[fbnewell1]

Been doing some thinking (usually dangerous - and expensive!) about our exhaust systems. Nothing available for us to date - or probably ever.

First off - our bikes only have O2 sensors in front of the catalytic converter, correct? Located in that collector area at front of cat. where the two pipes enter? So - how does the system even know if a cat. conv. is present - since the sensor is in front?

Also - has anyone run their bike with cat. conv. installed, but not through the tailpipe? Wondering what that sounds like. . .

As far as I know, Costa71 is about the only one to modify the exhaust. From what I can tell, he left the cats. and installed a “S”-bend onto the cat. outlets to bring the outlets farther forward to mate with the Harley muffler inlets. Works, but result was a longer, heavier muffler on the stock exhaust system.

What I am wanting to do is get rid of that mess of converters in front of the rear tire - for looks and for weight-savings. Now - here’s where my thinking gets a little scattered. Why not cut the pipes where they make the final sharp bend heading into the converter, and send them straight back-and-up toward the tailpipe - like it “looks” like they do, anyway? “But what about the converters”, you may ask? Well, was thinking they could be replaced with four individual 35mm I.D. converters, welded into newly-installed pipes under the wedge-shaped chrome between downpipes and tailpipes. Would use these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle...503832?hash=item520bdf5498:g:u2YAAOSw~jpbLQNE. Would need to affix a bung pre-cat. on one pipe each side for the O2 sensors. Then, cut the cone-shaped front of the actual “muffler” off to facilitate running two pipes straight out the current outlets. Am thinking the new individual cats. will kill enough sound to not need an actual muffler. -OR- can dump the two pipes into the front of the current “muffler”, seal up the current inlet, and let the sound bounce around in there before exiting the current twin outlets each side.

Am just bouncing ideas off some other members here. No matter what gets done, it’s gonna be expensive. Am thinking that if the four small cats. are there, they’ll create enough back pressure to not mess things up computer-wise on the A/F mixture. Also, want it louder, but not HD obnoxiously loud. Rather liked the sound of my ‘98 Magna with baffles removed and larger outlets installed.

So - let’s kick this can around for a bit and see where it ends up!

 

[Willmarth]

So - let’s kick this can around for a bit and see where it ends up!

I like the way you think. My inclination is to dispense with the cats altogether and run Delkevic or Arrow fiberglass packed silencers in some fashion so as to maintain the look of the stock exhaust. I have a full Arrow exhaust system with headers and silencer that dispenses with the cat and maintains the oxygen sensor on my CB1100. The bike runs and sounds better than stock and with an easily removable baffle I can change the tone in a couple of minutes depending on how I feel. I tried a slip on while retaining the cat and the bike felt like it had a chest cold. It's too bad the CTX is a one year bike as I'm sure Delkevic or Stainune would have come up with something otherwise. But as you say any monkeying around with the CTX will cost a lot of money with no guaranteed outcome so we're probably better off leaving well enough alone. There's a schizo non-commital straddle the fence response if I've ever heard one.

 

[Gary9648]

Personally at my age loud pipes are not what I want. You might check with your states regulations to see if you are allowed to modify your system. Removing the cats to me is not a good idea. You are just contributing to exhaust gas emissions and could make your motorcycle unsalable until you restored it to stock. Remember this machine has a electronic fuel injection system and removing or modifying the exhaust could lead to engine running problems and poor gas mileage, not to mention making you neighbors mad when you fire it up early in the morning to go riding or to work. On long rides loud pipes wear me out due to the noise even with ear plugs. Just my two cents.
We have a neighbor across the street that seems to be a good guy, but recently he modified his Harley exhaust and it is very annoying when he leaves for work at 6:30 in the morning. Before it was a pleasant rumble but now he revs it up like a Hells Angle before he leaves. I guess he thinks everyone love to hear him rev it up at 6:30 in the morning. Why be someone like this?

 

[fbnewell1]

Points well taken, Gary. Not wanting it obnoxiously loud - just a little better rumble. Not gonna ditch converters altogether - think the singles will flow better and still get the job done.

 

[Shaggy&ctx1300]

I too have looked at the issue and with some jiggery pokery one could get a pipe bent to the correct angle , probably have to have it a little further out from the bike for a muffler to clear the fabricated pipe, on Flea bay there are any number of imported "mufflers" for sale all kinds of lengths which would work and look reasonably decent.
Now to fab up the pipe I suggest using plastic water pipe from Lowes/ Home depot, use right angle bends and cut to length straight pipe to get the pipe angled the way you need, use poly glue to glue it in shape.. then off to a car local exhaust maker and having mesured up the diameter of the cats pipe you can get him to cut/bend the right size pipe and have him flare the pipe so it'll slip over the end of the cat pipe,.. then you can cut/grind 2 or 3 slots so ou can clamp it on to the fabed pipe, then connect the Ebay found silencer and line it all up then decide how/where to securely mount the muffler.

