Royal Enfield Classic 350 Hitchcock De-Cat Exhaust 

You might be right. I wanted a slightly louder sound, but needed to retain the looks of the original. The DNA filter will have to wait a bit now, as too many other things are stripping my banking account 🙄😂. From what others have said, you will notice an improvement 👍 cheers

I agree ive tried just uncovering the OEM filter and that made a huge difference. However I like the silencer but not the Cat as imho its like the OEM filter and restricts the gas flow .

Yup, hence why I did the de-cat. I also fitted the open filter cover, with original filter, but have since put original filter cover back on, as the induction roar was giving me a headache on longer rides. Tbh, there is very little difference between open intake and original snorkel. Fitting a DNA filter would obviously make a bigger difference. I have considered fitting a DNA with original snorkel but funds are too tight just at the moment to go experimenting.

Yes, I am interested in seeing how the DNA with the snorkel goes but everyone is into the stage 2 so that data isn't as readily available, if you do so in the future please do a video showing your findings 😊

@TatisAcunaJr I did remove the original snorkel, and use an open one, but with the standard filter (there is a video elsewhere on my channel). Induction roar was greatly increased, so much so, that I put the original one back on for longer rides, as it became annoying. I didn’t really notice much difference in feel, though I have no doubt that a DNA (stage 2 is just the filter and open cover) kit would give a minuscule amount of increased performance. Cheers

Yes, sounds bob on now. Cheers

Or "cock on" as we say here in these parts 😂👍

I got a de cat pipe in with my Red Rooster exhaust from India. But, now we get charged import tax fee. These are already proving to be cracking engines. Bruce of Coastrider Scotland has nearly 12k miles on his. He be putting the cam in, this weekend. I do like the sand signals version, but seat too high for my short legs. 😅

@weemark67 I follow Bruce. I am considering saving up for the cam, but YT will have to pay for it, so it may be a while 😭🤣

@@ianhughesroyalenfield 😂😂😂😂

Definitely 😎

Yes, definitely a deep throaty burble now. So happy ! Cheers

Excellent, it’s decent quality 👌

I just went onto their website now, go to shop by model, Classic 350 REBORN, and it came up.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield oh I see! so it must be a "Reborn" exclusive I guess, I'll go check it out again, thanx Ian. 👍

No problem.

Just need the rain to bugger off so I can get out again 🙄😂 cheers

Maybe one day, I have just gone for the open air filter cover for now.

Thank you, the sound was ok before, but bob on now.

Definitely, has to be done 😁

My Classic 350 is a euro 5. Hitchcock’s do a different one for the Meteor. Runs fine !

She does sound naughty, but looks normal 🤭😂

No, absolutely fine. Retaining the original silencer, means it is not straight through.

Really ? In stainless steel as this is ? I have heard people buying from India, and receiving mild steel. Do you have a link to share with everyone who might be interested ?

​​@@ianhughesroyalenfieldI am from india I can not get stainless cheaply anywhere!?? But instead I got normal steel 9 dollar only

Unfortunately, with our climate and salt/grit roads here in the UK, mild/normal steel would rust like crazy 😢

@@ianhughesroyalenfieldcan you make comparisons between ours and old 500 !!? It would be great

@rachitanandhiremath2234 unfortunately, I haven’t yet ridden the 500. Maybe one day, I will get the opportunity. I have had an offer to ride one owned by a subscriber, but it’s a case of timing.

Yes 👍

Thanks for subscribing 😁

Good afternoon. No, just remove the old, and replace with the decat. If you buy the Hitchcock’s one, I would suggest just leaving a quarter of an inch of gasket proud of the decat at the downpipe (header) end, then clamp up. This prevents any chance of the gasket shooting inside the decat pipe (yes this happened to me). The only other thing I did, was once all fitted, just start the engine, NO REVS, and leave to idle for about 10 minutes to allow the ecu to acclimatise, then switch off, before being good to go. Some people say you don’t need to do this step, but for the sake of just 10mins it is worthwhile, even if it doesn’t do anything 😉 Oh, and the bracket on the decat, goes the outer side of the frame bracket, not the inner. Hope this helps, but if I can be of anymore help, please just ask. All the best 😎

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Thanks for your quick reply! I will order the pipe from Hitchcocks asap. Did you notice that the bike runs cooler, and did the fuel economy change. Thanks again!👍

@mr2bmw hmm, not noticed it run cooler, and I have never checked mpg, as it does lots to the gallon, I just top up as and when. Certainly not noticeable.

