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Thread: Musket Mufflers Review

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    NJ - New Jersey
    --
    18

    Musket Mufflers Review

    *Long Post Ahead, sorry in advance* *Mods, please msg if something is not allowed* *Due to bad internet here, I had to upload images via Google Photos instead of uploading them straight here. It's out of my control, sorry about that guys*
    Towards the beginning of June, I inquired about a replacement muffler for my '84 200ES. I wanted as close to stock replacement as possible. I wasn't interested in any performance ones, as it's not a 250R or 350X kind of bike. Not alot of options. A user by the name of floydechoes2000's referred me to a company called Musket Mufflers. I had never heard of the company. So I sent them an email. I had included in there what I was interested in, and found their muffler part number from their catalog (which is easy to navigate btw.) I chose to just get the muffler. As I could salvage my header pipe/heat shield and buy a new clamp and gasket. They do sell all that as well if you are interested. I had to wait a day or 2 because they had a national holiday and they were off. No problem. They responded right after that apologizing for that. They gave me an invoice. They accept PayPal, which I was glad to hear about. PayPal took care of the currency conversion rate as well. I'll let you know now, don't be alarmed if the amount they send is way high, it's just in their currency. You end up paying less in USD. I got confused at that for a bit. Also is now the time to let them know your location. The money exchange went smoothly and they began building the muffler. They finalized the order on June 7th. They told me it would take 20 working days (business days) to build it and 15 to ship it to my location. So on July 1st, they shipped it. Now, they are based in New Zealand and I'm in NJ USA. So I am almost 9k miles away. So I expected it to take quite a bit of time to get here. To my surprise, by July 9th, the package was delivered. Now, when I got mine, some random unmarked vehicle came to my house. I was unsure who it was and did not answer. I went to the door and found a could not deliver paper. I realized it was the muffler and ended up driving and finding the guy. Big fail on my end, lol. Turns out he was doing early deliveries or something for the post office. Just something to keep in mind. So, this is how I received the package. Wrapped up very well. Inside the brown paper was some plastic too if I recall. It's been almost 3 months.
    https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...cP75S4f0nA4pMX

    After I got it unwrapped, I was relieved to find it undamaged and looked great. It's not gonna be some titanium or fancy exhaust you'd find on your 250R, 200x, 350x etc. performance exhaust systems. I'll insert some pictures. The welds look good, complete, and look to have good penetration. The flange where it connects to the header looks good and correct as well. Now, it does not look like it has a spark arrestor. Just straight from the muffler itself to the tailpipe. I don't need to worry about one since I only ride on private land, no national forests or anything. If you do, maybe you could see if they could build one with an arrestor. I can't confirm if they can, just something to ask.
    https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...sJFvb_SyBb0KF5

    Comparing to the old one, the bolt holes are in the exact same location. This was my biggest uncertainty about the muffler. But they line up. The pipe has the same curve, the tailpipe looks similar, and flange area look the same. Heat shield on the Musket covers a smaller part of the muffler than stock, but that doesn't look like an issue imo. Your system/bike may vary.
    https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...6KqUVCIcNIiBxE

    Around almost 2 months later I finally started bolting it up. (The bike took alot more work/time/money than I was expecting and had to wait on obsolete parts to appear) I found you have to keep EVERYTHING loose, from the header nuts back, while mocking this up. Which is to be expected. I had a hard time getting the flange on the muffler over the header pipe and gasket. But it does go on. The clamp I had issues with at first trying to get positioned correctly. My old clamp/muffler flange was completely rusted away and gone, so I had nothing to reference from. But eventually got it. Obviously once it's all kinda in place, start tightening from front to back. I had to bolt the heat shield on last and get the clamp to move just enough to fit the shield and not have the clamp bolts crashing into the engine case. I had issues getting the muffler to seal onto the header, but I was just being too cautious I guess and not tigthening it enough. Never had a system like this. I cranked it until the bolts would no longer turn and it seals good with no leaks. So tldr; just keep tightening it. I highly recommend a new gasket/clamp/bolts for this; you can still buy all them new. After that, I tightened the rest of the bolts and it sits really good. These shots kinda suck, but oh well.
    https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...uOus_7CXp6FfwG