 

[Gary9648]

I’m looking forward to seeing how you do this. I too love the rumble from an engine, but unrestricted exhaust on the road is annoying and distracting for me. My most concern is how it will effect the performance of the engine.

 

[psullam]

If $20 is within your budget, here the solution, easy to install and you can use this kit on any bike

 

[strawhat1]

I had the Delkevic mufflers on my ST1300. They were melow with more sound than the Stock. You may be able to find them and
fit them to the CTX.

 

[Willmarth]

I had the Delkevic mufflers on my ST1300. They were melow with more sound than the Stock. You may be able to find them and
fit them to the CTX.

I was hoping Delkevic would develop a system for the CTX. I have a Delkevic slip on fitted to my Interceptor and it is sweet. And I'm sure you'll agree none of us are looking for obnoxious Harleyesque wake the dead noise. We're just looking for a bit more character. The CTX sounds awfully good stock but being guys we always want something else. And the ability to go back to stock is important as well. Forty years ago I had Kerker headers on my CB550F and it sounded better than any bike I've ever heard (to this day.) And I would swap back to stock a couple of times a year so I could paint the Kerker headers. It was like having two bikes. I do the same now with my Interceptor, 1000R, and 1100. Though I no longer have to paint headers. :smileygarden_de_ban

 

[Willmarth]

I’m looking forward to seeing how you do this. I too love the rumble from an engine, but unrestricted exhaust on the road is annoying and distracting for me. My most concern is how it will effect the performance of the engine.

I think we're safe as far as the engine goes so long as we retain the oxygen sensors. And since they are fitted before the cats on the stock exhaust I think the computer will make fuel air adjustments fine with or without the cats. Web research yields answers on both sides but I think were safe. In any event fitting a PowerCommander and a custom tune would remove any doubt. I agree with you that the ability to go back to stock is important though I have no intention of selling the CTX. I have too much history at this point to let her go.

 

[bob]

I wonder if anyone has considered that with this engine coming out of the ST1300, AND the visible routing of the chrome part of the CTX pipes being the same as the front part of the ST pipes, would the back half of the ST pipes fit? It would likely require some rework right where the chrome pipe is welded into the non-chrome pipe on the CTX but I wouldn't be surprised if something could be worked up easier that way than rebuilding from the cats. That would enable fitting any aftermarket ST1300 muffler. I've noticed that the front part of the ST pipes look like the same routing but just not chromed since they are covered up with plastic body panels. There might be minor adjustments needed being that the CTX engine is offset just a little to the right side but I'm sure not much.

Well, that's about as far as I go with any exhaust mods. I'm happy with the stock setup and really not interested in changing all that much.

 

[fbnewell1]

Hey, @bob - I remember some time back seeing a couple line drawings of the full exhaust system and the muffler gas routing through the tailpipes. Think it was from world Honda or something like that. Haven’t been able to find it yet. Any chance you can dig those up and post them here? Would be much appreciated.

 

[Willmarth]

Hey, @bob - I remember some time back seeing a couple line drawings of the full exhaust system and the muffler gas routing through the tailpipes. Think it was from world Honda or something like that. Haven’t been able to find it yet. Any chance you can dig those up and post them here? Would be much appreciated.

We CTX1300 devotees are the red headed step children apparently as I can't find the World Honda material on our obsession. I was able to dig this up on the web by putting on my Sherlock Holmes hat. :520:

 

[bob]

Hey, @bob - I remember some time back seeing a couple line drawings of the full exhaust system and the muffler gas routing through the tailpipes. Think it was from world Honda or something like that. Haven’t been able to find it yet. Any chance you can dig those up and post them here? Would be much appreciated.

Looks like Honda changed and updated the World Honda web site and made it Global Honda. They also removed the sections for the CTX1300 replacing those with current bike model information. I knew I should have saved that image someplace. Maybe at home but from work right now I cannot find it anywhere other than the same image Willmarth shared. I also found this one that may be a help.

 

[fbnewell1]

Thx @bob and @Willmarth.

Does anybody have a true dimension on the twin head pipes where they enter the converter? (This is the natural metal part - not the chromed part.) I don’t own a caliper. Would guess they are somewhere around 1” to 1-1/4”, and may be metric. If can get me an O.D., that’d be good. If can get me the I.D., that’d be MARVELOUS!!!

