Other than the home built exhaust on my bike right now, I have a stock exhaust system and I also have a set of stock cans from a 2008 Yamaha R1. When put into place, the R1 cans fit nicely, and the heat shield looks like it was designed for the 6th gen VFR. The ease and quickness of exhaust swap on the VFR means I'll be able to go from "mean and loud" to "calm and quiet" in about fifteen mins.
The R1 cans are lighter and in my opinion will look better than the stock exhaust once installed.
My initial plan is to cut the cans off the stock VFR system and have the R1 cans welded in their place.
I don't know how to weld, and I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy I use.
I know the R1 cans are made of Titanium, and I am pretty sure the inlet pipes are too, but if anyone knows otherwise, please chime in.
What kind of metal is the stock VFR midpipe made out of? I'm guessing steel?
So for all you welders out there, is it possible to join these two metals effectively? What kind of welding is required; mig, tig, etc?
Can anyone see any other potential problams with my plan?
I would think the pipes are steel or SS as I think only the cover/skin if the muffle is titanium.
Mig or Tigs work great. I really like your current tips, have you tried to find some type of baffling/inserts that you could just add to them to kill a bunch of db's? :blush:
PS if you end up using teh R1 cans I would be tempted to shorten then 2-4" myself. :media:
I would be tempted also to not use the shields on the R1 cans and just leave the titanium exposed, you can just use the left can on the right side and vise versa to have the shield mount brackets on the inside. :media:
I would be tempted also to not use the shields on the R1 cans and just leave the titanium exposed, you can just use the left can on the right side and vise versa to have the shield mount brackets on the inside. :media:
I will be taking a cross country trip in June and I will be using soft luggage. I love the look of the tips I'm currently running, but for a cross country trip, they're too loud and I fear damage to the soft luggage.
I really like the way the R1 cans look with the shields on when put in proper position under the tail fairing. I think I'll keep them.
I have considered shortening the R1 pipes by about 4 inches. Still pondering that idea.
It's an interesting concept you have. Looking forward to the results. Even looks like you could trim the plastic heat shields to fit the VFR's bodywork.
Joe Average Welder is not gonna have the skill or experience to weld titanium. You're gonna need to find someone who has worked in the aircraft industry and is very experienced or has worked for one of the exhaust manufacturers.
Titanium is not something the average welding shop sees on a regular basis. Got to remember until the SR-71 came along, no one had ever attempted to weld titanium. The folks at Lockheed figured out how to do it.
A machine shop I work with all the time (Tennessee Tool and Machine works) is owned by a guy who is a bicycle fanatic. He has a side buisness called Privateer Cycles and hand builds titanium frames. His Ti welding is some of the most beautiful stuff I've ever seen, but he says it is very difficult, and most won't attempt. I think Ti is not far below Tungsten on the high temps necessary to liquify the metal...
A machine shop I work with all the time (Tennessee Tool and Machine works) is owned by a guy who is a bicycle fanatic. He has a side buisness called Privateer Cycles and hand builds titanium frames. His Ti welding is some of the most beautiful stuff I've ever seen, but he says it is very difficult, and most won't attempt. I think Ti is not far below Tungsten on the high temps necessary to liquify the metal...
As I was saying.
Titanium bicycle frame - I hate to think what those things cost.
No you cannot weld titanium to anything else. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal, the titanium will crack away from the foreign material. I am a certified aircraft welder who has TIG welded plenty of titanium, cobalt, inconel, aluminum, magnesium, etc.. Plus you have to have excellent inert gas coverage on both sides of the weld and to do it right, you'll need to heat treat (stress relieve) the welded area. One of the tricks to welding titanium is knowing that it becomes magnetic when welding, your filler rod will want to stick to the puddle...so technique is very important. If you can find someone who knows how to weld it, it can be one of the best things (as far as looks) to weld....a pro can make it come out like chrome.
No you cannot weld titanium to anything else. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal, the titanium will crack away from the foreign material. I am a certified aircraft welder who has TIG welded plenty of titanium, cobalt, inconel, aluminum, magnesium, etc.. Plus you have to have excellent inert gas coverage on both sides of the weld and to do it right, you'll need to heat treat (stress relieve) the welded area. One of the tricks to welding titanium is knowing that it becomes magnetic when welding, your filler rod will want to stick to the puddle...so technique is very important. If you can find someone who knows how to weld it, it can be one of the best things (as far as looks) to weld....a pro can make it come out like chrome.
Freako:
Doesn't titanium basically have to be welded in a special chamber or something so you have inert gas on both sides of the material? I remember reading Ben Rich's book (he was head of Skunk Works at one time and the "father" of the SR-71). As I was saying earlier, Lockheed was one of if not the pioneer of machining/welding/drilling/working with titanium.
I'm guessing from your location and your experience you probably work at Lockheed-Martin in Mayretta.
I work at Delta Airlines at the Tech Ops center in Engine Maintenance. As far welding Titanium in a chamber, yes thats better for it but if you have a back up box that provides good coverage (airflow of Argon gas), you can get away with doing it like that. A large welding cup on the torch is needed too.
I've helped do some Ti welding on some heat shields. We have a chamber that we fill with argon, but Ti is so picky that you have to purge the chamber for well over an hour to stop it from burning though.
I also weld titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel for airdraft applications, all my Ti welding has been done in a chamber. I agree with all said above on the subject, and would also like to mention that if you buy me a TIG welder, I'll weld up anything you want! :biggrin:
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