First Boom Vader 125 Exhaust Mod! (A Grom Clone)

I had some free time and wanted to ride my Boom Vader, but I also had to do an oil change. I have crossed over 500 miles with the little Chinese-made Grom Clone, Yippee! So the delay in the exhaust parts upgrade ( Ordered My Boom Vader Exhaust Upgrade Parts (A Dummy) ) made me wonder if the Boom Vader exhaust could be modified. And I found one thing, I completed my first Boom Vader Exhaust Mod. Read-Along.

Bottle neck in the Boom Vader motorcycle's stock exhaust.
Notice that bottle neck in the Boom Vader motorcycle’s stock exhaust?

Searching For Stock Boom Vader Exhaust Mods.

Not mods you do to change the stock exhaust system, but something that can be done to the existing stock exhaust system—leaving the exhaust system in place.  

With the TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle, I was told there was a baffle that could be removed on the stock exhaust, making the bike louder and faster.

I never worked on creating fewer stock exhaust restrictions. I just upgraded my TBR7 motorcycle with a brand new low-restriction exhaust system ( TaoTao TBR7 Exhaust Upgrade ).

Knowing what I know about my TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle, I wondered if there was something I could do with my Boom Vader motorcycle. I looked at the exit of the muffle and saw metal rivets, and I wasn’t interested in drilling out these rivets, so I skipped this part.  

I found it! I read where a person commented about a crappy weld in their exhaust system, and the exact post skips me. I believe the owner was upgrading his Grom Clone and found it after removing the stock exhaust.

Well, I was thinking, if there was a sloppy weld in my Boom Vader’s exhaust system, maybe I can clean it up. Grind it out. 

Why Disassemble The Boom Vader’s Motorcycle Exhaust System?

Two reasons, I have no life. I spend too much of my spare time thinking about, riding, or working on my motorcycles.

Second, time for an oil change on my little motorcycle.

When you change the oil on a Boom Vader motorcycle with a stock exhaust, you have to loosen the exhaust piping and drop it several mm to get the oil drain plug out.  

During this oil change, I removed the lower section of the stock exhaust system and looked at the exhaust weld.

The Internal Exhaust Weld Is Ugly.

Boom Vader motorcycle internal weld restriction.
Sloppy internal weld in my little Grom Clone’s stock exhaust system.

Well, the guy who I learned about this weld is right. It’s an ugly weld that runs over into the exhaust gas space, causing a restriction.

The Internal Stock Exhaust Mod I Did.

Simple solution, when something is in the way; move it.

I took a rotary tool and a small grinding wheel and worked on the metal.

It was amazing how hard that weld resisted being ground, but it was happening. This metal was probably tougher than any other metal on the bike. It ate up my stone grinding wheel, but in the end, I opened the space allowing for less restriction on the exhaust gas flow. Harbor Freight Has low cost diamond grinding wheels for the rotatory tool, going to have stock up. :/

After grinding image of internal weld in Boom Vader exhaust system.
You can see from the before picture, I opened up this welded area. Let the exhaust flow.

Remember, the exhaust gasket on the Boom Vader, like many motorcycles, is a one-time use gasket. Order up some before you try out this mod. FAQ: Boom Vader Exhaust Gasket Size

Did This Stock Exhaust Mod Make A Difference?

From the before and after photos, I opened the piping a bit. So it had to make a difference.

Did I feel a difference? No, and this wasn’t a significant exhaust mod. So I felt no difference, even though I knew I did.

What Did I Learn From This Mod?

I can’t wait for the new exhaust piping to get here. I have the slip-on on the muffler and new exhaust gaskets but still no piping. When the last upgrade component comes, I will do the exhaust upgrade ASAP. Stay tuned for that.

My Stock Exhaust Mod Tips And What I Learned:

  1. The welds on the exhaust are tough. So to hoping the welds on the rest of the bike are as strong.
  2. I removed the small section of stock exhaust from the engine exhaust port to the clamp before the muffler was very heavy. I mean, really heavy for a thin-walled pipe. Hoping the exhaust upgrade will lighten the bike up and improve engine performance.
  3. Grind the weld with the metal particles falling out of the exhaust piping. Hold the exhaust piping with the opening towards the floor allows the metal particles and grinding wheel dust to fall to the floor and not into the exhaust pipe. There is no need to clog up the catalytic converter, which I’m told had tiny pores that can become plugged easily.

What’s Next With The Boom Vader’s Exhaust?

This post was meant to be a quick post for those looking to do low-cost upgrades to their Boom Vader motorcycle. This little Chinese-made Grom Clone cries for upgrades, but with supply chain issues and disposable income problems, going cheap and easy is the Chonda Way.

I’ll post updates if there are any other cool modes I can do with the stock exhaust while I wait for my last exhaust upgrade part to arrive. FYI – it arrived: Boom Vader Exhaust Piping Upgrade Has Finally Arrived!

FYI After doing two full motorcycle exhaust system upgrades on both my Chinese bikes, I did a review:

Chinese Motorcycle Exhaust Review

Ride Safe, Ride Fun!!

Click To See My Recommended

Boom Vader Gen 2 Upgrades

Post Update, if you are interested in hearing what my Boom Vader sounds like after doing the full exhaust upgrade, here it is: My Boom Vader 125cc Exhaust Review.

Picture of me, as a New Motorcyclist.
Just Me…Newly Licensed.

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.

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