If you watch some of my latest vids, you can really hear the gorgeous sound under load (up hill), and the hilarious pop pop pop on the overrun (down hill) 😂 Bloody brilliant 😉

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Thanks again, I have subscribed...I will watch them all!😄

Very true, but they sound sweeter, and have a slightly better response off the throttle.

Hello, this is a video I did before changing to the decat pipe, maybe it will give you an idea ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y7fPmtUNk1s.html and yes I have retained the original silencer as I wanted Clementine to look standard. Thanks

No, not yet. One for the future, maybe, but she runs and sounds sweet enough as she is. Coastrider Scotland, has a straight through exhaust, and open DNA kit. He fly’s around on his Classic 350, and loves the way it feels. He has also fitted a 16 tooth front sprocket. Here is a link to his channel, you could mention that I pointed you in his direction 😉. Cheers youtube.com/@coastkid71

😂 Addictive isn’t it 😂

Brilliant, thanks, I will have a look.

I am, thank you.

Yes, that is why I went for this rather than some cheaper options. 👍

Actually not as much as I had hoped, due to being made from quality stainless steel, unlike the original. I did consider weighing them before fitting, but forgot 🙄 sorry.

Thank you, appreciate that 😎

Cheers, it made all the difference in feel and I can now hear the gentle burble. Lovely ☺️

Don’t know, but if anything happened, it would be easy to swap it back to standard 😉

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Thanks Ian. Ride safe.

They won’t be able to see it, as the original cover is still in place. Looks bog standard 😎 cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Way to go man🏍👍

I haven’t noticed any change in miles per gallon (but I don’t scrutinise that, when it’s low, I refill). No change in engine characteristics, other than feeling a bit freer. All the oomph is still there, and we do ride in the hills, with some steep gradients (just have a look at my ride vids). No engine problems what so ever. After fitting, I did allow the engine to idle for 10 minutes to acclimatise the ecu. Some say it works, some say it doesn’t, but in my opinion, I can happily wait 10 minutes before revving 😎.

​​​@@ianhughesroyalenfieldoh boy!! Just decat today! Sound so lovely and she finally breathing! Mine is halycon green!! I only waited for 5 minutes and thanks for detail reply!

Excellent, happy to help.

I haven’t changed the air filter yet, so I wouldn’t like to recommend. I know of others who have, in conjunction with the the decat, without any issues. My only fear, is that the bikes run lean before we start making them breathe better. Some have fitted the “Fuel X” device, which is supposed to sort out the fuel/air mixture, but there are mixed opinions as to whether that actually does anything, rather relying on the ecu to adapt. Bruce (Coastal Rider) has a dna filter, and a straight through exhaust amongst other modifications, and loves it. He doesn’t ride slow either ! You could fire a quick question to him. Here is a link to his channel : youtube.com/@coastkid71

@@ianhughesroyalenfield thanks for the reply. I'll continue to watch your adventures. A perfect little bike 👍

Brilliant, thank you. I am just editing a new video from a ride yesterday. It will hopefully be uploaded later today.

Quite agree Keith. I fitted an open air box cover, but the induction roar was really annoying on long rides, so put the original back on. The tone from the exhaust is “just nice” now, sweet, without being offensive. Cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfieldDid you have to re-educate the ECU again when you switched back to standard air box setup?

@keithholyoake322 I did let Clementine idle for about 10mins. I know some say it's a waste of time, but I do it anyway.

I think that’s very wise and I will do the same tomorrow when I refit the standard air box cover. I’ll have a coffee while it is sorting itself out. The (very large) workshop manual is quite clear on doing so (that’s idling the bike, not having a coffee)! Cheers!

@keithholyoake322 😂

Much better.

That would be good, but as I don’t really do motorways, I just want Clementine to have a bit more “get up and go” on the lanes, and B roads. Cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfield in that case my friend you're on the right track, the dna performance air filter and the hickcocks decat pipe is exactly what you want, as to the fuel X I'm not sure if it's really needed, as the ecu adapts to the air flow and at the price of the unit I'd advise you to fit the dna first run it for a while see what you think 👍🏻

@@kevindarkstar I agree, having watched other reviews on the Fuel X, it probably doesn't offer much. I have a few things coming up needing my money, but hopefully at some point, I will get the DNA. I was hoping K+N bring one out, as it would be cheaper, and do the same job. I have one of those on my Interceptor. Thanks for the comment.

