Stainless Steel or chrome exhaust?

[81xsproject]

I would be interested in your X-pipe project. I like the looks of the one they make with the up-swept mufflers.

[MeatTooth]

Okay I've looked into the double wall header design and here's what has to happen according to my Grandfather.

You have to buy the double wall pipe that has a small air gap between the two pipes. To bend it you have to fill the airgap with a medium to keep the pipes from touching each other..... he couldn't remember what the medium was at the time I just know that we don't have it. So looks like the double wall header will be out of the question....crap.

I'm still going to fab up the x pipe design but as far as reproduction I don't think it will happen since most people want shiny non blueing pipe and we don't have the means to make that happen.

[GARTHXS]

black?

I am fine with a black header and we could always put on a chrome slip on mufflers

[XSokieSPECIAL]

[QUOTE=MeatTooth;235964]
I'm going to be using my bike as the first test subject to try to make a custom exhaust. We have a automatic mandrel bender that will scan an existing pipe and then duplicate the bend pattern.

MT,

I've got a Kerker 4 into 1 setup on mine that I'm taking off because 1) the chrome is shot 2) the bottoms of the tubes are flattened 3) I have to remove the whole system to repace my oil filter.

Your welcome to it if it would help.

There is a pic of it in my album.

Greg

[TheFrugalTech]

If you can duplicate the XPipe header, I would be in for a set and will test them against the Kerker 4-1 I now have. I can testify that the Kerker by far produces more HP than the Jardine "spaghetti" pipes. I have the Kerker 4-1 on a 79 and the Jardine 4-2 on a 78.
Black heat paint is fine with me, I will even paint them myself.
With performance exhaust, functionality is first priority, nice chrome is second.
But, if you could do it in stainless, ultimate.

[mro]

he couldn't remember what the medium was at the time I just know that we don't have it. So looks like the double wall header will be out of the question....crap.

just a passing thought

What would happen if the gap were filled with water (or what ever) and frozen???
A little dry ice to freeze it?
Might be a problem with the metal if it could not withstand the low temp bending tho...

Another thought lol
If you can find the "right size plastic rods ???" slide in air gap as a spacer.
Where thay may get pinched could heat it some to remove em.

Silicate? Have not thought about how it could be packed in tight enough (or contained) but might have possibilities.


mro

[fredintoon]

Okay I've looked into the double wall header design and here's what has to happen according to my Grandfather.

You have to buy the double wall pipe that has a small air gap between the two pipes. To bend it you have to fill the airgap with a medium to keep the pipes from touching each other..... he couldn't remember what the medium was at the time I just know that we don't have it. So looks like the double wall header will be out of the question....crap.

I'm still going to fab up the x pipe design but as far as reproduction I don't think it will happen since most people want shiny non blueing pipe and we don't have the means to make that happen.

Hi MeatTooth,
it's a 50-year stretch in my memory but it's called Cerrobend
http://www.hitechalloys.com/hitechalloys_005.htm
We gave up on using the stuff for fabricating flight fuel systems because
even with a steam purge you couldn't guarantee getting ALL of it out of there
afterwards but that shouldn't bother a bike exhaust.
About single wall discoloration, my son put a set of MikesXS commando pipes on his XS650.
Those pipes are single wall but they have a ~1/8" wall thickness.
They are discoloring but not to the classic purple/blue/dark straw/light straw that Britbike owners claim is the colour pipes AUGHT to be.
It's a brownish gray and only just round the first bend.

[GARTHXS]

any news?

hey Meat any updates on this project

[daveyg]

Do a set in titanium and I would be in for them. They are blue as all get out naturally, look sweet IMO, and weigh almost nothing(literally, I got a set that were aftermarket on an R6, and the whole system, with a GP type muffler, was less than 5 ounces, versus my Kerker on my 11, which weighs in at easily 10-15 lbs!). Would pull a real $ premium though because of material cost, but would be way worth it, IMO. (the R6 item I had I tried to modify to fit my XJ650 with no luck. makes a really cool looking paperweight now though.)

[fredintoon]

Do a set in titanium and I would be in for them. - - - Would pull a real $ premium though because of material cost, - - -

Hi Davey,
not only the material cost. The labor & tooling costs will also go 'way up; Titanium is a right swine to work with. My best guess for a hundred+ sets would be 5x that of Stainless, more for a smaller batch.

[daveyg]

Hi Davey,
not only the material cost. The labor & tooling costs will also go 'way up; Titanium is a right swine to work with. My best guess for a hundred+ sets would be 5x that of Stainless, more for a smaller batch.

Yeah. But man would it be worth it! (to me at least...) The identical size and shape piece of stainless vs. titanium, the titanium is less than 1/4 the weight. (Stainless is one of the heaviest manufacturing metals available) I would consider looking into just getting one titanium 4-1 made up. Shaving another 30 pounds off of the 650 pound xs11 monster. Remember, if it don't make it go faster, you don't need it.

[MeatTooth]

The night before I was going to make my exhaust....my daughter was born. She was two weeks early so it's going to be a while before I'm able to get to the shop. I'll update when I'm done.

[81xsproject]

Congrats. We will be waiting patiently.

[Ivan]

The night before I was going to make my exhaust....my daughter was born. She was two weeks early so it's going to be a while before I'm able to get to the shop. I'll update when I'm done.

My oldest daughter was about that much early. Don't worry they make up for it by being late for everything else. Well, maybe not a date with the latest guyfriend, but everything else.

Hope this goes ok, and that she grows up healthy.

The exhaust can wait. Congrats!

[Salboy]

I have seen brake line,fuel line and other tubing bent by filling with a fine sand then capping the ends.It stops the pipe from calapsing.Might work with double wall tubing.