Spark Arrester

[Msfitoy]

I mean.... can you take a fire steel and start a fire easily with kindling you find anywhere nearby, at any time of the year? Additionally, is climate change trending towards drier weather?

I don't think it's necessary on most of the bikes, but we did have one guy set Oregon ablaze by trying to burn his TP that one time so I'm going with "people are stupid, engineers are trying to safeguard against the stupidity."

According the last 100 years of climate alarmists, we've been underwater and on fire simultaneously...yet somehow we're still here arguing about spark arresters...

 

[dmonkey]

Last year I evacuated for 3 different fires (one during a snow storm), and two floods in Boulder County, Colorado. Wild times. It's been a contributing factor to me spending a LOT of time out of state and planning my location by seasons.

 

[ericmanoa]

The video was obviously very unscientific and seat of the pant-ish. Temperature, air density, the size of the lasagna he ate…nothing was controlled for. But he was so certain he lost power…margin of error most likely. Anyway, I was gonna take out and clean the SA and mock up a little plate to remount the outlet. I feel certain it’s not going to make any appreciable difference except for perhaps a little more exhaust thump. Which might be reason enough.

 

[George]

Maybe it's safer at the gas station?

 

[Flash]

Very interesting! I wonder if by making the exhaust slightly more free flowing it upsets the standard fueling. Anyway, that answers the main question and the spark arrester is easy/quick to remove for periodic cleaning.
My only other thought is what if you cut off just the spark arrester gauze end piece and put the rest of the pipe back in the exhaust? Maybe that would be better by maintaining similar back pressure? Of course it would mean cutting the pipe and if it is still worse than stock you have gone backwards! Has anyone tried that?

I did exactly that. Used a zip wheel grinder and only cut off thr last little portion of the screen portion. It changed the tone slightly. It would be reversible but honestly it works well. You inderstand not to cut off the entire internal pipe which removes one complete section of muffler chambers. That would effect tuning. Lossingvthe screen portion does not harm tuning.

 

[m in sc]

i cut mine out and replaced it with welded in stainless 1.25" tube, it didn't affect tune in a bad way at all. just fyi. i have since swapped the exhaust out but removing it didnt hurt, at all, the reason was to help remove heat, restrictions in the exhaust are never a good thing but this was also after i removed the catalytic converter. .02

 

[Farmer Mike]

I should sit on my hands... I should sit on my hands, I should sit on my hands... I just can't sit on my hands... I deleted it all, and I'm gonna sit on my hands... I'm just a non-believer, and probably can't be saved anyway.

 

[jBIRDt]

I have to laugh at all these threads to modify these little bikes, keep in mind people its just a 125 cc. I get the tinker/fun factor, but to make it "better or stronger", lol. Maybe look into a bigger bike aka 250..........wait, they'll mod that too.......never mind

My thoughts also. I purchased my trail 125 because I have always liked the honda trail and always wanted one.

 

[m in sc]

no one's telling you guys to mod yours but I'm going to do whatever I want with mine. I bought mine to commute on and haul stuff thru town with . no need for a spark arrestor on mine as it will never be out in the forest. I have 12 bikes. not all are modded.. some are, some aren't. everything from a 100cc twin (stock) up to a cb1100. snicker all you want...

 

[Farmer Mike]

My thoughts also. I purchased my trail 125 because I have always liked the honda trail and always wanted one.

For some of us, it's our second childhood... I originally had a trail 90 back somewhere in the early/mid 70's I actually don't even know model year it was it was used, but I loved it then, and I am happy with my new one... it's not the same, it's similar, but obviously not the same.

 

[Farmer Mike]

no one's telling you guys to mod yours but I'm going to do whatever I want with mine. I bought mine to commute on and haul stuff thru town with . no need for a spark arrestor on mine as it will never be out in the forest

I suspect you couldn't start a fire with one of these if you were trying. But what do I know... I just live in the middle of large pine plantation. I've seen two two brush fires started by running cars that were sitting parked in dry grass. If the lawyers have spare time, maybe they should focus on the proximity of catalytic converters to the ground on the average small car, that's actually a thing.