It was hard to explain whilst riding, so ; at the bottom of the downpipe (header pipe), there is a flange, which the original cat butts up to. When fitting the de-cat, it is “short” by about a quarter of an inch. This doesn’t matter, as when the supplied gasket is fitted and the supplied clamp is fully tightened, no gases escape. I only mentioned it, because I noticed it when fitting. When you replace the original outer shield, you don’t see it. The reason I went for the Hitchcock’s de-cat pipe, is that it is the only one I could find, which has the mounting points for the original outer shield. Basically, it look’s completely standard. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask if you need help with anything else.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Cheers, Ian! I figured that was what you meant. Not only does it maintain the guard, but it’s stainless and the Indian pipes on eBay are junk steel. Since Hitchcock sold out of them, I am hoping the new batch might address that issue. Supposed to be in stock coming February. Thanks for the quick reply and the always great videos!! Ride Safe 🙏🏼

@@scottboettcher yes, I forgot about that but. I did look at those Indian ones, but they really did look crap 😂. 🤞 you get sorted soon. Glad you enjoy the vids, cheers.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield did you not look at the red rooster exhaust from India?

@@kevindarkstar not too keen on a lot of the stuff from over there. I prefer the look of the original, and definitely prefer quality parts, especially as I ride the 350 through winter. Don't want something that is going to be rusty afterwards.

I found that leaving about a quarter of an inch of gasket, proud of the decat pipe, then clamping up, prevented the gasket from leaking, and also shooting into the decat pipe 🙄. It was too late to put in this vid. Bruce, CoastRider Scotland, has recently fitted a fuel x lite, and rates it. He too has a straight through pipe, dna and open intake. youtube.com/@coastkid71 it might help. Cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfield I wanted to do that and every time I pushed the clamp onto the pipe it would push the gasket back into the pipe. This morning I discovered that the original clamps have a little 'tooth' that is responsible. So I got the dremel out with a small grinding wheel and cut it off! Worked a treat - probably didn't need the exhaust paste after all....

@@pauld7827 so you didn’t use the supplied clamp then. It replaced the original.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Thought I could just use the original! Doh!

@@pauld7827 ahh ! It didn’t help with there not being any instructions 🙄. Easy mistake to make. As was mine, to have the gasket flush with the decat pipe, then have it shooting inside when I was 30 miles from home 😂. Hence my suggestion to leave the gasket out by 1/4 of an inch.

I have the K+N equivalent on Honour, but they don’t do one for the Classic 350 yet. Cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfield nice your feel and hear the difference once fitted 👍👍🙏

I like your shed exhaust extractor, sounds like heaven 😂 As for having to refit the cat, I am unsure, but I guess it depends on the testing station. If it needs refitting, it doesn’t take too long, though might need a couple of new gaskets. Worth it though. I think the Fuel X thing I was talking about would help more so. Cheers

@@ianhughesroyalenfield I don’t think Cats are tested on motorcycles so if this correct you should be ok. But, whadda I know🤪

@@mrgrizzlyrides that’s kind of the way I was thinking, but unsure. Hmm, I think I may know someone, I will ask. 👍

Just had confirmation from a motorcycle technician friend ; motorcycles are not tested for emissions, or whether a cat is fitted. It could however, fail if excessively loud compared to standard.

What sort of fuel consumption do you get from the shed and is it safe at motorway speeds ? 😀

No cons with the decat. Sound is just nice, small weight saving, retains look of original exhaust, engine feels slightly peppier.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield no mileage drop will occur ryt?

@@90gen26 acceleration feels slightly better. Too speed unaffected. As you have possibly seen, I bought the stainless steel decat from Hitchcock's. Other cheaper ones either don't fit right, or rust.

@@ianhughesroyalenfield I'm from India so can I get any decat for my bike or any suggestions?

@@90gen26 I am in UK. I do believe there are companies in India who make them, but you will have to do your own homework on that, sorry I can't help.

Whatever 🥱

Will you shutup and drive...😅

🙄