[Jan 2015 @ 3,500km]
Same as my R 1200GSA, I removed the exhaust valve and motor assembly completely from the bike. Have never liked it and the bike doesn’t really need it except to keep the noise levels down between 3,000 to 6,000 rpm. Otherwise it stays fully opened.
To remove it completely, disconnect the electrical connector to the motor assembly. Remove the plastic cover for the valve and disconnect both cables (loosen the adjusting nuts first).
Now remove the whole motor assembly together with the cables. Cap off the electrical connector to prevent water and dirt from getting into it.
Replace the valve assembly with an adapter cut out from a stainless steel tube. Couldn’t find one with an OD size of 63mm, so had a friend machined off 0.5mm in order to fit nicely. It has to be exact as there are no gaskets like traditional exhaust system, otherwise there will be leaks. There is a similar adapter sold by Wunderlich at 40 Euros (2015), but making one is more satisfying. 🙂
Here is the simple schematic of the tube (right).
Tighten both clamps for the adapter to 25Nm. Tighten the bolt to the exhaust silencer bracket to 10Nm. Start the engine and check for leaks. If there, loosen the 3 bolts and re-align the adapter and silencer and try again.
Now I don’t have that annoying noise every time I turn on the key. No warning lights appear on the instrument panel, only in the bike’s computer memory. Of course I could have kept the exhaust valve motor and disconnected the cables it would have the same effect without registering any fault codes. Then it would just be sitting there and still consuming electrical power and not doing any work. Its better off in a plastic bag and in my store room.
I am not doing it expecting horsepower increase or free flowing gas in the system. Can’t say both are true as I don’t have the numbers to back it up. It just looks cleaner and one component less to maintain. 🙂
Note: Doing any mods to an exhaust system without prior approval is illegal.
PistonJunky 