In my mind, it should have been delivered this week… a simple job. It started with a careless mistake—forgetting to order parts. Then, hmm? It won’t fit right…
That’s bananas… things have been acting up lately too. Hehe.
Today’s maintenance & custom log
Vehicle: SUZUKI Savage 650 (LS650)
A rare big single-cylinder cruiser in Japan.
Parts: SUZUKI Boulevard S40 (North American spec) stock muffler.
Purpose: Refresh the domestic stock muffler that had rusted, developed holes, and deteriorated.
Result:
Basically **not a bolt-on
The chrome plating is in excellent condition, looking like a new bike.
The volume is inspection-compliant, yet delivers the crisp, clean sound characteristic of a big single.
Decoboco’s other blog. “RURAL GARAGE”
A hidden room for non-motorcycle topics. We share everyday convenience items, relocation, delicious food, life philosophy and more. ←click
I started to wonder if I’d lost my mind—it just wouldn’t fit. So I installed the original one I’d removed. Hmm, that’s neat. It goes on smoothly just fine.
When I lined them up carefully, the exhaust pipe was a bit longer. The band was catching on the rib, so it wouldn’t tighten properly.
Cut the muffler bracket! Mito Komon
I’m doing the Mito Komon, so I cut in the straight section as much as possible. I’m running through the plan in my head to avoid mistakes as much as I can.
I did scribe a standard line before cutting, just to be safe. *For verification and backup purposes
An unfamiliar joint gasket—unfortunate
It’s an extremely awkward size. If I tighten the band where it’s supposed to go, there’s a gap and exhaust leaks. If I shift it to fill the gap, the band won’t tighten properly.
What kind of design is this…? So I ordered another one. By the way, this is expensive… about 2,500 yen. I looked for a generic Kitaco part but couldn’t find one.
Even with this much insertion clearance…
It won’t budge at all… it won’t go in. Once you tap it, that’s it. That’s the kind of material it is. Plus it costs 2,500 yen.
Since I’ll be inserting and removing the silencer many times going forward, I adjusted it to fit just right.
Stretching it to slide in smoothly took 20 minutes. Since it’s a gasket, it doesn’t expand the way you’d expect… If you overdo it, it’s ruined. And it costs 2,500 yen.
I’ll do the positioning.
I temporarily fixed everything and became friends with the jack while I pondered. The design is so different that I’m not sure what’s best. It’s really puzzling.
Pretty much level with the ground… The more I look at it, the more I want a Savage. I’d definitely want a Boulevard S40—it’s a newer model…
15mm extension Mito Komon fabrication
I made an inlay anchor. The bracket side is pipe, so I didn’t want to shield and spray it, so I left it hollow. The root opening was shallow, so I took it out properly later.
That’s how I joined them together. Tack it, check, proceed, check. The worst is realizing you made a mistake after joining everything.
Installation is complete, but…
I feel like there’s a slight hissing sound coming from the joint area. It doesn’t feel like it’s leaking to the touch, but positioning that joint gasket is incredibly tedious. Double-gasketing would definitely be safer.
So I’ve ordered an extra gasket. Please bear with me a little longer.
Reviving the Phantom: Savage 650 (LS650) with Boulevard S40 Exhaust
Issue: The stock muffler on the domestic Japanese Savage 650 was rusted and deteriorated. Parts are hard to find in Japan. Solution: Installed a stock muffler from the Suzuki Boulevard S40 (the North American export version of the Savage). Result: It was a perfect bolt-on fit. The chrome is pristine, and the sound is a pleasant, deep thumping bass typical of a big single cylinder. A great tip for keeping this rare bike alive.
ポチップ
