xj exhaust question

[graybird78]

was wondering what the finish is supposed to look like on the head pipes, chrome, painted,satin . also what are the capped off screw holes for. going to put xj exhaust on my 80 sg.

[John]

The finish is supposed to be chrome, like the rest of the system.I believe the plugs in the pipes are for possibly, testing for a restriction, or possibly draining any accumulated moisture?

[Jerry]

Chrome finish. Plugs were for mounting heat guards (heat shields) on the pipes; they are supposed to have small studs on them. The studs often rust or break off, so it is not real common to see an XJ with the heat shields in place.

Be aware that the XJ mufflers will need some tweaking of the rear set (footpeg) mount, as the welded-on tab is closer to the engine than on stock SG mufflers.

[John]

Jerry, I think he is referig to the small, hex head plugs that are near the rear of the header pipes, on the lower side. Just forward of the collector. I just junked an old, rusty set of XJ pipes, and they had the plugs in them. They actually prevent the collars that attach the pipes to the head from sliding off if you try to remove them. I don't know if that is their function or not.

[Jerry]

Should also mention...

Because the XJ engine is wider on the right side (different alternator) the XJ head pipes are routed a bit more toward the outside of the engine. Does make a difference if you have engine guards; I had to notch the set I got from an XS to fit the XJ's pipes. This will depend on the guards you have, as other XJ owners have not run into this problem. Finally, the side stand for the XJ is slightly different than the XS, partly because of the difference in muffler design. When the stand is in the up position you may have to move/modify the stop pad or the stand will vibrate against the muffler or swap in an XJ side stand. I tried using an XS stand on my XJ and ran into this problem, went back to the XJ stand.

[John]

Graybird if you should need some rear footpeg/ muffler mounts for an XJ to complete your project, let me know. I have a couple of sets of them from the two XJ's that I parted out lastyear.

[Do Lee]

Analyzer Plugs
Plugs on bottom of header pipe are for Gas Analyzer.
Any motorcycle manufactured after Jan 1 1978 for street use with a 50 cc or larger engine was targeted by the EPA to curtail the amount of (HC) unburned Hydrocarbons. We used a Gas Analyzer to verify that the new bikes were in the Specs provided by the EPA. On the bikes manufactured from 1980 and later the headers had the plugs on the individual header pipes to hook up the analyzer. Factory settings were aroung 1.5% CO burn (well below EPA's minimun of 3% CO burn) which was to lean and pipes would blue very quickly. We would remove the pilot screw cap, hook up analyzer, run bike to operating temp, check timing, adjust idle, sync carbs and then adjust CO burn to 3% replace pilot caps and set bike on Showroom floor. For the several years I worked at the yamaha shop we were only checked once. Only 4 cycle bikes were under EPA regs with up to a $10,000 per bike.
Sure wish I had kept that analyzer.
Do'Lee

[graybird78]

xj exhaust

thanks john and jerry. got the xj exhaust on tonite. took some doing but it is on. didn't notice any clearance problems. was a good fit. my original exhaust is toast. special thnks to steve Czecus21 for the exhaust.reason for the questions is,looks like the pipes were painted.they defenitely are not chrome. the exhaust is in fair shape. would like to find a nicer set later on. nice knowing my exhaust won't fall off now. like the looks better to. again thanks much for the quick response. will look tommorow at clearance issues.

[graybird78]

forgot . john is right. I was referring to the little plugs at the end of the head pipes. just wasn't sure if some thing was missing.

John. could use a set of the heat shields that cover the exhaust just under the engine. got the ones off my sg, they fit but the xj exhaust has one mounting bunge missing underneath. also would like to find a xj tank and air shocks. you have air shocks on your sg?

[John]

Yeah, my shocks are from an XJ, but I'm sorry that I can't help with your other needs.