Where to get aftermarket slip ons for my VF500

I've been looking for aftermarket slip on mufflers for my '86 VF500, as I'm not a fan of the stock look. I'm having trouble finding them/figuring out if they will fit.
#1: How can I easily identify mufflers that will fit my bike?
#2: Anyone know of a good source for new and/or used slip ons?

Thanks!

 

ebay or craigslist is about the only places slip on are far and few between or you could do like me and nuy a slip on from a newer bike and make it fit

 

They show up on ebay once in a while, but they are not cheap. I was ready to snipe a set last week, but someone else wanted them really REALLY bad, they went for 230 bucks!!!

Bidding jumped up from ~80 dollars with just a few seconds left....I was only ready to go as high as 120.

Honda VF500 500 Interceptor:eBay Motors (item 160382195180 end time Dec-04-09 14:54:32 PST)

I think I'm gonna go matt's way and make some cheaper ones fit.

 

Without a keen eye that's kind of tough. It helps to have a seller/source that you can trust on this one. Posting up pictures for others to see would also go a long way in guaranteeing they are the correct parts.

As mentioned eBay and CL are your best choices. These forums are a good place as well. Sometimes a "Wanted to Buy" or WTB post can uncover hidden treasures. Just be sure to save up you Christmas money as a savvy seller will know what these parts are worth. If not that could mean a good deal for you!

 

FWIW - Matt's running a Hindle 4-1 header. That's certainly not a "cheaper" option!

 

Where can one of those be found?
Thanks

 

i found it on ebay but i had to looked for a year! there out there, but man they are getting harder and harder to find

 

The 4-1 Hindle header is what everyone really wants. The problem is they haven't been made for about 8 years now. If you find one be prepared to pay upwards of $500-750 (maybe more!).

As always, there are good deals to be had but you need to know what you want, know what a good deal is, and be prepared to pounce if you find it. I think the hardest part is patience - as Matt can tell you, it can take years to find something like this.

 

I think what I'm going to do is get a nice set of slipons. The 4-1 is nice, but just not in the budget.

I PM'd Matt asking if he still has his old supertrapps (and if he'd be willing to sell them), and I found a used pair of stock '03 RC51 cans pretty cheap locally. Any idea how the RC51 cans will look/sound/perform compaired to stock?

 

aftermarket

Hi All,

There has been a bit of discussion on NLA aftermarket exhaust options recently.

I was wondering about the benefits and what changes need to be made if you install one.

From what I've gleaned in reading through previous posts:

4-1's: lighter, more HP, requires re-jetting, requires hi-flow air filter, louder sound

Slip-on's: lighter, no HP gain - often a HP loss unless re-jetted, louder sound​

Any thoughts/opinions would be most appreciated!

Thx.

 

Changing the mufflers and keeping the stock headpipes will not gain you much. In fact, slip-ons typically cause a power decrease because of the disruptions in the flow they create in the collector box. With a lot of jetting work you can sometimes get the power back to stock. If you want something that looks and sounds better then you have a lot of options.

The RC51 mufflers have a larger inlet size so you need to fabricate some sort of reduction there. I've seen this done before but it turns out eactly as you would expect - not so nice.

 

I like to keep my options open, so I've been thinking of posible ways to make the stock cans better looking.
I'll have to check available hi-temp paint colors, but I was thinking a flat gray, with some sort of decal on it (inspired by the Yamaha FJ1200 stock mufflers).
Problem would be finding a "Honda", "Interceptor", "VF500", or other related print decal that can handle the high temps.

Just got another idea; is the part of the stock muffler that tappers down toward the collector the actual pipe, or is there a pipe inside that?
Meaning, can it be removed (cut off)?
I think that would give it a more modern look...

 

did you ever try this out? I would like to do this if you found it looking and sounding great.