My Delkovic Experience

[ggathagan]

Ok, this is really not about the Delkovic pipe I put on my bike.

I mean, it's a great sounding exhaust, but there are plenty of videos on YouTube for that.

 

What this is about is what I was playing with prior to putting on the Delkovic:

 

 

 

Sadly, the high mount Staintune from my 5th gen doesn't have the same visual impact as it does on its intended bike.
Just as sad, there doesn't seem to be anyone on the island that handles custom exhaust fabrication.

That said, it sounds awesome!

 

[Terry]

Better sell it to me then.

[bmart]

I'll bite. I'm confused. The title is Delkevic (I love both of mine-high quality and low price) but this is about something else? Visual impact? Please explain. This does not look very high at all to me. It is hard to believe that any car shop couldn't make what you want. Are there car places on the island?

 

The Staintunes do absolutely kill it on sound! Who cares about looks; just ride that sucker!

[Captain 80s]

Cutting up a Staintune seems pretty blasphemous.  

[ggathagan]

4 hours ago, bmart said:

I'll bite. I'm confused. The title is Delkevic (I love both of mine-high quality and low price) but this is about something else? Visual impact? Please explain. This does not look very high at all to me. It is hard to believe that any car shop couldn't make what you want. Are there car places on the island?

 

The Staintunes do absolutely kill it on sound! Who cares about looks; just ride that sucker!

I installed a Delkovic on the bike, but while I was working on it, I took the Staintune off my 5th gen to see what it would sound like and look like on the 8th gen.
It isn't very high on the 8th gen, since the 2 generations differ wildly with regard to the tail design.

Getting a good fit would require a completely different design on the connecting pipe.

In reality, there *is* at least one custom exhaust fabricator on the island that works with stainless steel, but it would be very expensive and I'd no longer have a Staintune on my 5th gen.

[Crusty1]

Nothing wrong with the look of the staintune.  Love the sound.

[vfrgiving]

I've got my own dollar general Staintune Tri-Oval Delkevic.  One needed a repack a few years ago so I grabbed a bulk pack of those stainless Scotch-Brite kitchen scrubbers.  If you spread them out they are like a donut so I slipped the muffler core through the middle of a stack of them.   Then that mess got 1 wrap of standard FMF 4 stroke packing.  Think the thing is on the 99 and sounds sick.  There's a few Delkevic cans floating around...

[bmart]

QQ about shiny cans. I took the one off of my Subaru GT-B and cut the end off (~4" of actual muffler and tip) to clean and shine chrome and paint muffler to hang on the wall. Is there an easy way to do this? 

 

[Captain 80s]

[bmart]

Cute. The cleaning, not the hanging. lol Looks like Bartender's Friend is the ticket. 

[3rdgenred]

How handy are you? You installed the pipe, or the complete exhaust? A local hardware store may have just what you need to make a mock up of your own. Where do you live? This is for reference on your local hardware stores... 

[bmart]

Just the cat back. Too big to save/hang the whole thing on the wall, so I cut just the end to show. Will polish the tip and clean/paint the small end of the can. Maybe put a Scooby sticker on there above/behind the tip. 

[ggathagan]

7 hours ago, 3rdgenred said:

How handy are you? You installed the pipe, or the complete exhaust? A local hardware store may have just what you need to make a mock up of your own. Where do you live? This is for reference on your local hardware stores... 

I didn't think it was worth it to buy the complete exhaust.

Their own DynoJet graph shows less than 3HP gain for the extra $300.

It's also likely that they use thinner wall pipe than stock, which often adds a ringing tone that I don't enjoy.

I'm handy enough to do a mockup, but this involves 2" stainless steel, so cost would still be a factor.

Since I want to keep the existing Staintune for my 5th gen, I'd also need to find another Staintune canister for the 8th gen.

Maybe one day...

[vfrgiving]

Speaking of Delkevics and 5th gens.  Anyone else rocking a standard height mount? If so, and you want an easy laugh.  FYI their link pipe OD is 2" meaning muffler ID is the same.

 

This $40 hot garbage from Amazon also has a 2" ID.  This ain't a muffler, just dresses a open header and installs in a minute.  This thing is just welded aluminum pipe with a terrible paint job..  but ..The sound is otherworldly on a 1998 or 1999. 😁I tossed their staggered bracket it came with and just slapped on a 2" brace from Home Depot.  Yeah.. I'll be putting the Tri-Oval Delkevic right back on.  An hour of this was fun enough, but is a little loud. I'll keep it around though.  Probably toss it on for a coffee meet or something who knows, straight pipe Harleys can't have all the fun. 

