Motorcycle Repair: ACETONE ON CHROME AND BAFFELS, manifold vacuum, bill silver

Question
DO YOU KNOW WHAT EFFECT ACETONE HAS ON CHROME ALSO WHAT DO I NEED TO DRILL OUT THE BAFFLES ON A 97 SHADOW 600 AND HOW TO DO IT

Answer
Doug, Acetone on chrome plated metal appears to be safe. It will take chrome off of plated plastic parts, though.

If you are dead set on drilling out the baffles on your bike, you may have to go to Home Depot or somewhere to get LONG bits that they should have. You will have to measure how deep into the mufflers the baffle walls are located and get the right length bit to punch through them.

Bike will probably run like doo-doo afterwards, unless you put a jet kit in the carbs, though....  Honda set up fuel metering very carefully on these bikes and when you change the back pressure in the exhaust system, it affects the manifold vacuum signals to the carburetors. They are jetted lean to begin with, in order to pass EPA standards. Punching out the exhaust system will generally make them leaner still.. to the point of surging and misfiring.

Good luck!

Bill Silver