Exhaust gasket replacement

[Bigge_al]

I have been having a problem with my bike backfiring. I search the forums and found it could be a few problem from carbs being out of adjustment to air leaking at the heads. Since TC and I just sync and adjusted the carbs I thought must be exhaust pipe leak. So after asking TC I used a lighter near the joins and found out the I was having a decent leak from the pipes. To start I ordered the gaskets off E-bay ($11.95 w/shipped) and while waiting for them to arrive took a trip to Harbor Freight to pick up a good set of allen wrenches($6.13 for 24 piece set 12 metric and 12 standard). When the gaskets arrived I went to work first I took the allen headed nuts off the pipes and removed the pipes. Then using a sharpe flathead screw drive and a hammer I taped on the inside edge of the old gasket and popped out the old gaskets. The I put the new gaskets in (just pushed in) and replaced the pipes with the allen nuts. The old gaskets measured at #1 .142 #2 .132 #3 .132 and #4 .140 the new ones measure .197. I have not been able to ride yet due to a bad storm today. I will let you know the outcome. Sorry forgot to take pictures would have been good to see what the gasket looked like in the heads.

[CatatonicBug]

Sorry forgot to take pictures would have been good to see what the gasket looked like in the heads.

It's ok. They pretty much look like dirty, squished versions of the new ones, right?

[Bigge_al]

Follow up to gasket change

Ended up working most of the day yesterday so I went out today and guess what the new gaskets did not make a hill of beans still backfiring so I guess I wil just have to live with it. As TC said it make it sound like its growling.

[Ivan]

Head to the parts store and get some Walker Accoustiseal. It is some black tarry crap that is worse to work with than the polyurethane sealant for car windshields. You'll get it on your hands and even cab cleaner won't take it off. The good news is that it will seal up your exhaust connections and never leak. I smeared a liberal amount on the face of the old exhaust seals on my scoot when I put the Jardines on and it doesn't leak at all. Its good stuff that I have used on every exhaust joint I have ever made since I started wrenching cages back in the day.