I'll bring the Delkevic can with me of course so I can swap back.

 

2000 and 2001 owners with the catalytic headers might be able to get away with running this all the time since the cat is it's own silencer.

 

 

[Skids]

8 hours ago, vfrgiving said:

Speaking of Delkevics and 5th gens.  Anyone else rocking a standard height mount? If so, and you want an easy laugh.  FYI their link pipe OD is 2" meaning muffler ID is the same.

 

This $40 hot garbage from Amazon also has a 2" ID.  This ain't a muffler, just dresses a open header and installs in a minute.  This thing is just welded aluminum pipe with a terrible paint job..  but ..The sound is otherworldly on a 1998 or 1999. 😁I tossed their staggered bracket it came with and just slapped on a 2" brace from Home Depot.  Yeah.. I'll be putting the Tri-Oval Delkevic right back on.  An hour of this was fun enough, but is a little loud. I'll keep it around though.  Probably toss it on for a coffee meet or something who knows, straight pipe Harleys can't have all the fun. 

I'll bring the Delkevic can with me of course so I can swap back.

 

2000 and 2001 owners with the catalytic headers might be able to get away with running this all the time since the cat is it's own silencer.

 

 

All this and no recording? Wtf? 😜

[vfrgiving]

Lol, I did try recording a few seconds of it but the mic or phone brains (I don't know how this stuff works) did some auto EQ thing that has it appear the cam whine is about as loud as the exhaust.  It's most definitely not.

 

If you want to hear what this sounds like just go pull off your VFR's muffler.

[vfrgiving]

On 11/21/2025 at 2:07 AM, Skids said:

All this and no recording? Wtf? 😜

 

ok, recorded at distance with different phone.  This turned out better.  Delkevic muffler with no baffle, rev+flyby.  Followed open header rev+flyby.  Cams are so loud can still hear them over open header on approach.  VFR reverberating through the hills is pretty haunting, and the final upshift followed by closing throttle burble after flyby. 😲

 

 

[bmart]

For comparison, in case you want one. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/@b-radsadventures6846/search?query=delkevic

 

https://www.youtube.com/@b-radsadventures6846/search?query=staintune

[vfrgiving]

Instead of Staintune, I'm currently running a can from famed exhaust manufacturer Shenzhenshumenwenhuachuanboyouxiangongsi (that is a direct copy paste from the Amazon listing). Sound is 🤩

 

Almost open header but smooths over the sharpness. I have the db killer in (doesn't do much, lol)

 

[Captain 80s]

Alternatively:  My Sensorineural Experience.

[Mohawk]

Stop upsetting the universe with those dumb ass shorty or zero silencers. It's a VFR800 it sounds glorious without all that decibel pain. 
Mine was even voted best sounding bike on a PB Mag track day, even after the then new RCV1000 was run around the track by John McGuiness. 😁👍

[vfrgiving]

Upset universe?  Oh, that was my 1800 with slash-cut drag pipes it came with from previous owner.  And the closed throttle decel pops that sounded like shotgun blasts.  Honda offset crank v-twins may run smooth, but sound like 💩.  I purchased and installed a stock Honda system.

 

I'm just messing about with the VFR, no reason to spend $$$ on exhaust systems.  Slip-on cans can be swapped in minutes.  I shelved the open exhaust tip same day as install.  This shorty garbage can will come off soon enough and the Delkevic silencer will go back.

[Ughandi]

fun to hear the comparison. changing cans really makes a difference! Be sure to re-tune after you settle on one! 

[orener]

8 hours ago, Ughandi said:

fun to hear the comparison. changing cans really makes a difference! Be sure to re-tune after you settle on one! 

 

My understanding was that unless you change headers, or remove baffle in the slip-on (assuming it has one), re-tune isn't necessary... 

[vfrgiving]

^ 

It's not like there are jets needing changed.  These are fuel injected bikes.  You can experiment with different cans and db killing baffles all day long.  Sure you could buy a power commander and squeeze out a few more ponies with an exhaust of your choosing.  But my opinion is if you want "gains" you get a Fireblade.

 

I'm playing around with VFR exhaust cause I like the sound.  Now if your Power commander reasons are for smoother fueling and throttle feel, ok I'm cool with that but. "iM geTting mOrE POweR" 🤣 buy a CBR.