CBX Muffler Mods

[panteradave]

Recently I removed the exhaust system from my '82 Prolink as part of a carb remove/rebuild/reinstall (Mike Nixon did a fabulous job on the carbs by the way). But anyway, while cleaning and inspecting the big pile of 30 year-old CBX parts from the disassembly I noticed that one of the mufflers is showing significant signs of rust. This is a very low mileage bike and the rusty spot is at the lowest point in the exhaust system - exactly where water would accumulate if the bike were not ridden frequently enough to steam the accumulated moisture out of the pipes. The rest of the exhaust system is near perfect. I'm wondering if there is anything to be done at this point to help preserve what's left of the mufflers - drill a drain hole at the low spot, patch in a piece of new metal...? Or am I looking at replacing the muffler cans at some point in the not too distant future?

On a somewhat related exhaust note (no pun intended), literally my only disappointment with the CBX is how overly quiet the stock exhaust is. I've seen photos of a CBX or two with the back of the muffler cans perforated with a ring of drilled holes. Is there any benefit to drilling the baffle plate strictly from a sound perspective (I don't want to hear bird chirpy noises either), and on the flip side is there any performance degradation that goes with it? The holes would be easy to drill, but obviously not so easy to undrill later. Opinions???

Dave

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Dave, over the years i have seen plenty of stock exhaust systems with a weld in patch on the bottom of the pipes. Also seen a metal patch held on with hose clamps, much of it hidden by the heat shields. Knowing the cost of replacement systems a patch makes sense especially if the rest of the exhaust is in such great shape.
A '79 i bought had a set of drilled mufflers. No power gain, no rejetting required. I did not like it much. Stock looking pipes should sound stock...imho.
I like things loud and prefer that comes from something aftermarket.

[panteradave]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to admit that drilling holes in the baffle plates didn't seem like that good of an idea anyway, unless the sound of the exhaust improved markedly.

A welded patch may be the best, and likely cheapest, solution for the muffler rust.

Thanks again.

Dave