Pops and Bangs
Exhaust Backfire
Tuning Guide
Foreword
This guide is created in mind for motorcycles off-road in settings such as racetracks, private property
and not for public roads where motorcycles must meet noise and environmental regulations.
We are frequently asked how to get a ‘pop and bang’ or ‘crackle’ out of an exhaust, better known as
exhaust backfire. In this document we will guide you through the general method of creating this
effect, although this guide will not tell you exactly what values to use, or exactly where to make
changes, as there many different models of motorcycles with different engines and mods to keep in
mind. When tuning for pops and bangs, you will need to consider where in the rev range you want
to target, how much of an effect you desire, and the adverse effects this can cause to the motorcycle
if it is not tuned with due care and consideration.
How and why exhaust backfire occurs
Pops occur from an exhaust when there is leftover unburnt fuel which exits the engine, enters the
exhaust and combustion occurs with this leftover fuel while in the exhaust itself. That means there
is enough fuel and air in the exhaust mixing, with enough heat for backfiring to occur.
On bikes that have a catalytic converter, this will cause remaining fuel gases, as well as other
exhaust emissions to break down into less harmful exhaust gases. This in turn will reduce the
potential and severity of any exhaust pops and bangs.
If a motorcycle has an aftermarket exhaust installed, particularly a full exhaust system which does
not have a catalytic converter, exhaust gases are able to flow through the exhaust more easily. In
some instances, this can cause pops and bangs since the introduction of this modification will cause
the engine to run a mixture that is tool lean. This can cause the engine to lose power, and the
exhaust popping can sometimes be a sign of a poor fuel mixture that is too lean.
On some bikes with some modifications, it may not even be necessary to make any ignition timing
changes in order to get the exhaust to backfire.
Tuning backfire using Ignition Timing
It is possible to still tune the fuelling well, but artificially cause exhaust pops and bangs. One way to
do this is to retard the ignition timing of the deceleration region of the Ignition Map, meaning the
ignition timing will be delayed to fire later in the stroke. By delaying the ignition timing, the air-fuel
mixture will not have finished burning by the time it is being extracted from the cylinder, and therefore
there will be unburnt fuel entering the exhaust system, which can cause the popping and banging.
We recommend first retarding the ignition timing by only around 15-20 degrees first to begin (reduce
the timing value by 20).
The approximate deceleration area that you would retard the timing is outlined in the screenshot
below.
At higher RPM’s you may want also to apply zero or low ignition further towards the right of the TPS
zone, since it will be harder to reach the 0 TPS column when rolling off from the throttle at higher
RPM. Your retarded-ignition section might look something like this (we have applied 0 timing in our
examples to make these changes more visible):
To get the desired effect for the rider, we recommend viewing live or recorded engine data on the
bike and watch where the tracer goes and identify the areas where you want it to occur, or don’t
want any exhaust backfire to occur.
We do not recommend retarding the ignition like this in anything higher than 2% TPS, as this will
negatively affect the throttle response and you will lose power.
Testing the changes
After you have applied these changes, it is important the bike in real-world conditions, not just on
the dyno. The owner of the bike may want to try riding the bike themselves to provide feedback on
whether the backfire is too violent, or if it is happening at throttle and RPM regions where they do
not want the backfire to occur. You may also want to view live engine data again to check whether
the cell is entering the delayed ignition zones that you have applied.
Advanced: Adding randomness to backfire behaviour
You may want the backfire behaviour to be a bit more random and feel more ‘organic’ in its sound
and rhythm. To do this, you can try setting some cells back to the stock so that the cell being used
goes between normal behaviour, and backfiring. Here is an example of what this might look like:
Advanced: Rider-controlled backfire
If a rider does not want any backfire while cruising around at normal speeds and lower RPM, then
they would not want the ignition timing to be retarded at these RPM.
Additionally, a rider may not want the backfire to happen when completely rolling off the throttle, but
rather, if they only want it to occur when just touching the throttle, you can leave the first one or two
columns at stock, and only at TPS to the right of those columns to 0 ignition timing. In the example
below, the bike would not backfire when completely rolling off the throttle, but rather only when just
coming on the throttle in these regions.
Troubleshooting
No backfire even after making these changes:
If there is no backfire even after retarding the ignition by a considerable amount, there may not be
enough air entering the exhaust for combustion to occur there. You may need to unblock or re-
enable the PAIR valve system so that is enough fuel to cause a backfire.
Excessive flames shooting from the rear of the exhaust:
The fuelling in the IAP deceleration region may be excessively rich. Observe where the cell tracer
goes when there are flames coming from the exhaust and try to reduce the amount of fuel being
used in that region.
Risks
There are some risks with introducing artificial backfiring. These include:
• Damage to the Exhaust System
• Overheating of the engine
You should use your discretion and experience when making these changes as you are responsible
for any modifications made to the bike and any damage that results.
Disclaimer
This product is meant for Off-Road use only and is not street legal. Owner assumes responsibility
for his or her own actions when using this product. Woolich Racing hereby expressly disclaims
liability and shall not be responsible for incidental, consequential and contingent damages or any
kind or nature, including, without limitation: damages to persons or property, whether a claim for
such damages is based upon warranty, contract, tort or otherwise; damages due to or arising out of
the loss of time; or loss of profits. Woolich Racing shall not be responsible for any damages caused
by the presence of error or omission in any of its manuals, instructions or related materials.
