Just acquired a 1999 Drifter 1500. I'd like it to be a bit louder.My question is how? At what point of either removing the goat bladder and or baffles does the reduction of back pressure effect the performance before needing a reflash of the FI system. Im not looking for something super loud because I have a side car attached. Any advise would be appreciated thanks
First off, there are no baffles in the muffler. I have had several stock mufflers in my hands, over the last 10 years, and they consist of two perforated tubes running, unbaffled, the length of the muffler. Second, If you have a 49 state exhaust, there are no baffles in the goat bladder. There are two perforated tubes entering, a heat shield on the left side, and a single larger perforated tube exiting. The goat bladder acts as a collector, and provides excellent scavenging effect. The exhaust, coupled with a VERY restricted intake, make the sound as quiet as it is. Opening up the intake tract will increase exhaust sound quite noticeably. I have both a stock system and a "peace pipe" for mine, and the stock system provides much better flow than the peace pipe. This is evidenced by the bikes ability to climb steep hills without needing to downshift.
Second, there is no "reflash" for the mapped ECM. Adding a tuner box may prove problematical, as they seem to fail with great regularity. I made my own zero restriction intake system, similar to a "big air" kit. It increased my fuel economy by about 10 mpg, average. I have even gotten as high as 52 mpg at times.
Bottom line, the exhaust is quite a bit louder, the bike (137,500 miles) runs great, and fuel economy, with was terrible, at first, is now quite acceptable. I routinely ride 185 miles on a full tank at 70+ mph.
Drifter ECU's are pretty robust and can adjust to single mods without needing to the help of a tuner box. For example changing out the pipes alone usually doesn't require a box. In my case, I was getting decel popping so I added a Cobra box. That fixed it without adjustment. That was 20 years ago and it hasn't given me any trouble.
Modifications to the oem pipes don't seem to satisfy most people. I looked into various mods (some are listed on this forum) and decided replacing the pipes was the best choice for me. I like the sound of my aftermarket pipes. I am not a "straight pipe" loud fan off the race track, but like more sound than the OEMs provide.
If you look in the Modifications and Troubleshooting / Exhaust area, you will find some info on the subject.
https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php/board,126.0.html
Also have a look in the very first post in that area for mods associated with exhaust systems.