Removing The Restrictors From Aftermarket Exhausts

This particular pipe is a Leo Vince ZX designed for 100cc minarelli engines, but many other companies, and sometimes the manufacturer of the scooter, install similar restrictors to meet Euro approval or whatever standards they need to comply to.

Restrictor 1

Restrictor in the head pipe.

I ground the spot weld until it was nearly free and then wiggled the restrictor loose.

Here's the restrictor.

Once it was out I just ground the spot weld out so the header was smooth.

Some people use a chisel to knock out the restrictor. Whatever method you choose, be sure the restrictor isn't going to fall inot the pipe and I suggest smoothing out the weld that you break/grind/cut off.

Restrictor 2

I hesitate to call this a restrictor, but it is unnecessary material inside the pipe. Removing this will make the exhaust louder and didn't seem to increase performance any in my case. Unless you are making sure you squeeze every last bit of power out of your scooter or you want a louder exhaust, you may want to skip this one.

Remove the silencer and brackets from the pipe.

Cut the pipe in two at the weld just behind the mounting bracket.

You should see a perforated cone in one end. This is held in by a few spot welds. Grind or chisel out the spot welds and you should be able to remove the cone.

Now remove the sound deadening material that's left in the exhaust.

If your pipe has carbon buildup, clean that out. Otherwise, weld the pipe back together and reinstall the silencer and brackets.