Arfur's Exhausted

[KirriePete]

Went for a 'chippy run' with the Dundee Bike Forum guys Friday night.  As I pulled into the car park meeting point (south end of Tay Bridge), I felt a knocking on my right footrest -  Arfur had managed to fracture the rear mounting point of his Micron 'zorst.

Rummaged around in a bin and found sufficient bits'n'bobs to hold everything together long enough to do the run and get home again (150 miles all in), unlike the hyper expensive Italian machine that ended up in a van ...... 

Today was spent examining the problem.  Firstly the nuts at the head end were pure rust & needed Dremeling to get them off, don't know if I can salvage the studs or not.  Second, the silencer seems to be heading down the path that rapidly ends in lace metalwork and a telling off from Mr MOT, don't think there's enough rust free metal to make a welding attempt worthwhile.

Questions for the assembled brains:

Head 'zorst studs - standard 1.00mm thread M8?  Can cut lengths from threaded rod to make up shiny new ones if that is the case.

Replacement 'zorst - only one I've found so far is the Predator but at over £300 - well, I haven't spent that much on the bike as a whole, including buying it!  There's gotta be something a bit more economical out there, hasn't there?  Any more word from Motad on restarting the line?

All (sensible) advice welcome.

[guest7]

Motad were waiting for 10 of us to say we wanted an exhaust system.

The Predator is easily worth the money, I still have one on my work bike after many years hard use and it was secondhand when I got it.

GC

[KirriePete]

Kinda figured that would be the response - I emailed Motad back when I first got Arfur, got no reply.

Looks like I'm gonna have to figure out a way to sneak 300+ beer vouchers out without the missus spotting it.  Unless someone's got one lying about in a shed somewhere they'll part with for a packet of Ginger nuts, I might stretch to Gypsy Creams if it's a good'un.

Mind you, has anyone here had dealings with these guys - OS Pipes ?  The photos look good, don't know about pricing or lead times, something about you soft southerners having a Bank Holiday today .....?

[crackedhead]

If the downpipes are ok, you MIGHT be able to connect one of the universal silencers that are available for around £32 from FEKED.COM. Search on "Universal Reverse Cone Motorcycle Silencer 17".

I have these silencers on the original downpipes and they sound great. Mind you though, I've not had to put the bike through the MOT ..... yet 

Good luck.

[themoudie]

Mind you, has anyone here had dealings with these guys - OS Pipes ?  The photos look good, don't know about pricing or lead times, something about you soft southerners having a Bank Holiday today .....?

Aye Pete,

We bought a silencer for Kat's BROS 2nd hand off Fleabay which had been made by them. Solid, bit rough round the back, well polished on the viewing side. Fitted well and the MoT man said "YES"! 10 year written garauntee  as well! However, had to remove the centre stand to fit it and this made the bike less handy to work on and we eventually went back to a standard silencer. Sold the silencer on Fleabay, to a delighted punter in Ontario, Canada. Postage and packing was £46-00!! He paid ~£100-00 for it. New from 'OS Pipes' it had cost £150-00 but that was 12 years before we sold it and you wouldn't have known its age.
I'd be a little cagey about threaded rod for exhaust studs I've a F650 sitting in the garage with sh*te mild steel BMW studs and they've rusted through Will need drilling out and the water passages are 2mm to the back of them! Worth getting some steel or stainless ones and give them a good copper greasing afore fitting.
All the best, Bill.

[KirriePete]

cracked (d'you mind if I just use your first name?) - I'm liking the look (and price!) of those silencers - just have to figure out if the Micron 2-1 down pipes can be hacked off the silencer and 'tweaked' to fit.  They're a bit rusty but should clean up well enough to look OK with a splash of heat resistant paint.  Gonna have to manufacture some new clamps though - the ones on the pipes flaked off so much rust that they're now down to head gasket thickness - good job I work for a firm with light/medium engineering stuff (Ross & Bonnyman - lorry taillifts).

