Exhaust Rings - I'm fed up!

[alanp]

Ok, anyone recognise this scenario, you spend time, patience and sore knees fitting a new set of siamese pipes on your RGS and the last thing to do is snug up the new finned exhaust rings to the head and clamp them up 'carefully' and crack!
Apart from the expense of getting a new ring you have to pull the system apart to fit the replacement ring.
If only these rings weren't made of such brittle cast metal (whatever it is!).
Rant over!
 

[beezalex]

Alan, I find these to be much more robust.  That and they will give you much respect at the ride-in...

 

[brackenfel]

Alan,
Out of interest where did you get the siamese pipes?
My bike has rather tired pipes & tatty silencers so I'm toying with the idea of either new replacement as standard, new pipes + short goldies (but I know there's a fitting issue on the LHS) or siamese system + goldie silencer. Am aware that there are also lots of very poor fitting siamese pipes out there so I thought I'd ask..

Hope you find a replacement ring. Not too sure about those shown by beezalex although they'll certainly get you noticed... If you could get them to spin you'd probably take off too...

Adrian

[groily]

Recognise it so well Alan. Have a few broken ones in a box here. They really can't take any torque on the clamp. I was being careful, but not careful enough obviously. Bust one new one, just like you. The big jobs might be a bit better if you can bear the statement they make! Frankly never been convinced they do much good anyway apart from add a certain cosmetic something. I'd like them more if they did something useful, such as hold the downpipe in place!

[alanp]

Alan,
Out of interest where did you get the siamese pipes?

Adrian

Adrian, the source is Roger Sharman at Cake Street Classics. His are nicely curved at the siamese connection, unlike some crude ones. His phone is 01986 798504 but I phone his mobile 07889452662 since he's usually in his workshop etc. You're looking at upwards of £250 for the pipes and £100 for the Goldie/RGS silencer with the correct internals. He seems to value quality since he uses the parts for his RGS restorations.
Alan

[tombeau]

  Alex-  I had a set of those huge finned ones on the A10 after I broke a normal one. Got a heavy slagging over them for years. I quite liked them for their period naffness, but always felt  they detracted from the alloy head.

A mate, whom I owed a favour to, really coveted them for his chop. So I gave him them, bought a new pair of normal sized ones... and broke one fitting them!

I think the problem is, the pipe is often curved where it enters the head, so you're trying to clamp a straight cylindrical shape round something that isn't a straight cylinder.

Iain

[brackenfel]

Alan,
Many thanks, I'll bear it mind..
I know you have to pay for quality, I'll see how the "fixing things" budget goes (depends on what else I find!)...

Cheers,
Adrian

[bl**dydrivers]

Does anywhere do a stainless steel exhaust?

Quality of course.

[bsa-bill]

a Point to consider maybe re exhaust finned clamps, I've seen new ones with socket head screws, I'm pretty sure the originals had a flat head brass screw - less opportunity for the final fatal turn.

I've got that bit to come to yet

All the best - Bill

[muskrat]

G'day all,
            Overlander equipment http://www.dropbears.com/o/overlander/classic.htm do ss pipes and finned rings. I fitted a set to my '51 A7 25 years ago and apart from a few dings and no baffels are still like new.
I would imagine someone over there does them as well.
Cheers

[chaterlea25]

Hi bl**dydrivers,
I bought the SS siamise stem on my SR from Armours, be prepared for some fettling
easy enough with stainless if you are capable of this type of work
my biggest bother was the LH pipe wasnt "round" where it should enter the head
I fixed this by using a pipe expander in the end of the pipe
I heated and tweaked the RH pipe to give it a slight upsweep
The silencer had the clamping bolt on the outside which I thought looked shit! so I cut this off and welded it back out of sight underneath!
HTH
Regards
John O R

[Desburnett]

As these rings serve no other purpouse than to provide a heat sink and the access in the fitted position to the hex head of the bolt and nut is restricted by cylinder and head fins the rings on my exhaust headers are just nipped up whilst the ring is about 30mm from the fitted position and once hand tight manovered into final position. Spring washers are used to avoid loosening by vibration. So forget tightening to clamp, just nip em up.

[MikeN]

Does anywhere do a stainless steel exhaust?

Quality of course.

Yes,Armours do.  My neighbour has one on his Flash and it fits well