I would like to resurrect this topic in the hope of getting some advice. For the purpose of the exercise, I would like to differentiate between two different arrangements which effectively achieve the same objective (i.e. noise reduction):
1. The "side bleed" arrangement, where the stinger emerges at an approximate right angle from the parallel-wall belly section of the expansion chamber
2. The "internal stinger" arrangement where the expansion chamber resembles the traditional type, but the stinger starts in the parallel-wall belly section and continues through the reverse cone before emerging in the usual position at the end
I have had some experience with Arrangement No.1, mainly because it suited that particular bike to have the silencer mounted below the reverse cone portion of the expansion chamber - I had to keep the chamber as short as reasonably possible. This arrangement was a success in that it kept noise at a reasonable level. The pipe was built from scratch (using a pair of pressings for the diffuser, belly and reverse cone sections), so I can't make a direct comparison with an otherwise identical pipe having a traditional "rear exit" stinger (i.e. no before & after results). However, I am satisfied with performance, so have left it there.
Moving on to my present project; I want to quieten the exhaust on my PE250B (see here for some background info:
http://forum.ozvmx.com/index.php?topic=42480.0). Using Arrangement No.1 (the "side bleed" set-up) would be difficult, as there isn't much space to accommodate the existing FMF silencer (which I want to keep) in any position other than at the end of the stinger in the traditional position. The existing stinger is reasonably long (about 380mm from end of reverse cone to start of silencer), although it could be shortened slightly (perhaps 30mm) without the silencer fouling the left-hand side cover.
Gordon Jennings recommended that for the "internal stinger" arrangement (No.2 listed above), the stinger entry should be located
"an inch or so" before the start of the reverse cone for optimum results (i.e. noise reduction with no performance loss). This would add about 250mm to the length of the existing stinger.
Since I have some other specialist jobs waiting to be done (including magnesium welding and removing dents from existing chambers), I approached a well-known service provider (and member of this forum) who carries out such work and also builds expansion chambers. He is willing to either modify my existing chamber with an internal stinger or to build a new chamber from scratch incorporating the same feature. I initially intended to have the existing chamber modified, but due to certain difficulties I am now leaning towards having an entirely new pipe made. However, he has never made an "internal stinger" chamber before and would like me to specify some particular requirements for the proposed pipe.
With that in mind, there are a few questions I have for those who can offer the benefit of their experience:
a) Using the dimensions of the existing chamber as an example; If the existing 25mm ID stinger is already 380mm long (with allowance to shorten by 20-30mm), would an increase in diameter be required (to prevent undue heat accumulation in the cylinder) if another 250mm length is added?
b) For structural integrity over a long period of time, should the internal end of the stinger be welded to the wall of the parallel-wall belly section and/or the reverse cone section? If so, is this accomplished simply by drilling a hole (or holes) and welding through it/them as part of the assembly process?
c) Although Gordon Jennings didn't mention it, is it advisable to alter any other aspect of the design of the chamber to allow for the internal stinger?
As an alternative, there
may be enough space on the bike to allow for a "side bleed" stinger, turning a right angle, then meeting up with the "existing" stinger in the normal position (meaning that the reverse cone would have a closed end), but this would add even more length, which may be undesirable from a heat retention point of view.
I'd be glad of any advice or useful opinions
.
Thanks & regards,
James