Gonna make er bark...!
- Thread starter RAWLDYMAN
- Start date
Well it's done.... but I tell you it was not easy - not easy at all.
Just seemed to be one snag after another which I suppose is not surprising given that I am pretty much useless with tools. Here's how it went.
Had everything sprayed and lubricated as Fin recommended and went to make a start Sat morning. Muffler heat shields off no problem - that was easy and I'm thinking "ye know what, I'm better at this kinda thing than I thought...." (way too early to be thinking like that). Smoke break.
Then a lot of headscratching trying to figure out how am I gonna get the mufflers up off the exhaust thingy so they can slide off. Look at the manual. Eventually the penny drops and I realize the header pipes are gonna have to be loosened - and the header pipe shields too. I'm a little rattled by this and in the "why did'nt someone tell me this?" mode. And how am I gonna get at them bolts at the heads??... spend loads of time trying to work this out looking at my shiny new socket set and bars and extensions and things... Wife pops her head round the door saying "what's all the talk goin on here? Is there somebody else in here?....ye know we'll have to tidy up this garage sometime......" Yeah, ok, fine. just gimme another hour at this and we'll talk then.
Those head bolts were really tight and eventually I got the pipes loosened enough to take off the mufflers but the real "fun" had only started. Get the wife to hold the bike steady while I tug and heave at the mufflers. Feels like they're welded on there. And them stocks are designed so thick that ye can't get a good hold on them unless ye got hands the size of shovels. I'm also worried about putting to much stress on the fixings at the header pipes with all this pulling and twisting. Ok, time to phone the brother in law (vintage suzuki rider and he's strong as an ox). He'll be here in an hour.
At long last, I hold the header pipes so as to avoid damaging the fixings at the heads and he eventually, through a process of turning and pulling, slides off the mufflers.
He gives me a hand to set the new mufflers on, after installing the baffles in them first obviously - (yeah, of course I'd have remembered to do this on my own anyway, honest). AND we put some copper grease on there as Fin said - I don't want to go throught that again.
Startin to look like something now and about time - I been at this since morning and its mid afternoon now!
Anyway I re used the worm clamps (we call them jubilee clips here) because they were absolutely fine. Double checked the manual for any torque info (much to brother in law's amusement) and very carefully done up the fixings.
Cleaned all chrome to prevent any stains. Lit a smoke and fired her up. Oh yes.... Ohhhh yes...! Sweet music!
When clearing up after the operation I was binning the box that the mufflers came in. Underneath all the wrapping and packing at the bottom I came across a document entitled " Vance & Hines HS Straight Slip ons - Detailed Fitting Instructions"
Fast to forward Sunday. Great weather and a long ride. What a sound!!
Just seemed to be one snag after another which I suppose is not surprising given that I am pretty much useless with tools. Here's how it went.
Had everything sprayed and lubricated as Fin recommended and went to make a start Sat morning. Muffler heat shields off no problem - that was easy and I'm thinking "ye know what, I'm better at this kinda thing than I thought...." (way too early to be thinking like that). Smoke break.
Then a lot of headscratching trying to figure out how am I gonna get the mufflers up off the exhaust thingy so they can slide off. Look at the manual. Eventually the penny drops and I realize the header pipes are gonna have to be loosened - and the header pipe shields too. I'm a little rattled by this and in the "why did'nt someone tell me this?" mode. And how am I gonna get at them bolts at the heads??... spend loads of time trying to work this out looking at my shiny new socket set and bars and extensions and things... Wife pops her head round the door saying "what's all the talk goin on here? Is there somebody else in here?....ye know we'll have to tidy up this garage sometime......" Yeah, ok, fine. just gimme another hour at this and we'll talk then.
Those head bolts were really tight and eventually I got the pipes loosened enough to take off the mufflers but the real "fun" had only started. Get the wife to hold the bike steady while I tug and heave at the mufflers. Feels like they're welded on there. And them stocks are designed so thick that ye can't get a good hold on them unless ye got hands the size of shovels. I'm also worried about putting to much stress on the fixings at the header pipes with all this pulling and twisting. Ok, time to phone the brother in law (vintage suzuki rider and he's strong as an ox). He'll be here in an hour.
At long last, I hold the header pipes so as to avoid damaging the fixings at the heads and he eventually, through a process of turning and pulling, slides off the mufflers.
He gives me a hand to set the new mufflers on, after installing the baffles in them first obviously - (yeah, of course I'd have remembered to do this on my own anyway, honest). AND we put some copper grease on there as Fin said - I don't want to go throught that again.
Startin to look like something now and about time - I been at this since morning and its mid afternoon now!
Anyway I re used the worm clamps (we call them jubilee clips here) because they were absolutely fine. Double checked the manual for any torque info (much to brother in law's amusement) and very carefully done up the fixings.
Cleaned all chrome to prevent any stains. Lit a smoke and fired her up. Oh yes.... Ohhhh yes...! Sweet music!
When clearing up after the operation I was binning the box that the mufflers came in. Underneath all the wrapping and packing at the bottom I came across a document entitled " Vance & Hines HS Straight Slip ons - Detailed Fitting Instructions"
Fast to forward Sunday. Great weather and a long ride. What a sound!!
Breeze3at
Experienced Member
:newsmile100: :newsmile100: You are not the 1st to find the instructions after the job was done. Don't ya feel good about the whole thing now? And just think, when someone asks you about changing mufflers you can say "simple job, I've done it".
Aye it can be a struggle to get them off when they have been on a while i need to swap my silencers for mot one a year its a 10 minute job and the copper grease is replaced on every occasion so at least once a year pull them off and re grease the end of the header pipe and all should be well for the future
Brian
Brian
D
dbmg
Guest
Now you have realized you are ok with tools. The detailed instruction would have probably caused more headaches if followed.:newsmile100: Great story and thanks for sharing your pain with us. We have all been there a time or two. It SOUNDS like all the hard work was worth it........
sprinklerfitter669
Junior Member
....and that includes 2 smoke breaks?:newsmile100: I had'nt much change out of 10 HOURS!!
Guys thanks for the comments.
One thing I did'nt tell was about the hassle gettin the baffles inside the slip-ons. With all the fibre glass wrapping, they just would'nt fit inside the pipes without the material crumpling up and tearing. After a while trying to figure that one out, we just reduced the thickness of the baffles by cutting half the material away and even then it was a tight squeeze. Anyway, the sound is just great!
Only problem now is with these dark evenings I'm not hearing it enough...!
Undo clamp remove 2 bolts twist and pull and it is off
first time took a wee bit longer i think i have 5 different sets for the softail 2 for the sportster and 2 for the Dyna and i do have them off and on a fair bit the trick is to have them off at least once a year and renew the copper grease
once you have done it a few times you'll know exactly how to do it and which tools to have at hand
Just get those tools on the bike more often and nothing is out of reach
Brian
first time took a wee bit longer i think i have 5 different sets for the softail 2 for the sportster and 2 for the Dyna and i do have them off and on a fair bit the trick is to have them off at least once a year and renew the copper grease
once you have done it a few times you'll know exactly how to do it and which tools to have at hand
Just get those tools on the bike more often and nothing is out of reach
Brian