And with today’s four-stroke pipes being worth a large wad of cash it has become common for a lot of people to just opt for the slip-on instead of a full system. The slip-on muffler still gives you the looks of an aftermarket pipe and sounds just as good, so here we will give you a guide on how to fit one to your stead:

BEWARE! Be gentle when fitting new mufflers as they can scratch easily. If you drop the muffler or hit it with any sharp tools then it will mark.

1 WORK STAND
Place the bike on a work stand or pitstand that will allow you to work on the bike without knocking it over.

2 SPRING OFF
Remove the spring holding the silencer to the header. Make sure you use a spring puller. If you use pliers then you can damage the spring, causing it to slip or slip off and smash your knuckles on the engine.

3 REMOVE BOLTS
Remove the bolts holding the muffler to the frame and set them aside. You will need these to secure the new silencer. These bolts often have lock, or spring washers on them. If this is the case then reuse those washers.

4 PULL MUFFLER
Holding the muffler with both hands, pull it backwards while twisting it from side to side. Mufflers can often be quite tight and can take some force and perseverance to remove.

5 GROMMETS
Lay the new and old mufflers next to each other on a clean workbench and then remove the rubber grommets from the old silencer. If they are tight and difficult to fit to the new muffler, you can use some silicone spray to get them to slide into place.

6 SPRAY JOIN
Spray some silicone around the section of the muffler that slides onto the header pipe. This will allow the muffler to slide on more easily.

7 LOOSELY FIT
Twist and push the silencer into place and then loosely fit the mounting bolts. The muffler may be a tight fit and
need some muscle to twist and push into place.

8 SPRING BACK
Once you have the mounting bolts loosely fitted and the muffler sitting in the correct position, refit the mounting spring using the spring puller and then tighten all the mounting bolts.

9 RUB OFF MARKS
Before starting the bike, rub all the finger marks off the muffler. These can often leave burns or stain marks on the metal if not wiped off. Start the bike and allow the pipe to warm up gradually. After the pipe has cooled recheck the tension of the bolts. Technical Editor Mat Boyd

TIPS

Do’s
1 Use spring pullers when removing or re-fitting springs.
2 Use silicone spray on the join.
3 Always fit rubber grommets to the new muffler or you may melt the surrounding plastics.
Don’ts
1 Tighten any mounting bolts before the pipe spring is on and all the fasteners have been loosely fitted.
2 Hit mufflers with a hammer to make them go on as they dent easily.
3 Over-tighten mounting bolts as they can snap easily.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?


Slip-On
A slip on is usually just the silencer but can sometimes include the mid-pipe. It doesn’t include the header pipe but instead fits to the standard header. A slip-on pipe, depending on the brand, usually increases the noise and improves the look but the power and torque are usually not increased as much as when you fit a full system.
Full System
A full system (above) replaces the entire exhaust from the exhaust port right through to the silencer. These systems are more expensive but usually increase the noise and performance more than just a slip-on.