Exhaust hits Mudguard

[guest1468]

Hi
I wondered if anyone had experienced the same problem that I seem to have got. After rebuilding my 85 Honda XBR I decided to treat it to a new 2 into 1 Predator exhaust system.
  The problem I have is that under breaking or when the forks are at full travel, the n/s exhaust pipe hits the front mudguard. All parts other than the Exhaust system are standard on the bike so I wondered if anyone else had an answer.

Regards
Tony

[guest1230]

I had this problem. Its due to the fork springs getting shorter thro age / use. A new set of springs (Hagon) from Wemoto at £80 a pair might cure it. What i did was increase the pre-load on the forks by adding some extra tubing to the top spacers. It improved handling also.
 I'l have to get some springs eventually tho.
R.

[tommy]

its just what happens when you use a predator my xbr is the same,i tryed different springs and it was still the same tommy

[guest1230]

its just what happens when you use a predator my xbr is the same,i tryed different springs and it was still the same tommy

So your advising to leave a potentially dangerous fault as it is when preload can be increased to alleviate the problem ??

[themoudie]

Sue Predator! Goods not fit for purpose and lethal to boot. 

Next it'll be "Biker killed due to potholes!". Maybe, but if the forks lock up on the exhaust going through the pothole, then you deserve all you get. SORT IT! 

Harrumph!

Move thread to 'Rants' please, if it offends here.

My regards, Bill.

[guest1552]

I had the same problem with mine, I bought a pair of Hagon springs, but still had problems as the spacers they supplied were to short and the originals were to big.
Fortunately I live near Hagons and the workshop kindly knocked me up a happy medium

[tj63]

its just what happens when you use a predator my xbr is the same,i tryed different springs and it was still the same tommy

So your advising to leave a potentially dangerous fault as it is when preload can be increased to alleviate the problem ??

As far as I can see Tommy didn't advise anything at all.

[guest1230]

Perhaps not (literally) but was implying nothing could be done when it CAN!

Here endeth my last post!  Cheers.

[tj63]

WTF?

[guest18]

Bill is quite right, increasing preload is a bodge which doesn't cure the problem, you need to stick the bike on it's main stand or a workshop stand and remove the fork top caps so you can easily move the forks through their full range of travel (and at all steering angles), if the mudguard or wheel contacts the exhaust at any point then you need to find a way to move the exhaust from the wheel/guard or vice-versa. If you can't then there are two issues, one, the bike is illegal and potentially dangerous, two, as Bill says, the exhaust is not fit for purpose and predator need to rectify or replace or refund (assuming you bought from them, it's correctly fitted and it's meant for that model, no offence or slight intended!).
Sorry it's not good news.

[themoudie]

Thank you Smudge for the more politic and polite reply, than my rather blunt repost. I never intended to belittle or offend anybody on the forum, but if we end up with one or more members maimed or killed due to this curable fault, I wouldn't feel easy unless I had said something.

My regards, Bill.

[tommy]

wow where do i start , i  might not of explained myself properly in my reply to tony i was also looking for an answer  to the same problem i have heard of  a few times ,i have a few bikes and they are all in perfect condition i also have two xbr,s this one is a project bike i get to work on every couple of weeks and i had a slight touching of the mudguard under heavy braking which has to be sorted i was not telling anybody to just forget it none of my bikes are dangerous or illegal i also  have hagon springs to go in which need a 6mm spacer i believe, i also read that honda vt 500 springs work well on the xbr somebody on here might have a comment on that please  thanks tommy

[guest18]

Hi Tommy, I'm afraid I don't know about the vt500 option but my XBR500SJ was fitted with hagon springs and the spacer that came with them and they worked well.
As to the mudguard problem, obviously hard to say without seeing it but it does sound like the exhaust simply doesn't fit! Is there any way to adjust the angle, for instance a slotted mount at the collector/can? Might perhaps be possible to gain a couple of mm there?
As indicated earlier, no slight intended to anyone's machines, but even the slightest contact is too much. Thanks for raising the problem with predator systems, not one I was aware of.
@Bill, no apology required in this direction!

[Mark]

Or better still remove that Indian Chief front mudguard you fitted.

Mark

[tommy]

good thinking mark you could be onto something there

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