DIY: Mid Pipe Install w/ Pictures

[Turkishexpress]

I figured there wasn't a definitive thread on how to to a cat delete so here it is. Now, I'm using the Leo Vince mid pipe but I'm sure its pretty much the same thing for the MIVV sans the part about modifying the exhaust flapper valve actuator. So enjoy...


I didn’t take any picture of how uninstalled the header shields since its pretty straight forward but once all the covers are off, this is what you should be looking at…



I’m not going to cover muffler removal either but its pretty straight forward. Just loosen the exhaust clamp behind the muffler, take off the mid muffler guard and slowly work the muffler out. Once the muffler is off this is what you should be looking at… The red arrows are what you’ll be removing in a few…



Front header is held in place by 3 X 10mm nuts. We will remove these as well to simplify the install. These come off very easily and don’t require much torque to reinstall.



Notice the bracket on the left side of the bike connected to the cat. When you fold the left rearset up you will find a hidden bolt. The other one is in plain sight. Both are 5mm hex.



At this point, once the cable is disconnected, the only things holding the cat in place is the headers and the springs along with the two brackets which will be removed using a 5mm hex (next three pics).

[Turkishexpress]

Remove the spring to the forward header. Not much tension required and you may use the tool that came with the LV set up. I used long nose pliers.



Remove spring to the rear header.



Remove the three bolts holding the forward header. Loosening and actually taking the header off is pretty easy and makes the install much easier.



Save this metal gasket.



Once you gently pull the front header off and firmly wiggle the assemble the complete system should slowly come off. Be patient and use a rubber hammer if you got one.



You can leave the front header hanging. Its very light and will not harm to the O2 sensor wires.



Install the front header to the LV mid-pipe first (will refer to as LV from now on). You may use some WD40 to make the job easier. I had to work it a bit since I had the LV ceramic coated.

[Turkishexpress]

Install the separate rear LV piece to the rear header next. Again use some WD 40 and a rubber hammer to ensure good solid fitment. Try to align the spring brackets of the two pipes to ensure proper alignment.



Take the bracket you uninstalled from the left side of the bike and pull off the black threaded piece from it and put it on the bracket on the right side of the bike. The LV actually comes with a separate bracket you can use but I decided to use the OEM piece since it looked nicer to me. And it has rubber pieces that help with vibrations.



Once you have the bracket on the right side ready you can install the actual LV unit onto the bike. Start with the front header first (don’t forget the metal OEM gasket). Once the front header is on loosely, slowly bring up the rear resonator part of the LV and gently work it into the part of the LV that is connected to the rear header. Don’t forget the supplied metal clamp. Once the LV midpipe is in place you will notice that all the brackets line up perfectly! Now tighten the clamp, the three 10 mm nuts holding the front header, and install the supplied LV springs.







Now that the actual header is on, its time to eliminate any possible error codes that may arise from not having the exhaust flapper cable. For this I will only demonstrate what I did on one side of the bike but you need to apply it to both sides.

First uninstall the rear right and left fenders. There are 6 bolts to take off as shown by arrows on both sides. Gently take off the fenders and this is what you should be looking at once you’re done.



I’m guessing this is the voltage regulator rectifier. Uninstall the regulator and its bracket behind it. Two bolts hold each one.

[Turkishexpress]

Now you should be able to see the back of the exhaust valve actuator. The Phillips screw that you see needs to be uninstalled. Once uninstalled you can slowly work the actuator rearward. There is however not much room to free the actuator so we have to prep the bike to loosen the rear subframe. I know its sounds difficult but this is actually quiet easy Next few pictures will show you all the little bolts that have to be removed.











Now its time to loosen the rear subframe. I would use a 6mm allen socket for this job to make it easy on you. Loosen the top bolt on both sides and remove the bottom bolt so that the rear subframe can swing upwards freely. Gently pull the rear subframe up. This should give you enough space to take the exhaust valve actuator out.

[Turkishexpress]

This is what it looks like Now remove the other end of the actuator cable (will not be used again). Good job!



If you turn it to its side you will see a nut that can be removed using a 2.5 hex key. Once the nut is removed you can pull the plastic pulley off and install the LV metal bracket as shown and reuse the bolt to secure it.

[Turkishexpress]

Once all this is done, you may put everything back together, secure the rear subframe in place, and reinstall the rear fenders in reverse order. The install is DONE!!! Now all you have to do is install the header shields and the muffler back on and you can take it for a test ride…

I have included this picture to show how the lines should be re-routed on the left underside of the bike before installing the left header guard. I know some people were having issues in the past even when doing oil changes in remembering how it went back together.

[brust60]

Great job, Gem! Thanks for the time and work you put into this DIY!

This needs to be STICKY!

[CamDLux]

Great job. Thanks Gem!

[Fasduc]

Great post, thanks!

A few questions, what's that bulge at the back of the pipe? Is that a cat or just a baffle? Who did the coating and what color is that? Looks like it blends well with the factory colors. And lastly, how's it sound and run?

[Turkishexpress]

Originally Posted by brust60

Great job, Gem! Thanks for the time and work you put into this DIY!

This needs to be STICKY!

Originally Posted by CamDLux

Great job. Thanks Gem!

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by Fasduc

Great post, thanks!

A few questions, what's that bulge at the back of the pipe? Is that a cat or just a baffle? Who did the coating and what color is that? Looks like it blends well with the factory colors. And lastly, how's it sound and run?

I'm not sure which bulge you're speaking of. Do you mean before the muffler is installed? That's the resonator that the Leo Vince comes with (if that's what you are referring to). You can't see it once the muffler is on though. Not sure if that would be the case if you decided to go with an aftermarket muffler though.

The coating was done by Wade at TorksPerformance near Dallas. Its supposed to be matte black ceramic. He said it will become a bit more dull as it goes through a couple more heat cycles.

It sounds great but I figure pretty much all exhausts will sound the same. Kind of like a thumper to be honest. There is some backfire but not much. I tried to induce it quiet a bit while test riding. However, the bike is really choppy in the lower rpms now which I'm hoping should become better once the fatducs are in

Other than all that I'm happy with the way it turned out. It sounds good, looks stock, and fit perfect.