Second Generation Ascots > The V-Twin Years: Stock To Lightly Modified
NOS MAC Dual Exhaust Available For The VT500FT Ascot
Hughlysses:
My Ascot had the black chrome Mac pipes on it when I got it.
You can retain the centerstand IF you cut off the extra widget that sticks off of the stand on the right side. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of that piece is, but it works fine without it. My bike came without a centerstand, but I found one on ebay, modified it, installed it, and it worked fine.
I really didn't like the tone of the Mac pipes on my bike. They were very loud and raspy and backfired a lot. The pipes do have interchangeable muffler cores. My pipes came with "street" baffles which are actually baffles, like in a standard car muffler. One guy told me that the "race" baffle Mac sells (used to sell?) is actually quieter and mellower sounding. It's a perforated core wrapped with fiberglass. If I could have found a set of those I'd have bought them.
The main thing I didn't like was loss of cornering clearance. The front pipe hangs considerably lower and a little further out than the stock pipe. I found that it was really easy to drag in hard right hand turns.
After I'd had my bike about a year I bought a stock exhaust cheap on ebay and installed it. I've been happy with the stocker and I'm glad I made the change. I even bought what was apparently the last NOS front header pipe that Honda had in stock in the U.S., so I have a nice, non-rusty front pipe. A friend of mine tried to order one only a month later and was told they were no longer available.
I sold my Mac pipes to an Ascot owner in Canada, along with my modified centerstand. (I found another stock centerstand so I've still got one on my bike.)
YMMV.
Hugh
J6G1Z:
Wow! You managed to drag the front of the downpipe in a right hand turn! :o
I dragged both foot pegs on my VT pretty hard & never hit the MAC exhaust, you must have really had her keeled over. I tend to turn left more aggresively than to the right though. That's good to know & to watch out for. You're right about the exhaust tone... It is a raspy note. You either like it or hate it. A perforated core with a fiberglass type of wadding wrapped around it would sound much nicer. Back in the day, the MAC exhaust system was the only game in town, other than the Kerker or Cobra F1 slip ons. I think I like them because they look somewhat like XR750 pipes.
Thanks
J.
Hughlysses:
John- I wonder if there weren't significant manufacturing variances in the Mac pipes. I remember when mine were bolted up, the two horizontal sections weren't quite parallel, so maybe that had something to do with it. I wasn't leaning over THAT far.
They do look good. It would be a pretty simple fabrication job to make "glass pack" muffler cores for it. Just one screw at the back of each pipe holds the baffles in. Remove the stock baffle and cut the center section out; weld a 1-1/2" diameter perforated tube of the right length in. Wrap that with fiberglass packing, and slide the modified core back into place. I think I've seen the perforated tubing in a catalog; worst case you might just have to buy a section of 1-1/2" exhaust pipe and drill a bunch of holes in it.
If you've got decent fabrication skills, it wouldn't be that hard of a job.
Hugh
J6G1Z:
You're probably correct in the manufacturer variances. The MAC products have always been a middle of the road product quality wise. I've heard that they moved into the automotive after-market, producing headers & exhaust systems for the 5.0 Mustang.
EDIT: Looks like they still do some motorcycle pipes. Here is their web-site: http://shop.macperformance.com/
J.
Hughlysses:
... and they do make replacement inserts. Look on page 42 (?) of the motorcycle catalog:
This isn't the best picture, but I think you can see enough. The baffle on the left is what came standard in my Mac pipes; I think the baffle on the right (with fiberglass or stainless steel wool packing added) would sound much better.
Hugh
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