Author Topic: High Performance Exhaust System For The FT500 (Read 135490 times)

J6G1Z · « **Reply #25 on:** March 14, 2014, 08:33:25 pm »

Good deal.

I'm waiting for mine to arrive. Can't wait to see them & be able to post up some more pics.

Good luck
J.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #26 on:** March 21, 2014, 12:49:54 pm »

My Header Pipes arrived yesterday. One is a gloss finish & one is a matte finish. They both look awesome!

Here are some pics for the rest of you folks that have been waiting to learn more.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #27 on:** March 21, 2014, 12:50:48 pm »

thumperdh · « **Reply #28 on:** March 26, 2014, 12:52:29 pm »

J, did you get your headers mounted up yet?

J6G1Z · « **Reply #29 on:** March 26, 2014, 03:32:35 pm »

Not yet.

I've been tied up on other projects/chores.

I was going to do it today, but I need to work on a different bike first.

How about you? Has your order arrived yet?

Thanks
J.

thumperdh · « **Reply #30 on:** March 27, 2014, 08:50:32 pm »

I just got mine in today. Looks great, mine was one of the glossy versions. It's dark and raining down here in Florida and I have to work or travel every day in the foreseeable future so i'm not sure when I'll have it mounted.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #31 on:** March 27, 2014, 11:55:13 pm »

I plan on heat cycling mine at first, to make sure that the ceramic finish is cured. I'm going to start the bike & warm the header pipe just slightly, then shut it down, let it cool & repeat. Each time I'm going to let the pipe get a bit hotter than the last & then let it cool to the touch & repeat.

I had a set of headers ceramic coated & this heating/cooling cycle was recommended/required to maintain the warranty.

Good luck
J.

thumperdh · « **Reply #32 on:** March 28, 2014, 09:31:34 pm »

Okay! Managed to sneak out of work a little early tonight to put the exhaust on.

Here's what you need to know when you put the head pipe on.

The 12mm bolt that holds the regular head pipe on right below the RH foot peg is not needed to install the Thumperstuff Head pipe, instead of mounting with the 12mm bolt, the head pipe bolts up to the 17mm bolt just above it. If you leave the 12mm bolt in place, it will not fit.

The O.D. of the head pipe where you will bolt your muffler to is almost exactly 1 3/4" so if you have a supertrapp exhaust like mine with a 1 3/4" O.D. you will have to bend it a bit to fit.

The fit isn't perfect, you will have to mock it up and bend it just a hair to get everything to sit right. Don't worry, this isn't anything you can't do by hand.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #33 on:** May 05, 2014, 09:55:11 pm »

I finally made the time to install my new Header Pipe today. It was all pretty straight forward. Carefully remove the old exhaust system & hang on to the bolt (12mm head I think) that you remove near the lower motor mount. You won't be needing that bolt for the new exhaust but you should keep it with old exhaust system. Next you need to remove the lower rear most motor mount nut & washer. The new pipe hangs from the motor mount instead of the place where the old pipe connected. The only part of the exhaust swap that gave me any problem was trying to keep the new exhaust gaskets in place & slipping the collars in while holding everything in position. After a couple of failed attempts, I used a thin strip of masking tape to hold the gaskets in place. That allowed me to get it all together & then I burnt some of the tape during start up. A bit primitive, but it worked.

I have a Cobra slip on muffler from my stock exhaust. The Cobra exhaust inlet is sized for the OEM pipe & is a larger I.D. than what will fit the ThumperStuff Header outlet. Fortunately I had one of those universal 3-piece exhaust reducer sets laying around & one fit the gap perfectly. This allowed everything to be snugged up evenly & fit real well.

When you hold the OEM exhaust downtubes next to the ThumperStuff Header, the benefits & advantages of the ThumperStuff Pipe are readily apparent. Nice long, smooth down tubes that merge together well at the collector, vs. the OEM pipes design where the exhaust pulses look as though they collide together. The ThumperStuff Header is a very nice Pipe!

Anybody have anything else to add, or have any questions?

Thanks
J.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #34 on:** May 07, 2014, 06:48:45 pm »

Here are a few more pictures of the Header mounted on the bike. Look how closely it follows the engine. It fits high & tight like it should.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #35 on:** May 07, 2014, 06:51:05 pm »

scottly · « **Reply #36 on:** May 07, 2014, 10:52:17 pm »

J, any idea of the weight difference between the HP pipe and the stock one? Weight is a very important consideration to me; in fact the weight of the stock air-box is what prompted me to go with the K&N filter.
Thanks

J6G1Z · « **Reply #37 on:** May 08, 2014, 10:12:46 am »

Quote from: scottly on May 07, 2014, 10:52:17 pm

J, any idea of the weight difference between the HP pipe and the stock one? Weight is a very important consideration to me; in fact the weight of the stock air-box is what prompted me to go with the K&N filter.
Thanks

I had planned to weigh them, but I don't have a scale that accurate. There isn't as much difference between the original OEM headpipes & the ThumperStuff Header as there is with the other end of the pipe. The OEM muffler is pretty heavy. I'm guessing that the OEM headpipes are 1.5x as heavy as the Header. I'm also guessing that changing the muffler will remove almost 10 lbs from the bike.

