DRD Lowering Kit

[mmcdan]

I have the DRD radiator lowering kit on my 2008 YZF450 with a DRD pipe. Does anyone know if you can run a different pipe (e.g. White Bros, PC, FMF, etc.) with the DRD lowering kit? Specifically, I'm worried about clearance between the head pipe and the radiator.

Thanks

[blue22]

No, you can only run it with Dr.d headpipe. I have a WB pipe, and the kit did not work on the headpipe side.

[ncmountainman]

there are 2 other "lowboy" systems,FMF has a "factory forward" ti powerbomb header that is different than the regular powerbomb or megabomb i run this with lowered rads and it clears with plenty of room. pro circuit makes a "lowboy" system also. these ti headers might be ok for MX but but for HS type riding they take a beating,i've had mine in the freezer a few times and have just ordered the only available stainless lowboy; from DR.D.

[grayracer513]

Even a typical Low Boy may not work with the kit. The original idea of low boy headers (at least recently) on the CRF's was to extend the overall system length for better low end power, and/or to move the muffler forward/lower on the bike by pulling some more of the tubing up to the front. However, none of these headers had a significant drop in angle at the point where they exit the head. This is what's different about the DRD header; the pipe is angled down as soon as it clears the mounting flange so that it has an inch or more clearance as it passes under the stock mounted radiator.

[mmcdan]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been running DRD pipes for years but I've had nothing but bad luck with the '08 version so I'm thinking of switching brands.

Hate to give up the lowering kit, though.

[Kent Rathgeber]

So a Dr. D lowering kit won't work with stock headers on a 07 450?

[brian389]

I have the stock pipe and run the lowering kit. You can lower the left radiator fully, but the right side will not lower fully, and you have to rotate the radiator forward slightly. I then used some high-temp reflective tape on the bottom of the radiator. It clears by about 1/8th inch, and has been working fine. By moving the right radiator slightly forward, the top bracket of the radiator will just nick the front fender, so shim the rear two 6mm bolts holding the fender on with a washer (which angles the bottom have of the fendor forward), and it will clear the radiator just fine.

[Kent Rathgeber]

I have the stock pipe and run the lowering kit. You can lower the left radiator fully, but the right side will not lower fully, and you have to rotate the radiator forward slightly. I then used some high-temp reflective tape on the bottom of the radiator. It clears by about 1/8th inch, and has been working fine. By moving the right radiator slightly forward, the top bracket of the radiator will just nick the front fender, so shim the rear two 6mm bolts holding the fender on with a washer (which angles the bottom have of the fendor forward), and it will clear the radiator just fine.

Thanks!!! I might just do that.

[ncmountainman]

Even a typical Low Boy may not work with the kit. The original idea of low boy headers (at least recently) on the CRF's was to extend the overall system length for better low end power, and/or to move the muffler forward/lower on the bike by pulling some more of the tubing up to the front. However, none of these headers had a significant drop in angle at the point where they exit the head. This is what's different about the DRD header; the pipe is angled down as soon as it clears the mounting flange so that it has an inch or more clearance as it passes under the stock mounted radiator.

the 'factory forward' ti power bomb has that drop right where it exits the head ,in fact i just put on the dr.d header yesterday and they both offer the same clearance with my lowered rads and i'm guessing they are the same for 03-07, as the dr.d header for my 05 was labeled 06-07 and fit like a glove;the differences in the 06-07 must be in the muffler mounts:excuseme:

[grayracer513]

Aside form any difference in the location of the connection to the midpipe, the '06-'08 YZ450 header would be different because the cylinder slope angle was changed from the 5 or so degrees forward that it used to be to zero. However, in spite of this, many people have been able to interchange the headers, and some companies don't list them as different. Likely depends on how they mount to the head.

[todds924]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been running DRD pipes for years but I've had nothing but bad luck with the '08 version so I'm thinking of switching brands.

Hate to give up the lowering kit, though.

What kind of bad luck are you having with the 08?

[mmcdan]

I installed the stainless system with the new style end cap on my brand new 2008 YZF450. During the first ride it was blowing packing material out with every blip of the throttle. By the second ride it had developed a horrible raspy tone, the DRD decal had melted so badly that the muffler can is permanently stained and two of the can bolts fell out and burned two huge holes through my brand new side plates/pre-printed backgrounds.

I contacted DRD, described the problem and sent pictures. DRD says that, for A/B riders you have to re-pack the muffler every other ride and that they re-pack Doug's muffler after every moto. Also, they said that I should check the torque on the can bolts regularly. They sent me some steel wool and some felt-like material and told me to include this stuff with the re-pack procedure to extend packing life.

I can't speak for you guys, but for me re-packing a muffler sucks more than air filter maintenance, tire changes and oil replacement combined, so doing it every other ride is not something I'm very excited about. Also, the new style cone is pretty cheesy; it's just a cover over the old tail pipe that's not very durable and the coating on mine was chipping off within a week.

Performance is much better than stock but living with it is costly, not to mention that the system looks like crap with its melted decal and dents from weekly re-packs. I'm going to try another brand.

[todds924]

I installed the stainless system with the new style end cap on my brand new 2008 YZF450. During the first ride it was blowing packing material out with every blip of the throttle. By the second ride it had developed a horrible raspy tone, the DRD decal had melted so badly that the muffler can is permanently stained and two of the can bolts fell out and burned two huge holes through my brand new side plates/pre-printed backgrounds.

I contacted DRD, described the problem and sent pictures. DRD says that, for A/B riders you have to re-pack the muffler every other ride and that they re-pack Doug's muffler after every moto. Also, they said that I should check the torque on the can bolts regularly. They sent me some steel wool and some felt-like material and told me to include this stuff with the re-pack procedure to extend packing life.

I can't speak for you guys, but for me re-packing a muffler sucks more than air filter maintenance, tire changes and oil replacement combined, so doing it every other ride is not something I'm very excited about. Also, the new style cone is pretty cheesy; it's just a cover over the old tail pipe that's not very durable and the coating on mine was chipping off within a week.

Performance is much better than stock but living with it is costly, not to mention that the system looks like crap with its melted decal and dents from weekly re-packs. I'm going to try another brand.

That totally sucks! I have the older style "D" shaped Dr D on my 06, It has over 100 hours and I havent re-packed it yet. I am running a pro circuit Ti-4 on my 08 and i like it better so far. It only has about 20 hours on it.

[mmcdan]

That's what leads me to believe that DRD's quality is going down hill. I have the same stainless system with the d-shaped muffler on my 2006 and average maybe 2 or 3 re-packs a year with an A/B rider and heavily modified motor. The old style metal "decal" still looks good and the entire system has held up well, much better than the 2008 version.