best steel wool to get & how to pack it in? Still wondering about knocking down vibration too.

Hmmm...waaaait a minute. Is there supposed to be something packed inside the muffler housing at all? Mine is pretty much empty inside. Saw some pics other's have and saw something packed inside.
 
Last edited:
HI,

Kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone....Smaller rear sprocket.....Smaller rear sprocket means fewer engine RPM AND higher top speeds / more relaxed cruise RPM....Often this results in less noise AND vibration.

Andrew
 
wool is variable...course lends a certain tone...while fine cuts down the pop alot....
no...nothing is packed in the muffler from the factory....depends what you have ..but there may have been some baffles removed...
I'm just tryin to help you with the sound.
 
Hm, ok, finally tracked down steel wool without soap in it (surprised it took so long to find). Now to look into a smaller rear sprocket. What's the tradeoff in installing a smaller one? I'm seeing 24, 30, 36, 44, 48 on SBP, and my gut says to go big or go home with the 24. Input?
 
From what I know, there are two types of mufflers. One that's pretty much empty, and usually I see those in chrome, and others that are the black EPA certified ones. Those are packed with stuff inside. If you want more power, like it was started, get a smaller rear sprocket!
 
I use the deadener on the clutch side at least...fine wool up the pipe...not too much..if its too quiet...ya got too much...36 ought to be good top end with ok bottom..I got a 44 on the chopper...but I don't pedal. I even pop start it by walking beside it once it's warmed up...


chopper3bettytn.jpg


new graphic
tank number2tn 2011-10-25 19.05.05.jpg
 
geoldr said:
What? A smaller rear sprocket means faster top end
Click to expand...

A higher top speed is acheived with a smaller rear...but the bike will accelerate slower and be crap on hills and grades....I putt putt...so If I wanna go fast i get in the car.

"Life is not a destination, it's a ride"

.wee.
 
Noise it a big concern here in NYC, so i had to make my own larger muffler, but i did not want to loose performance... the answer- bigger mufflers.
As far as packing a muffler goes, I like to unwind the steel wool and make a flat sheet out of it then wrap it around the mufflers perforated core tube, then secure it with a criss cross wrap of steel wire to hold it in place as i assemble the can...
Notice the extra long head pipe, this makes for excellent torque down low, I've sacrificed a little bit off of top end performance but gained much more pull from the lower RPM range.
And its pretty quiet.
Heres a few pics-
FR
 

Attachments

  • 068.JPG
    068.JPG
    105.7 KB · Views: 180
  • 071.JPG
    071.JPG
    109.6 KB · Views: 187
  • 072.JPG
    072.JPG
    95.3 KB · Views: 152
  • 074.JPG
    074.JPG
    128.4 KB · Views: 179
  • 112.JPG
    112.JPG
    91.1 KB · Views: 151
Last edited:
Fiberglass is nice, Any new home being built will have scraps on the curb. Enough to provide for years. And don't leave sparks as it burns up. (c)
 
I added a chunk of conduit to the muffler to route exhaust to rear of wheel (sorry no pics) this quieted motor noise quite a bit. No baffling needed now. Plus it looks trick. Welding needed though...
 
as Andy said, try running a smaller rear sprocket if u don't have a buncha hills...
that will slow down your noise output...

) I think ( it was Venice who said a while back that he has a preference for a 40T sprocket.

try it :-)

...it seems I cruise at abt 17mph when I'm on the main street of our 2 horse town...
I'm a gutter rider and back window watcher for cretins abt to clothes-line me w their doors... faster would generate more noise and not really get me anywhere that much sooner.

rc
 
On my bike that I pull my daughter on I also ran the pipe all the to the back of the bike with dual mufflers exiting really low to keep any fumes out of the trailer. This gave the engine a much quieter and deeper note but like above welding is required.
This pic is before paint but you'll get the idea---- build thread in stretch cruisers under "my first stretch"
 

Attachments

  • 0101141452.jpg
    0101141452.jpg
    115.3 KB · Views: 144
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top