Have also verified that my “mufflers” do not have the front inner baffle and long tube shown in the drawing @bob put up. Others had stated this earlier. I had previously drilled the end caps on my outlets, and both upper and lower outlets are only ~ 3-1/2” deep, and nothing else in there besides the inlet from the converter. Thinking now that maybe could poke the new pipes into the nose of the current “muffler” just a couple inches, and maybe still get a little silence-ing action from the gasses bouncing around in the long chamber before hitting the short 3-1/2” outlets.

 

[Stlburd2]

Don't know why/what/who did it but On Big St. Charles Motorcycles website they list a used CTX1300. The pictures show a completely blacked out bike with all chrome removed from the pipes and what looks like just a little shorty turn out on the exhaust. Bags are gone also so I don't know the history of the bike. I don't recall who it was but I believe a forum member just took delivery of a new bike from this dealer. Wonder if he saw this thing? Take a look. www.bigstcharlesmotorsports.com Just search CTX1300 and it comes up in inventory.

 

[fbnewell1]

Interesting look. Not sure how they “eliminated” the chrome on the headpipes. But everything there is factory CTX1300 except post-cat. Would be curious as to what it sounds like.

Now - to compare what I am looking for to this bike. I am not wanting to tamper with the look of the bike at all (unless you want to look underneath, in front of the rear tire!). Wanting to keep it stock-looking, but get rid of the factory S-bent routings to the cats and have a more straight-through, (hopefully) muscular sound. Am thinking now that I can cut the headpipes just forward of the S-bend into the converters, and unbolt the cat outlet from the muffler to remove. For now, can plug the current muffler inlet, and get the new pipes plugged into the nose of the muffler can. If all goes well, will cut the factory inlet off and weld a patch over it (or just leave it, plugged). If it all goes awry, will only have to plug the two 1-1/4” (?) holes in front of mufflers, and reweld the cats back on. Don’t think I am looking at doing anything that I can’t undo. All cut areas are underneath coverings.

 

[Willmarth]

Don't know why/what/who did it but On Big St. Charles Motorcycles website they list a used CTX1300. The pictures show a completely blacked out bike with all chrome removed from the pipes and what looks like just a little shorty turn out on the exhaust. Bags are gone also so I don't know the history of the bike. I don't recall who it was but I believe a forum member just took delivery of a new bike from this dealer. Wonder if he saw this thing? Take a look. www.bigstcharlesmotorsports.com Just search CTX1300 and it comes up in inventory.

Thanks for finding these photographs. What an absolute abomination. The guy probably dropped it and crunched the bags and when he looked at the replacement costs he went insane. Nice paint job on the heads though (NOT). These photos provide a sound argument for leaving well enough alone if the alternative is anything like this. Any mods that I would be interested in would have to maintain the stock look. Which Honda nailed the first time. And they made it so perfect that they decided to only make it for one year. :ty:

 

[bob]

At first from the description provided by @Stlburd2 I was thinking maybe the PO of this bike replaced the stock CTX1300 pipes with the ST1300 pipes since they do look like the very same once the plastic is removed on the ST. But in the photos provided by @Willmarth it looks like they didn't really eliminate the chrome but perhaps treated it to be able to take paint. The exhaust header looks like it's still chrome but just below that the blacked out paint scheme starts.

@fbnewell1, the S curves in one pipe on each side was engineered by Honda to give the unique note to the exhaust that this bike has that is different from the ST. That extra curve on each side offsets the sound just enough to give a non-symmetrical beat for each pair of cylinders. It's almost imperceptible but it is there if you listen carefully. At least the S curves in front of the cats per the technical information that was on the World Honda web page. There was a lot of information there I wish they kept available. I wouldn't change anything there unless you want to make it sound more even and smooth like the ST1300. I like the attitude the CTX exhaust emits without being obnoxious. Just enough edginess.

I've had a number of ST riders in the group I ride with tell me it sounds like the ST... but different in a good way.

 

[Shaggy&ctx1300]

Years ago the "Filth" (Brit Cops) used to shove a length of pipe or wire down your exhaust hole (ooo baby)to determine if you had drilled the baffles out, nowadays they use a decibel meter to determine noise levels, Recently (last year) a so far unnamed Harley dealer was fined $250,000 for infringing noise laws by fitting no street legal mufflers to their Harley's, here in Texas not many obey the noise laws either , some Hawgs have pipe that are plain open pipes with an open mega phone for a muffler.
the squids have straight thru pipes and get away with it. the noise is equally annoying, and eventually attracts the unwanted attention of legislation .
some thing in between is whats needed.