    Once that was bolted together and verified no leaks, it sat for quite a bit longer while I sorted out the rest of the bike. The bike now runs and drives. It sounds great. No issues with clearance with other components. I also asked what kind of paint was on this and if I was gonna have to treat it or something. They said it already has high temp paint and will not bubble/fall apart. I've only ridden it around a little and have not had the chance for a hard ride yet. That comes in 2 weeks. So I could always update this post when that comes. I made a YT video of various shots of it idling and driving. I will link it below. Sorry in advance for the basic video and wind noise, I took it by myself and edited with Windows Movie Maker on a Sunday afternoon. https://youtu.be/pt1bbtcPjRA

    Final thoughts? I love it. It is a great replacement muffler if you're looking for OE sound/appearence. This isn't gonna net you extra HP from what I know. Idk if it flows more than stock or is louder. My old one was in shambles and leaked everywhere, so I have nothing to compare it to. If you own a higher performance ATC, and you need an exhaust and are looking for louder and more performance, I'd go with a brand that does that kind of work. Unless you want a stock replacement for one, then go ahead. Company was excellent to deal with, communicated flawlessly, and payment smooth. Speaking of payment, how much I paid. I paid $320 shipped 9,000 miles to the USA for just the muffler. Most of that was the shipping. Expensive? Yea, kinda. It was a gamble for me. Pricy, sight-unseen, no one else on here had much experience with it. But I bit the bullet because what else was I gonna do? I wanted something OE replacement. If you wanna weld a piece of pipe to the end of the header and install some cherry bomb or something, that's fine. Everyone has their preference. Turns out it was worth the $320 as you can see. Idk how much a header would go for as well from them. That's something you'd have to ask them. Other systems may be more or less depending on the setup. Again, something to inquire about. In the end, I'd give them a 10/10. Any questions I'd be happy to answer. Thanks for your time guys.
    https://www.musketmufflers.com/
    Currently Own:
    1985 Honda ATC 125M
    1984 Honda ATC 200ES

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    CT
    --
    206
    I've been hoping to see your review and I'm glad you're happy with it! I know eventually I'm going to have to replace my muffler and I'm glad there's a good option out there, sure it's pricey but I've spent more money on worse things lol

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Connecticut
    --
    1,605


    Trike looks in good original shape. Replacement muffler sounds good and looks OEM
    Shame they don't have a US supplier to help cut down on the freight costs,

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Northeast
    --
    17,438
    There's a guy on Ebay reproducing mufflers in stainless steel and he is real good with a welder, his stuff looks just like OEM.

    Looks like this worked out great for you, good deal!! Some parts are getting very hard to find and very expensive if you do...
    All our government does is distract us while they steal from us, misspend our tax $ and ruin our country

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    Thanks for the review.

    As for the spark arrestor, if it's a chambered muffler, that pretty much covers it. I've never been checked on trails I ride, but I think it's something like them sticking a small rod/wire into the exhaust for some distance to determine if it meets standards. Some may check for the USFS approval stamped into the muffler which still doesn't matter if the spark arrestor has been disabled or removed. If it looks and sounds like stock, it'll probably pass muster.

    It's the straight through glass packed mufflers that are probably what they are looking to ding. Again, no idea, but I wouldn't worry about it if that muffler was on my trike. It's not obnoxiously loud, so it likely won't draw any attention to start with. There's the written law, then there's reality.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    MN
    --
    3,260
    I have a DG on my 200ES, and i know a few guys that have the EXSOUND one, they all sound about the same to me honestly. I will say the EXSOUND made by Kimpex sounds EXACTLY like that Musket Mufflers one does, and its available here in the US from Dennis Kirk for $250. I put one on for a guy, bolted right up took maybe ten minutes to install on the stock header pipe. Has a spark arrestor and a turndown pipe also.

    I've never been hassled over my DG exhaust, i have heard guys that i swear are running open headers, i'm quiet by comparison... LOL
    ---------------------------------------------------------
    1984 Honda ATC200ES "Big Red"
    1982 ATC200E "Hondie"
    1988 TRX300FW "Project Quad" Still in progress....

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