GB Zorst

[manxie]

Anyone ever heard of one of these? A bespoke system made by a fella called John Batson, fully stainless and IMHO look and sound great. I`ve contacted him and prices are good providing the £ to $ exchange rate is good, and the whole system weights only 7lb     

[SteveC#222]

Sounds nice and looks the part! Fruity but not too loud.

You may have to change it back to the original once a year for the MOT as I bet it's not going to have the EU approval stamp on it and some MOT stations are really hot on that. That said, it's probably not a bad idea as you will keep the original exhaust in tip top condition should you ever sell it and it'll protect the collector box under the frame which is mild steel and rots in bad weather.

You may have to play around with the jetting a little - a dyno session would be good if you have access.

[Moto63]

Yes I agree with Steve, it certainly looks the part and sounds nice enough. What's it made from? I'm guessing thin wall stainless??....if so almost as light as titanium and much better as less chance of cracking. Not that you'd probably riding it hard enough to crack it (track conditions usually) I had a quote for a similar system on my cafe racer .....it was from a guy darn sarf in London somewhere. I looked at the one they'd done on their Harris 750 4 racer, gorgeous thing, both bike and zorst, they quoted me £1500 at the time which I just couldn't quite justify that amount of money, not that I didn't think it was worth the money as I know the amount of work that would go in to making one...anyway if you want the guys number Steve I still av it (I think) I even have a photo somewhere of the 750 4 system which I'll try n find.
Cheers, Michael

[Moto63]

Yes Steve I've found the photo so if you'd like me to email it over to you give me a shout.

[manxie]

Thanks fella`s.

Steve .... we don`t have an mot over here but when a vehicle comes to the island (to live) that is over three years old, it is tested which is a more strict test than a UK mot. So now it`s been tested, and passed, I`m sorted ... no more testing

Jack Batson, who makes the pipes suggested / recommended re-jetting. The full stainless system, jetting kit and delivery ..... $671-35 ..... = £505 at the moment  I`m very very tempted but I will ask the grade of the stainless before I commit to anything.

Hang onto that photo Michael, I may need it 

Cheers.

[themoudie]

Aye Steves and Mike,

Whoah! Afore the gallop; have you been and viewed this gentleman's website?

German_GB600TT

There are various links on the website, including a site that supplied him with thin-walled stainless pipes from Italy!

Is this of interest and use?

Regards, Bill

[SteveC#222]

Steve,

 I've been thumbing through my extensive collection of XBR/GB magazine back issues and found an article from Practical sportsbike Nov 2014 - the guy has restored a GB with a few additional tweeks. To quote " I ditched the original exhaust, It weighs a ton. The stainless steel system we've got on it now weighs a third of the original. It was made by Jack Batson, who's part of the American GB community. He makes pipes to order, and the quality of his work is excellent"

Sounds like a recommendation to me.

I'll try and scan the article and if I can I'll send it to you but don't blame me if your wallet starts screaming!!

[manxie]

Thanks Bill, I had a look and sent an email looking for a price.

Steve, certainly does sound like a recommendation  Bloody moths flying all over the place, now I`ve opened my wallet to see if there was any money left   

THANK YOU.

[Moto63]

Bloody moths flying all over the place, now I`ve opened my wallet  THANK YOU.

Hee hee
I thought that only happened to us Yorkshire folk Steve, (oh and maybe Scotsmen  ) and please keep us posted of any developments regarding the zorst system. The amount you mentioned earlier doesn't sound to bad to me and it certainly look the bizz

[manxie]

Some pictures received.......



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[500 T C]

                            Don't want to wee on anyones fireworks, but if you buy from the other side of the lake, there is an import duty to pay,cost me £72, on 2 bearings. I bought originally  for £240 in California,which incidentally were made in France!    I would recommend"Black Widow Exhausts, made here  in the UK.

[SteveC#222]

                            Don't want to wee on anyones fireworks, but if you buy from the other side of the lake, there is an import duty to pay,cost me £72, on 2 bearings. I bought originally  for £240 in California,which incidentally were made in France!    I would recommend"Black Widow Exhausts, made here  in the UK.

Over £16 you will pay an £8 'handling charge' to the Post office and VAT, over £40 you will also have to pay import duty .  You can find a calculator on line to work it out, but as a rough rule of thumb whatever it costs in $ in the America it will cost you in £ by the time it arrives on your doorstep.

Maybe Black widow downpipes with the Supertrapp silencer?

Also the Pound to Dollar exchange rate has taken a dive since Brexit ...yeah!

[SteveC#222]

Just had another thought ( ...2 in a week!! Woohoo!!!)......

Although it would cost quite a bit to get it here, once you've fitted it and know you like it and if you're planning to keep the GB for some time and as you don't have to have another MOT test.....

......How much do you think completely original rivit counters would pay for a complete, manufactuers original, low mileage exhaust system for a GB500?.....pure unobtainium....no longer made....got to be worth at least £300..that would go a long way towards your new system...worth a thought.

[manxie]

Hi Steve.

Apart from the fact that it`s a really quiet exhaust, the reason I`m thinking of changing it is the fact that they are not available anymore, if something ever happened to it, replacing it would be just pure luck if I found one  It would be wrapped up and stored to stay with the bike.

There are a pair of front pipes and collector box, in iffy condition on ebay  @ £270 but I see where you are coming from and if I weren't keeping it, it would most definitely be a good way to get back some money for the new zorst 

Thanks 

[SteveC#222]

That's fair enough Steve, I can fully appreciate your thinking mate, it was just a thought to reduce the financial pain of a new exhaust