| Author | Message | ||
     Johnyrush |
Cracked Header Today I noticed the header to my 2002 X1 is cracked. The bike has been getting a little louder lately and I have been smelling exhaust more. (Two things I like anyways so I wasn’t concerned at first). Apparently the crack started where it was hard to see but has come around to where I saw it today. It is a good crack that goes half way around the circumference of the pipe right below the O2 sensor. Not much crack is showing from the right side of the bike, I have to get down and look through the bike from the other side. I have included some photos. Any advice? My idea is to take the header down to a shop and have them weld it. Then have a shop ceramic coat it blue. Is welding the header possible? What material is the header made of? Would it last or just crack on the weld? Lastly what is the most likely cause of this crack so I can avoid it in the future? Thanks.      | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Wow, that's quite a crack there! Headers are a thin walled stainless steel, that is a factory ceramic coating on there now, it will probably need to be sanded off prior to welding. There are any number of good machine and fabrication shops in Salt Lake, might even be able to get a muffler shop like Master Muffler or Meineke to do on a slow day. I have had great service from the Master Muffler on State and 3900 South their welder seems pretty competent too. The Meineke shop I used to go to for that sort of thing is closed now. Jet Hot will coat the header for you. I have no idea if they can match that racket ball blue color, I heard that HPC did the original coatings but that could have been bad info. Either way you will need to ship them off for that sort of treatment, they coat the inside and out. I'd be very careful removing the O2 sensor, if it requires a lot of force to get loose you might prefer to have it welded then take it out and replace it. Should only be about $20 for that part anyway. Is your bike the one that sat in the Salt Lake HD until 04 or so? Maybe it was only '03, but I only ever saw one X1W out of there. You could ask Scott if he recommends a welder, they may have someone good on speed dial since he raced an X1. My brother-in-law's dad has a machine shop in Murray, I can ask him in the next day or two for a reference to a good welder if you'd like. | ||
| S1owner |
Weld will work for a while but the stainless has become brittle so keep your eyes out for a new header! | ||
| Ratbuell |
99% chance that mis-alignment and poor installation caused the crack. When you put it back on, make sure to install and torque the fasteners in the correct sequence, or you'll crack it again. | ||
| Buellistic |
EXHAUST ASSEMBLY Class 101, just PM me for a copy ... | ||
| Jim2 |
I had my cracked header welded many thousands of miles ago and it's still doing great. I took mine to a speed shop that builds drift cars. The guy did a great job but said it was a difficult job because mine was cracked at the interface of the two pipes and there wasn't much space to get in between them. He warned me ahead of time that the very thin wall stainless could burn through and could become scrap. Check your iso's, motor mounts, etc. . Improper assembly and/or excessive vibration could have caused the cracks. | ||
| Johnyrush |
Good day for Comments/Messages bad day for my header. Ratbuell: I hear you about the poor installation I probably cracked my header man handling it. I never messed with the header bolts at the engine but I did take the White Bros muffler off and had a crack in the muffler welded and then I put the muffler back on. Maybe the way I put the exhaust back on caused the crack up at the header? Also I replaced the shock and have ordered parts to replace the seals, etc. in the front forks. Could bad shocks and forks stress the header? Littlebuggles: Yes a reference to a good welder would be appreciated and I’m headed over to talk to Scott at the Salk Lake Harley dealer when running errands today. My friend Kevin owner of Mr. K Transmission was impressed by the Mr. Muffler on 21st and West Temple. He really liked the work they did on the exhaust on his mustang so I’ll be checking them out also. Is Hot Jet in town? I bought this bike this February from a guy in Ogden. It had the Salt Lake Dealers key ring on it, so maybe it is the one from the Salt Lake HD but I have no way of knowing. Buellistic: I PMed you, send me a copy! Thanks. Jim2: Yes I’m thinking excessive vibration. Could bad shocks and bad front forks add to the problem? Maybe too low an idle? I'm going to be real careful next installation. | ||
| Jim2 |
When you slide the muffler onto the header for installation, use copper anti-seize compound. This will lubricate it so that it seats better. Follow Buellistics how-to on assembly. I don't think the shocks should have caused a problem for you unless it caused you to bottom out the muffler onto a solid object. All it takes is a small hit from a driveway curb to smash the muffler and crack the header. Good luck on getting it repaired. | ||
| Steveford |
http://www.jet-hot.com/ Yes, they can match that blue color - they did on my race header and it's held up perfectly since 2003. | ||
| Preybird1 |
Jonyrush: I have a spare header if you would like to buy it for your bike. Make a fair offer and it it's yours if interested PM me (I not trying to make money and it's off my original 01 x1). I was saving it for a rainy day or another Bueller who might need it. I have another bueller who could use it right now but i have given "him" enough free parts and he is not maintaining his bike so i am not giving him free stuff anymore. | ||
| Johnyrush |
Preybird1: That is awesome. Yes I'm interested. Just PMed you. |
