Exhaust blues

[Guest Brian Robson]

Now that 60,000Km has come and gone, my exhaust system has thrown a couple of problems my way.

Firstly, the left can cracked along a weld and is still in the process of warranty replacement. Secondly, the two pipes on the crossover (at the tailpipe side) cracked around the welds completely, explaining the change of exhaust note and vibration at 4000rpm (these were welded for $30).

Now with the weekend comprising of the 60,000Km service, the first sunny day meant I could ride the bike, so it was started up and the left header has a crack right where it exits the head, again right centre down the weld itself.

The welder feels that there is poor penetration at all the welds, so it may be an idea to check at the header, especially those of you with poor running etc.

I can't explain the slight feeling of resignation as opposed to anger if this had happened on either a Kawsuzyamahond or my recent Triumph bikes.

Oh well.

[droydx]

Brian,

My 03 Rosso Corsa left side header pipe developed the same crack at about 1200 miles. I discovered it while trying to eliminate a popping on decelleration. It looked as if the crack followed either a weld or a mandrel bend, as there was a small line that it ran down. It was replaced under warranty, took about 10 days to get the parts and get the bike back on the road. I welded up the old pipe and rode it while waiting for the new one. My worklooked like a "FrankenWeld" but it kept me ridin'

Andy DiMizio

[Guest Brian Robson]

As life does not follow a simple path, neither does a MG warranty. MG cover pipes for 2 years OR 40,000Km, so in that respect I am sol. The welder I use is very neat so there will be only a little weld visible beyond the clamp. It may be a thing to look for on higher mile machines.

[Steve G.]

Brian,

I don't want to say this is a normal thing with twins, that shake, but, it does happen alot. My Norton, my brothers Norton, my buddies Beemer, Laverda twins, heck my neighbours old 750K Honda has a crack on one header.

Yeah it's a piss off, and I now fully expect to have the same thing happen to my V11. And add it to the long list of things that some engineer or assembly line worker at Mandello should have seen to instead of it's present owner. But for some reason I'm willing to put up with these things that I was unwilling to put up with during my stint as a Ducati owner. It may be because I put the Moto Guzzi engine in a higher regard as it's not the fragile "tuned to the edge" machine the Ducks are.

Look on this exhaust header problem as an opportunity to upgrading the system, and offering us feedback on the performance change. Heck it's not my money!

Ciao, Steve G.

[jrt]

I'm not sure I understand where this crack is. Is it on the flange that sets inside the head or does it run 'down' the exhaust header?

J

[Guest Brian Robson]

I will add a photo when I get it back today. The crack runs circumferentially along the weld that holds the flange to the pipe.

Other than when the exhaust self destructs there is no extra vibration to the bike at any revs, and the service revealed no loose bolts. The stainless though is very thin, especially in the crossover.

[Guest Brian Robson]

Here's a picture of the header pipe and the weld. Part of the crack headed down the pipe, the rest went around the weld itself

[jrt]

Wow. Bummer.

Sorry to see that. I looked at my bike last night- no sign of anything wrong.

 

Are you running the stock crossover, or a stucchi/mistral? The stucchi I put on my bike really was a tight (read- stressed) fit, and I'm wondering if that had anything to do with yours?

J

[biesel]

In Germany A LOT of V11 owners with the front crossover had the same problem with the header pipes.

 

Me too (after 6000 Km):

[Guest Brian Robson]

No front crossover, just the plain stock crossover. However with all the exhaust now intact and complete, it has transformed the throttle response. I had thought it was the PC111 going awry.

[Paul Minnaert]

For a bike with such shaking heavy silencers on the end, 60000km is a nice score.

Important is that the whole system is mounted without any stress. A bit of stress ends up in cracking. The bike is never dropped, or some other force put on the exhaust system?

[Guest Brian Robson]

No falls or tumbles, but I wonder if the system would be better if it was mounted with springs instead of bolts?

[Guest Brian Robson]

Rode out over the weekend, and in Princeton, the bike felt the same as it had when the left header cracked and sure enough the right one had the same fracture. A big thank you to ArCat welding for repairing and only charging $10.

The end of the ride proved to be the mirror image of the start as the crossover cracked at both exhaust pipes..again. I think that the heavy tailpipes may be the stressor for the system.

Here are some nice pictures from the ride

[Guest vkerrigan]

You folks in B.C. sure have some great riding country ......vk

[TX REDNECK (R.I.P.)]

You folks in B.C. sure have some great riding country ......vk

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Agreed, too bad the riding season is so short. Brian is fixing to be colder than a well diggers ass