Exhaust mods

[Rickrod3]

What would have to be done to a 79 special exhaust to fit a 79 standard?

Tia
Rick

[DiverRay]

DON'T TRY!!! The cross over will not fit the center stand, and the studs on the heads are longer on a standard so you will need a few washers per stud, at the least! I did have a '79 with the special exhaust, on it when I purchased the bike. It did such a job on the spring for the center stand, that I've been trying to find a way to repair it.

[crazy steve]

It's definitely not a bolt-on deal...

The longer studs are the least of the problems. The biggy is the standard mufflers point straight back, while the Special's angle up and out. The cast aluminum supports are different for this, but won't swap between the frames as the mounting points are in different places; the brake pedal assembly is different too. If you wanted to be really adventurous, you could grind the welds off where the mufflers attach to the collector and 'realign' the mufflers to level, then re-weld. You'll also have to swap to a Special centerstand, as the standard piece won't clear the left muffler. You'll no doubt lose some ground/cornering clearance, just how much is hard to say.

If you have a nice Special exhaust, find somebody who needs one and work a deal for a standard exhaust...