The main benefit to the Header that I see besides larger I.D. headpipes, is where the two headpipes join at the collector. On the Header, they flow side by side & gently merge together. On the OEM headpipes, the left side pipe intersects the right side pipe at an almost 90 degree angle causing the exhaust pulses to collide into each other vs. merging together & enhancing the scavenging effect.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

J.

PS. If you are trying to remove weight. Check out the AntiGravity Battery for the Ascot. http://antigravitybatteries.com/ag-1201 Check out the pricing on Amazon.com. This battery swap will remove 7 to 10+ lbs. of high mounted weight from your bike.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #38 on:** July 11, 2014, 02:22:31 pm »

It's hot outside already today, so I thought I'd take some "inside" pics for you all to check out.

Here is a side by side comparison of the ThumperStuff header & the OEM head-pipes.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #39 on:** July 11, 2014, 02:26:25 pm »

Take a look at how the head-pipes merge together at the collector. I'm thinking that this area of the pipe is where some gains are to be had. Check out how the left side OEM head-pipe joins the right. It's damn near a 90 degree angle, forcing one sides exhaust pulses, to collide into the other sides pulses, vs. smoothly merging together like the ThumperStuff pipe.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #40 on:** July 11, 2014, 02:29:34 pm »

There have been a few questions about the collector/outlet diameters.

Here is a pic of the ThumperStuff header outlet.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #41 on:** July 11, 2014, 02:31:37 pm »

...And here is the OEM pipes outlet. Notice that it has a muffler gasket that increases the diameter.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #42 on:** July 11, 2014, 02:41:12 pm »

One of the several items that made an impression on me, was the OEM head-pipes inside diameter. When you remove the OEM pipe & look into the head-pipes, it's shocking how much the pipe tapers to a much smaller I.D. I used an inside diameter expanding gauge to measure the I.D. (Please excuse the blurry pic)

The OEM head-pipes I.D. measures: .837"

The ThumperStuff head-pipes I.D. measures: 1.22"

That is a sizable difference! If anyone else needs any measurements, please let me know by PM.

Thanks
J.

Lefty · « **Reply #43 on:** July 11, 2014, 05:59:52 pm »

I was amazed at how much larger Mark's pipes are, at first I didn't realize the OE were double walled.
I'm very excited to get my bike back on the road, by next week it should be ready- i rejetted & set my air filter on fire to add the green foam & oil.
Will let you all know how it goes.

thewiddaman · « **Reply #44 on:** February 21, 2015, 06:28:43 am »

Hi
Are the header pipes still available and can they be shipped to the UK
Thanks
Robert

J6G1Z · « **Reply #45 on:** February 21, 2015, 07:30:07 am »

Quote from: thewiddaman on February 21, 2015, 06:28:43 am

Hi
Are the header pipes still available and can they be shipped to the UK
Thanks
Robert

Robert,

To the best of my knowledge, the FT Ascot header system is still available from ThumperStuff. Realize that this is not a complete exhaust system. It is only the header pipes to the collector. You will also need a muffler/tail-pipe to add to the headers.

Here is the post on how to order.

I just called Mark at ThumperStuff & he informed me that he would ship to the U.K. as long as you trust your local shipper. He guestimatted shipping to be in the $65 range. Please understand that shipping figure is not carved in stone & was just an estimate.

THE REAL NEWS IS THAT HE IS READY TO ACCEPT ORDERS FOR THE NEW EXHAUST HEADER ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS.

Once you have placed your order, Mark will complete the final machining operation & then ship them out.

Please contact Mark & place your order as soon as you have saved up enough cash.
Here is the web-site & contact info: http://www.thumperstuff.com/FT500.html
Phone: (360)805-0272

Good luck
J.

thewiddaman · « **Reply #46 on:** February 24, 2015, 07:28:54 am »

Thanks for that - I'll make some enquiries!!

Regards
Robert

J6G1Z · « **Reply #47 on:** February 24, 2015, 07:56:25 am »

Quote from: thewiddaman on February 24, 2015, 07:28:54 am

Thanks for that - I'll make some enquiries!!

Regards
Robert

Hey there Robert,

Give Mark a call & see what he has to say about your shipping arrangements. If you haven't done so yet, you should also order the two larger carb jets & a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket. The Ascots run lean in the OEM configuration. Modifying the Intake/Exhaust sides of the engine will cause the bike to intake more air & need more fuel or it will be extra lean causing the engine to run hot. The 16 tooth countershaft allows you a bit more top-end speed & allows the engine to operate at a more relaxed RPM when on the freeway, etc. Mark usually has these parts in stock.

Good luck
J.

scottly · « **Reply #48 on:** June 25, 2015, 10:13:39 pm »

I spoke with Mark at ThumperStuff today (nice guy) and he only has 4 of these pipes left. The current price is $211 plus shipping, so if the inside of your header looks as bad as my left-side pipe, I would suggest you move quickly.

The header on the right side of the pic is an XR pipe.

lowburb · « **Reply #49 on:** January 14, 2017, 11:46:28 pm »

None left anymore... sigh

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Author Topic: High Performance Exhaust System For The FT500 (Read 135490 times)