Bill - thanks for the update on OS - I'll give them a shout today to see what sort of numbers they're talking about.  Not fussed about a centre stand as Arfur lost his a couple of owners back.  As for head studs - see my reply to cracked up there ^^ - plenty M8 stainless threaded bar in the factory, no-one will miss a few inches.

Will report back as progress is made.  Watch this space.

Edited to add this photo:



See the lashup to hold the pipe on (the white stuff is a knitted doll's dress I salvaged from a bin!) - well the backside of the pipe there is like a lace doily.  The downpipes are surface rust only, so may be OK for a silencer transplant from FEKED - dunno till I operate and see......

[guest27]

Have seen someone on fleabay selling copper head studs - will not corrode in like MS / Stainless etc.

Sebastian insists that I use a smily face.

 

Happy boy now - wish his Mum was as easy to please.

R

[KirriePete]

Update - the Micron that came off is just so much scrap, including the downpipes, so I have just now given my credit card details to the nice Predator people, just hope the wife doesn't spot it!

Now, removing completely forked studs from the head - no thread to speak of, totally rusted in, been soaking in penetrating fluid for a week (Plusgas and Halfords own brand) and they ain't shifting - do I go down the blowtorch red-hot path now or has anyone got a wizard wheeze guaranteed to work?

Where's the rum?

[themoudie]

Aye Pete,

Maybe easier to take the head off, cut the studs flush with the alloy, centre pop and then drill out with increasing diameter drills and be prepared to helicoil.

Sorry not to be more encouraging about the Plus Gas option. Would the Coke option be worth a try?

Have had some fiddly stuff done by: Engine Resource, 3, Lower Pleasance, Dundee, not cheap but then who is these days? Certainley know their stuff and the owner used to run a genuine Rocket Goldie.

Hope you get it sorted, without to much hassle.

My regards, Bill.

[guest7]

My local engineer does that bodge of welding a penny washer to the remains of the stud and whilst it's still hot bending the washer up like a taco with his pliers and then using this to turn the stud. They seem to fly out (when he does it).

GC

[KirriePete]

One down - three to go.  Blowtorch got the little f***er glowing redhot, whack with a hammer then mole grips did the rest.  The other 3 won't let the moles get a grip, so I'll be purchasing a file that actually works (not like my current collection of toothless old crones) on the morrow, filing flats and then giving it some welly.  Confidence is high!

While I was in the mood I looked at getting the head off as I want to make sure everything is kosher under the lid.  The big M10 head mounting plate nut was rusted solid, like the zorst studs - more Dremel work - and there's an M6 (10mm across the flats) nut in the middle of the head cover, just aft of the cam, that looks the same - how the f*** do Honda expect you to get a socket onto that one?  An open-ender or ring spanner will only round it off, but there's no clearance to get a socket in under the top frame tube.  Bloody design engineers want shooting, they really do!


Calm down Pete or this will end up being shifted to Rants.

Been in a hot shed on a hot afternoon waving a blowtorch around, need to rehydrate - where's the OVD? (Old Vatted Demerara - rum to those south of Embra - almost as good as Pussers)

Watch this space.

[themoudie]

Congratulations Pete,

Pleased to read the endevours are making progress. Spent the afternoon sleeping in my hammock under the trees! Then spent the early evening mucking out part of the workshop to enable me to work on Sally. 4 dustbins of rubbish incinerated and the 'blue' bin half full of recyclables.

Raspberries and Mackays icecream, with Devon cream whilst I'm typing this! and tasty.

All the best, Bill.

[KirriePete]

Man with a van turned up at 3:30 today.

May I present for your delight, the new improved Arfur and his amazing stainless tail:







Yes, it's been warmed up (hence the straw coloured headers) - nice'n'fruity sounding too.

[themoudie]

Oh, very nice Pete!

The 'Tour' is getting a new front tyre today and Sally has a ruptured fork seal which has only just been fitted! The numpty fitting it must have nicked it as all looks well unti pressure is applied, when oil emerges from the top of the seal body behind the lip. Will have to purchase another! I'll get it right in the end.

My regards, Bill.

[guest18]

Now that does look VERY nice  Almosts tempts me to pull mine out of it's exile of shame and do something with it!