Just fitted up my modded / decatted standard muffler , same as redbikejohns , 1st impressions on the short run home, bike pulls from at least 500rpm lower down and feels a bit more peppy , noise is increased a bit and a bit more thump but no where as loud as most aftermarket mufflers.

Im off for a ride on the weekend so wil get more of an idea of performance and fuel economy

Yes, I did mine today, just break up the cat with a 13mm drill & pull the pieces out through the hole.

Drill bit
 

The hardest part of all this to a man without welding kit is making up the long drill bit to put the holes in the baffle plate, for want of a better word. When you drill from the outlet end, is that plate all that you drill through? If so, I was wondering if you could use a regular drill and chain drill the two required holes in the baffle plate?

I've got a steel fab shop just up the road from me who can weld it all back up for me, so that's fine.

If you posted this last night I could have brought mine with me - I'm in oxford this morning! Alternatively pop over to wycombe and I'll drill it on the bike.

Thanks for the offer
 

Thanks for the offer of the drill. I need to update my profile. I'm 1000km away from Oxford, down in the French alps...

LOL - :) .......... er I was in France last week :)

If you can do this mod yourself, or know someone who will do it at "Mates-Rates", this is without doubt, the best bang-for-buck improvement you can make to the Tenere.

My seat of the pants Dyno can't believe the improvement it has made to the overall performance of the bike, particularly on dirt, where you can hold gears longer, and on tar where you continue to accelerate up long hills without the need to change down through gears....BRILLIANT!!!!

Not a huge weight saving unfortunately...in my case it only worked out to be 800grams, but none the less certainly worth the exercise.

My only regret is not having done it sooner.... Sure it is slightly louder, but it is "good" loud, in my opinion not offensive in the least...I have fellow riders who have said to me that the Tenere now sounds like a real bike....!!!

If you are considering buying an Ako or other light weight exhaust system, sure you will save a few kilograms, but you will be hard pressed to exceed the performance gains achieved with this simple mod. You would be better served putting your money towards enhancing your suspension.

BTW...A cheap way of making an extension drill is to buy a HSS Hole saw (19mm I think) and then chase up a head bolt from a series one Land Rover Freelander. Trust me, any Land Rover Service agent will be glad to give you a used one for free. They are long and strong...It is then simply a case of welding the hole saw to the bolt....

Going to ask it again, is there a real BIG advantage of de-catting?
Or can one just leave it and live with it

Yes. Fuel economy improves immediately. Bike feels a bit better and you don't get roasted under the seat.

Sorry to bring this up again.

I'm pretty much sold on decatting, purely just for the usability low down in 4th and 5th and should be doing this at the end of the month.

Just two questions,

Does it make the bike run lean? Surely the ECU would know what's going and adjust the mixture accordingly? Or do you have to have the mod/power commander fitted....hope I'm not sounding dumb?

Also, Any issues with MOT? (It's my first bike that is pre 2001 so not sure about emissions).

Thanks.

The bike will run fine with a decat and drill. If you are doing filters as well as snorkel them I'd recommend a fuel mod. No issues with mot as emissions are not tested .

Thank you for the very swift reply!

That's all I needed.

Btw, your Morroco trip review on the Ten was brilliant, helped me decide on buying one. So thanks for that too haha!

A word of caution....use the narrowest slitting wheel you can in the grinder, and keep your cuts as neat and and as straight as possible... It will make things easier when it comes time to weld up.

Thanks Seahorse. Can't wait to do this!

You don't have to be too particular with the welding, as once the exhaust is back on, and all buttoned up, you can no longer see the affected area....


http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/e...t/P8210184.jpg

Ref the disc, buy a metal cutting docs. They are only about 2mm thick.

If you are interested in what a De-Catted Tenere sounds like, I have made a small compilation of raw video taken of my bike by a mate.

I have de-catted my exhaust and also cut two 20mm holes in the baffle.

While it is certainly much louder than a stock exhaust, it is far from offensive.

If you are worried about noise, you could simply remove the cat to start with and decide later whether you want to cut the two holes through the baffle.

As I mainly ride in isolated areas, I am not particularly concerned with the noise, which in my opinion is no louder than my riding buddies KTM 990's and 690's.


http://vid233.photobucket.com/albums...0De-Catted.mp4

Thanks for the video.

Think I'll try the cat first the. Will see about the baffles. Neighbors might not enjoy the 4:30am starts haha

I have a rattle problem and can't find it
Took the backside apart to inspect frame, all well there
So while the bike is naked, I did some open heart surgery
The XT has a nice grunt noise, I like it a lot

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8133/2...40bc4c5e_b.jpg

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8293/2...1ef1e9d0_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8411/2...84e8be20_b.jpg

https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8178/2...1ff4dd9a_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7545/2...ed547964_b.jpg

Drilled some holes as well

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8647/2...bb8fa756_b.jpg

Did any of you guys weld the wiring mesh back or was it simply discarded together with the cloth?

I did not put the mesh back in

If anyone needs a dynojet pcv5 map. I have one that's been dialed in on a dyno. With a stage 2 dna. - minus the snorkel. Inbox me I'll send all the ones I have for you to see what suits you best

I got hold of a stock standard exhaust for R 400.00 (South African Rand)
Put it back on the bike today
I think I like the standard original sound better
On long hauls, the loud noise was getting to me
I will keep the modified one for maybe one day again in the future