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Cracked Y pipe on RK

colnajoe

colnajoe

Member
While doing a tensioner job, I discovered this while removing my exhaust. MoCo said 225 for that single piece:wall.

Can it be welded, or repaired in some other way? I'm guesing there are many out there sitting in storage (hint, hint). I was told that the design of this pipe has been changed 5 times since '02 because of this issue.

I was wondering what that hissing noise was.....

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colnajoe said:
While doing a tensioner job, I discovered this while removing my exhaust. MoCo said 225 for that single piece:wall.

Can it be welded, or repaired in some other way? I'm guesing there are many out there sitting in storage (hint, hint). I was told that the design of this pipe has been changed 5 times since '02 because of this issue.

I was wondering what that hissing noise was.....

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Click to expand...

I am a retired welder(my own small shop).
I say YES they can be welded and I would suggest OFF the bike and using a wire feed, .030 or .024 (s-6 harder wire s-3 is okay) using argon blend.

Make several full light passes around the Y area and allow to cool...

I use a piece of angle iron Between the pipes so they DON'T warp out of position... That is all that is needed... Argon and wire feed and a smooth weld.

signed....BUBBIE
 
I think Bubbie's outfitted & ready to have you send the pipe his way...;)

Seriously - look for weld/metal shop in your area & they can assess/fix. Print & take Bubbie's recommendations to show them a suggested fix from expert welder. Should do the trick - good luck!
 
Iceman24 said:
I think Bubbie's outfitted & ready to have you send the pipe his way...;)

Seriously - look for weld/metal shop in your area & they can assess/fix. Print & take Bubbie's recommendations to show them a suggested fix from expert welder. Should do the trick - good luck!
Click to expand...

THANKS Iceman24, The Check IS in the mail..:D

The new weld is in a NEW position on the Y of the pipe, not just into the old weld... Notice i said a couple of New welds covering.... I never had one come back cracked again... The wire feed with argon makes a nice weld and I never notice any discoloration I could not live with...

Well I'm IN Az. now, so maybe one is on the door step up in Wa.:tounge

signed....BUBBIE
 
my dealer said my bike has this same problem. they said they weld it up all the time. told me it would cost $30-$50.
 
Baggers have had an ongoing problem with cracking the rear pipe, check to be sure the mounts for the rear pipe are good and tight after the repair, and #1 on the welding the pipes OFF the bike. Too many will argue welding on the bike is OK with the Battery disconnected BAD idea, the current still runs through the frame and if grounded properly the current will run through All the bearings JMO
 
I'm a boilermaker/welder with 42 years experience. problem here is that the metal is a) contaminated with carbon from the exhaust. b) lost most resilisence because of repeated hot/cold cycles. my personal recommendation is oxy/acetylene welding with an S-6 wire. it will remove most impurities. S-3 is for mulitiple pass applications and depends on clean metal(not here). mig or tig tig welding has a concentrated heat that may warp the pipe. oxy/acet. will heat the entire pipe ensuring less warpage and better control of the heat affected zone. it may be necessary to post-weld treat the area. also, a good lpt (dye check) of the area may show additional cracking parallel to the visible crack. this should be addressed as well. don't be suprised if it cracks again. most likely the metal has lost it's life. just a problem w/ heat and age in an exhaust. jmho.
 
I'm in agreement with replacing with a true duel system. I replaced my OEM pipes with V&H true duel headers and Python slip ons. No more Y pipe and no more hot pipe under my right leg.
 
HDDon said:
I'm in agreement with replacing with a true duel system. I replaced my OEM pipes with V&H true duel headers and Python slip ons. No more Y pipe and no more hot pipe under my right leg.
Click to expand...

What can I expect to pay with a set up like that? My outta pocket is climbing everyday, but I knew the risk when I bought it. No regrets ;)
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