 

[m in sc]

If I were to use it off road.. different story, for sure. yeah I've seen field fires due to trucks being in too tall grass even here

 

[FizzBuzz3000]

Generally the reason for the spark arrestor nowadays isn't because of sparks from bad fuel anymore, but rather heated carbon buildup inside the exhaust pipe breaking off and breaking those deposits up as they fly through the spark arrestor. Even if you don't ride in a forest, or even outside the city, those larger heated carbon deposit fragments can potentially start a fire from smouldering. The best way of stopping a fire is preventing it from happening in the first place, afterall.

 

[m in sc]

tbh not needed on a modern fuel injected 4 stoke, sorry. it's an outdated requirement imho. dirty 2 strokes that build up way more carbon in the pipe that can ember out of the pipe, or an ill- running carbureted 4 stroke.. sure. if t was that big concern, any car that went down a road with foliage along it would be required to have it.

 

[FizzBuzz3000]

tbh not needed on a modern fuel injected 4 stoke, sorry. it's an outdated requirement imho. dirty 2 strokes that build up way more carbon in the pipe that can ember out of the pipe, or an ill- running carbureted 4 stroke.. sure. if t was that big concern, any car that went down a road with foliage along it would be required to have it.

wait, so carbon buildup in an engine just doesn't happen anymore since fuel injectors were invented? Cus that's what I am getting from that. What I am saying it that the natural carbon buildup inside any engine can flake off and is often very, very hot and start smouldering if not caught and/or broken up by a spark arrestor. While it's true that a conventional gas car doesn't need a true spark arrestor, a good deal of carbon build-up moving through the exhaust system is more than likely broken/caught by the cat, muffler and resonator before it leaves the exhaust system due to the sheer length of it. You don't have that on a motorcycle or any OHV really.

 

[m in sc]

completely disagree. most fi vehicles run at or near 14.7 afr. how many bikes you see , stock, w out spark arrestor oh the highway shooting sparks out the tailpipe? zero. modified and tuned wrong? different story. it's and old rule that's not really applicable on modern vehicles. but believe what you want. either way it's not a bad thing to have but it sure isn't nec.

 

[dmonkey]

For some of us, it's our second childhood... I originally had a trail 90 back somewhere in the early/mid 70's I actually don't even know model year it was it was used, but I loved it then, and I am happy with my new one... it's not the same, it's similar, but obviously not the same.

Being from that era, yours may have not had a proper "model year" but instead would have been identified by chassis number and features as belonging to a model revision K0 through K6.
https://lilhonda.com/index.php?threads/k0-k1-k2-k3-k4-what-does-this-mean.2379/
Before model years and standardized VINs a lot of motorcycles were documented as the year they were sold, first titled, or first registered.

 

[Flash]

I am not telling anyone how to spend their time and money. The fella is in the uk wondering if doing this is a good option for him. From what you have said he might gain a little midrange power. His bike will be a little louder. That little extra power has to come from somewhere so I imagine that will require more fuel? So that is what he might gain. What is also relevant is in the UK modifications to stock exhaust systems that make the bike any louder are illegal with fines up to 1000 pounds. Those are things for him to weigh and decide if it is something that he wishes to do. What am I missing? I regard these forums as pretty much talking to your neighbor over the back fence while having a beer. So as I would tell my neighbor that's what you get but this is what it might cost. It's up to him if it is worth it to avoid cleaning the spark arrestor once in a blue moon.

OMG it barely makes a noticible difference in the tone of the exhaust unless you get somd serious audio recording devices. It's not drag pipes on a HD. As for sparks that is baloney. These engines run so lean there is no carbon build up. The catalytic portion of the muffler upstream takes care of all carbon.

 

[dmonkey]

The spark arrester checks a box for compliance with legal mandates. It's included so the bike can be OHV registered upon purchase and ridden on public lands without needing to buy and add a spark arrester. From the parts diagrams and maintenance schedule in the owner's manual it looks like only North American market CT125s get the spark arrester anyway. Like others have mentioned, I'd be more concerned with dry grass near the hot exhaust.

 

[Flash]

And now, when I take a closer look at my exhaust silencer, it looks like the end cap is not even removable?! See photo.

The three screws removes tge cap which ecposes the bolts that hold the spark arrestor assembly in the muffler.