Many aftermarket and some standard exhaust systems come with a backfire screen or exhaust screen fitted in them that can be removed. This screen can be fitted for a number of reasons including to reduce noise, increase exhaust back pressure or to catch any embers to prevent bushfires. In this How To we show you how to remove an exhaust screen from your exhaust system in a few short steps.

#1

Make sure the motorcycle is secure on a stand as you will be pulling on the exhaust, then locate the fixing bolt. The bolt is usually located at the bottom with the head of the screw either on the inside of the exhaust or located under a rubber plug at the bottom of the exhaust.

#2

Take an Allen key and loosen then remove the fixing bolt. All exhaust systems use some kind of bolt to secure the screen except FMF, which instead uses a flat circular clip that presses in around the screen to hold it in place.

#3

Once the screen fixing bolt has been removed, grab the screen by hand and twist it back and forth while pulling it out. If the screen is to tight then you may need to grab it with pliers and work it back and forth until it becomes loose.

#4

Once the screen is loose, clean away any dirt or debris and place the screen and fixing bolt somewhere for close keeping.

Dos

  • Be careful and take your time with the fixing bolt. These are often soft and strip easily.
  • Spray some WD40 around the insert if it is tight and stuck.
  • Keep the insert and fixing bolt in case you decide to put it back in.

Don’ts

  • Drop the fixing bolt inside the exhaust.
  • Strip the fixing bolt.
  • Start the motorcycle prior to working on it as the exhaust will be hot and the screen will become tight.

Tools: Allen key, pliers

Warning:

Many exhaust systems have these screens fitted to prevent embers from starting fires while trail riding. In these circumstances we do not recommend you remove the insert.

What Does The Insert Do?

Inserts in exhaust systems can serve a different purposes depending on what the exhaust manufacturer intended. Some inserts are just for noise suppression and have been designed to keep the noise under a legal limit. In these cases removing the screen could make the exhaust too loud and you may fail noise testing.

Some manufacturers fit the insert as a spark arrestor which stops any embers from coming out of the exhaust and starting fires. Removing these screens can be illegal as it increases the risk of starting bush fires.

Sometimes the insert is actually there to create back pressure and to increase torque. Removing these screens will actually have a negative effect on the motorcycle’s performance.

Unfortunately it is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to exhaust inserts as each exhaust system can behave differently. For instance, removing the insert from a Pro Circuit exhaust system not only makes the exhaust louder but in most cases also increases the bottom-end and throttle response, whereas removing the insert from an FMF exhaust usually reduces the bottom-end torque and affects the power negatively. This means you will need to experiment with your exhaust system to see what works best for you and your motorcycle.