With just getting parts for my Boom Vader Gen 2 Motorcycle taking so long (Ordered My Boom Vader Exhaust Upgrade Parts (A Dummy)), I wanted to break down the review of at least part of my latest upgrade: a new slip-on exhaust system. However, this post will only quickly go over the new muffler.
A Basic Grom Clone Slip-on Muffler Upgrade?
It seems like this slip-on muffler has become the standard recommendation for upgrading our Grom clone motorcycles’ exhaust system.
I am told this brings both styles, the low mount, carbon fiber look, shiny parts, and function. Tunable exhaust notes, with it leaning on deep exhaust tones, especially during low idles.
Like a beating drum, I imagine this new muffler will sound like. I think of how many posts I read about the deep thumping sound of its generators with the Boom Vader’s single-cylinder engine.
The New Muffler Kit, All The Exhaust Parts.
Just a quick summary of parts that came with this muffler. A handful of springs, a couple of clips(guessing for extending spring mounts), some washers with a long bolt, and a metal/rubber strap.
I can imagine how this muffler is mounted, but I will have to truly address the installation process when I install the new exhaust system. Stay tuned for that post.
So the point is, I will go into the hardware aspects of this new muffler once I get around to installing it. My Boom Vader motorcycle is a Gen 2, with stock rear sets and minimal upgrades. How this muffler slips on and gets mounted to the bike should be straightforward as an inspiration for how you might want to upgrade your Boom Vader too.
So, saving muffler mounting hardware review for when I use it. Right now, it just looks like a bag of parts. :D
The Muffler First Appearances:
It looks good, in my humble opinion. Not too bright, it seems like a quality piece of hardware without possibly detracting from the Boom Vader’s looks.
There is what looks like a carbon-fiber body on the muffler. I’m sure this will only look its best right out of the box. I ride on some cruddy Pennsylvania roads, and every road this time of year seems to have some construction or construction debris on the streets. :/
The muffler has mounted on it for the spring clip mounts. As part of the slip-on feature, no bolts are needed to connect to the exhaust piping. Or at least the exhaust piping I ordered, since that too has spring clip mounts.
The muffler’s inlet is round and modular. I mean, the muffler inlet has a slip-on inlet piece and, like the muffler, was designed to slip on different sized exhausts. Once I get to upgrading my Boom Vader’s exhaust system, I will tell you what I had to do, keep the exhaust adapter or not.
The Muffler’s Outlet.
Now the muffler is advertised as having a ‘DB Killer”. In layperson’s terms, it has a baffle. The more interesting part about this muffler baffle, or “DB Killer,” is that it’s removable.
There is a single hex head bolt on the underside of the muffler outlet that holds the baffle in place. The nice thing is this bolt appears to be accessible even after the muffler is installed. No need to pop springs one and off. Just an Allen-wrench, and you can change the sounds of the motorcycle.
NOTE: When removing the muffler’s baffle, the hex head screw dropped into the eternal body of the muffler. After a couple of shakes and the screw fell out of the muffler. However, once the muffler is installed, hard to shake a whole Grom Clone by hand, so be careful and have a magnetic pick-up tool handy.
Here is the muffler baffle removed. Now the muffler is straight flow, wide exit, no resistance, and I suspect no actual sound damping too, almost like a glass-packed muffler or straight piped exhaust, sound damping. Not sure I will be running the motorcycle without the baffle. I have an OK relationship with my neighbors.
What I was amazed at was the muffler baffle was two parts. There is a cap at the end of the baffle, and it is removable.
The baffle’s end cap was removable with the same size Allen wrench used to remove the whole baffle from the muffler.
Now without the cap, the baffle still restricts the size of the muffler’s outlet but has some straight-line path out. Removing this cap is probably a happy balance between sound suppression and a lower-resistance exhaust path.
I am interested in how the baffle, with no end cap, might have my solution for more power from the little Boom Vader engine and not having my neighbors egg my house. :D
My Thoughts About This Slip-On Muffler.
Although so many say this is the muffler of choice for a quick upgrade to my Boom Vader motorcycle, I wonder if I’m heading down a well-beaten path.
When you customize your motorcycle like everyone else, it makes your bike look generic, almost stock again. Will my Boom Vader motorcycle start looking like everyone else with an Amazon Prime Account?
After this slip-on muffler install, I plan to reevaluate how well it went and maybe look at changing the muffler again in the future.
Two Boom Vader Muffler Upgrades?
Who knows. The prices I see for these Boom Vader upgrades are cheap enough that I can have more fun-wrenching time come winter. For now, get the initial exhaust upgrade in, test out the muffler, ride, ride, ride, and then decide.
Thanks for stopping by; my actual Boom Vader motorcycle exhaust upgrade should be done soon and posted, so check back later.
Ride Safe, Ride Loud, Ride Fun!
Click To See My Recommended
Boom Vader Gen 2 Upgrades
I have a basic understanding of how mufflers work: they suppress sound through absorption(sound energy conversion) and reflection with bouncing sounds against each other(sound cancels itself out). Torturous paths seem to help with the reflection component.
For more reading about mufflers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffler
Hi I’m Tom, A New Motorcycle Rider and Blog Author.
I am a new motorcycle rider(Pa Motorcycle Learner’s Permit at the end of 2020, and I received a full M-Class Pa Motorcycle License in 2021, only after passing the Pa Motorcycle Safety Course).
I bought my first motorcycle, a TaoTao TBR7 (A Chinese Dual-sport motorcycle), at the beginning of 2021 and have been doing upgrades on that motorcycle since.
I added to my motorcycle collection by buying a Boom Vader Gen 2 motorcycle in 2022, and that little Grom-Clone bike has been upgraded by me as well.
I continue to ride my Boom Vader Gen 2 motorcycle as well as my TaoTao TBR7 dual-sport bike.
Read more on my About Me page.
Fun Fact: I’ve only been on one group ride.