| Author | Message | ||
     12mpghwy |
Preface: I have had this bike for only a few months, in which I have done a lot of maint. I have the recall Y mount hooked up to some kind of polished SS aftermarket exhaust with no markings. The mount is welded into the pipe as opposed to one based on a band clamp. From pictures only I think it is a wyleco. The front mount has cracked and almost broken twice, I have welded it both times and it cracks in a different area. My plan is to make a new front mount out of a 2in header pipe clamp the one used on the newer XB9s. My friend is also suggesting a flex pipe welded into 5in or so strait section of 2.5in pipe just after or rather at the header collector. | ||
| Jramsey |
If its a Wileyco grind off the old mount and polish. Fab a stainless shoe type mount and use a aircraft hose clamp. | ||
| Skntpig |
Yeah that's a common problem without a good solution. You're mounting an exhaust solidly to a rubber mounted paint shaker. Let us know what you come up with. I've seen versions of spring mounted exhaust clamps over the years. | ||
| Dfbutler |
Look to your muffler mount. I hang the tailpipe with one of those auto tail pipe hangs that is a short piece of rubber clamped to the tail pipe. It's been over a year and no new cracks to weld. | ||
| Shadowracerx1 |
My headers cracked on the track. After welding I had them jet coated. So far so good... | ||
| Skntpig |
Dfbutler... Sounds like a good solution. Do you have any pics of it? | ||
| Buellistic |
BUELLers: Exhaust System BREAKAGE is caused by "IMPROPER ASSEMBLY", "IMPROPER TIGHTENING(Torque)SEQUENCE" and "FAILURE to MONITOR EXHAUST SYSTEM" as in "PRE-FLIGHT" !!! MAY THE LONG LASTING BUELL BE WITH YOU !!! | ||
| 12mpghwy |
Dfbutler, I have a little trouble picturing this, care to elaborate a little further? Jramsey, that's exactly what I had in mind. Buellistic, there is ZERO pre stress on the front mount, the mount bolt is easily slid through by hand. The only thing I could think of that may prevent breakage is to get the exhaust real hot before tightening the mount and header collector (Message edited by 12mpghwy on June 29, 2009) | ||
| 12mpghwy |
I just went and took another look at the pipe and I can see a crack beginning to form in the weld between the header 2.5in pipe and the runners right at the collector. It looks like its starting from a hollow point in the weld. I can easily fix this however I am starting to think my friends flex pipe idea is a good one. Basically I would replace most of the 2.5 in pipe with the flex pipe beginning where it starts to get round from oval. I have a turbo Mazda Rx7 and it broke the downpipes flange several times, after a flexpipe was added it hasn't broke since. I found 2 candidates that could probably be made to fit:  | ||
| 12mpghwy |
candidate 2, on this one I would cut off the ends at the visible weld. According to the dimensions the flat portion is 60MM which should just slip inside the 2.5in od pipe.  (Message edited by 12mpghwy on June 29, 2009) | ||
| Buellistic |
Have 107,870.9 miles(1997 S3T) as of last ride ... Still running OEM Header, "BUT" "i" did up-date the muffler to a 1998 one because it had a larger muffler inlet ... "NOW" for those that know, the 1998 muffler inlet was larger than the 1997 Header outlet ... HOW DID "i" do that, "WELL" "i" made myself a reversion chamber effect thing so it would work, pictures if you want them by e-mail address only ... | ||
| 12mpghwy |
Buellistic, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the stock exhaust is longer lasting than what I got. My bike a 99X1 has 16K miles. The exhaust looked brand new when I picked it up earlier this year, and had no cracks. Both the muffler and the connecting pipe were shiny polished. I have put less than 500 miles on the bike, and not only are front mount cracks appearing, the shiny connecting pipe between the muffler and header is getting that golden color. Point being it was very close to brand new when I got the bike with it, and has cracked in less than 500 miles. (Message edited by 12mpghwy on June 29, 2009) | ||
| Buelltours |
I had the front bracket brake on my Wileyco too. Beefed it up a little (a Freightliner engineer once told me "here in the US we go by <if>") as you can see in the pic and never had problems again. Well, I put maybe 3K miles on the bike since then...  | ||
| Buellistic |
12mgpghwy: Only talking about OEM Parts now as AFTER MARKET PARTS "FALL UNDER YOU ARE OWN YOUR OWN !!!" ... Know where you are coming from ... After 1997 BMC made some lack of "QUALITY CONTROL WATCHING" on some of their "SUPPLIERS" ... Have not heard about HEADERS, "BUT" that is possible ... Only BMC(if they kept good records)could tell what serial numbers got what supplier parts ... If that header in question is OEM stuff, "CALL" HARLEY-DAVIDSON(BUELL Service) and see if they will give you a "OVER WARRANTY CONSIDERATION" and replace the header(plus how to do what they want for proof) ... You will have to take it to a DEALER with a BUELL Sign on the building and they will write up the paper work(it has to be done correctly) and submitted to H-D for approval ... If accepted you get a new header, you do not have anything to loose, but all to gain by doing this if you can find a DEALER that will do it ... | ||
| Dfbutler |
cell phone pic of tailpipe hanger  It is a rubber tailpipe hanger for cars. | ||
| 12mpghwy |
I had enough time to drop by the metal supply house after work. I bought some scaps of SS and decided to go with the shoe design. Unfortunatley I don't have a proper TIG welding rig, and the friend I have who has one is out to westpac. Being that I want to ride it this weekend I went ahead and mig welded it with 308 wire and Argon. Welding came out ok at best after some grinding it doesn't look too horible just one order of magnatude too thick. The shoe is 12 gauge and the plate is 10 gauge. It was extremly difficult to bend the shoe portion. For the clamps I am using a pair of XB 2in header clamps. That was the most expensive part.  (Message edited by 12mpghwy on July 02, 2009) |
