| Author | Message | ||
     Ulyessesman |
ok , i got an 08' uly xb12x with 2200 miles on it , i recently installed a drummer pipe , (which i dont belive to be the culprit of my problems) anyways... as i am in the army my bike is back in NC and in stationed in colorado , i recently had a chance to go home on leave for a few weeks , the 1st day i was home i fired the uly up to go for a quick spin and i did , as i was pulling into the drive way i noticed a metal on metal rattling sound , as soon as i got it back in the garage , i immeditly noticed the collar that holds the head pipe into the front cylinder had come out away from the head allowing exhaust to leak around the mouth of the header , no biggie right? add some new nuts to the head bolts torque em to spec, and roll on right? nope 35 miles latter i notice i can hear the exhaust leaking again , well it was much worse this time as the front header , right where it starts the first bend into the downward bend towards the mouth of the muffler , has a 1/16 inch crack formed almost completly all the way around the front header , my biggest point of contention now being the enormous pain in the butt getting to the rear head pipe retaining collar so i can pull the header off and either tig-weld the crack or just buy me the new ceramic coated headers that AMERICAN SPORTBIKE has , is there any techs on here that have any expirence with removal / replacment of the ulys headers? any help will greatly be apreciated , im not scared of the task at hand just kinda puzzled as to how the hell to get to the rear heads retaining collar , and for those who would point it out , i know theres an 02 sensor in the rear pipe! thanks guys , im all ears!!!!!! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Remove seat. Remove fan. Think "rubik's cube". Keep chilled beverages handy. ANY time you un-seat a head flange, you MUST loosen the entire exhaust system so all the pieces move freely. Then, start at the heads and tighten along the exhaust path - heads first, then muffler to header, then front muffler hangar, then rear muffler hangar. The reason yours cracked is because you had a torque load on the header pipe - with the front flange loose the first time, your rear flange shifted from the vibrations (and thus so did your muffler), so when you "put it back", it wasn't aligned as a system anymore. -crack- | ||
| Ulyessesman |
darn good diagnosis rat... as for the fan , and the rear shock being in the way , is there any tips you can give me that i need to know before i tear into it? and do you know where i might be able to find a diagram that shows the process? thanks again man!!! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Get a factory shop manual. This probably won't be the last time you put tool to bike, and the book in invaluable. For $60, it's a steal. | ||
| Ulyxb |
Hi there, Sounds like I might have a similar problem, though - as far as I know not a cracked header yet (fingers crossed) Similar to Ulyssesman, I have an 08' Uly XB12X with 3200 miles on it. Live in the UK, purchased it ex-demo with 1900 miles on it, first plated in ‘09. All stock, problems occurred on the 50 mile commute home, bike starts to sound rather sick & a whole lot louder than normal. Clearly no back pressure and the collar that holds the head pipe to the front cylinder is definitely allowing exhaust to leak around the mouth of the header. I still got warranty, so back to the stealers to get it looked at. They faithfully report that not only was the front head pipe loose, but the rear one was missing a nut too. OK - so they replace the nuts, torque it all up and tell me that I am right to go. Only 2-3 days later, it has all worked loose again. Back to the dealers again. This time, the rear one has lost the stud completely. Also, I note that the bolt that holds the exhaust to the frame, you know, goes thru with very poor access within the chin fairing? (Is this the front muffler hanger?) This bolt has sheared clean off... Hmmm... so they have replaced the missing stud, re-torqued everything up, tell me that the missing front muffler fastener needs to be ordered, but I will get a call when they have it in. At any rate, it is a couple of days later and the bike sounds sick again, clearly on the way to becoming loose again, or at least definitely leaking, no back pressure, underpowered on acceleration and ‘rattling’ away. Based on the advice given here, stating that ANY time you un-seat a head flange, you MUST loosen the entire exhaust system so all the pieces move freely. Then, start at the heads and tighten all the way along the exhaust path... sounds like the missing step here for me too. I am also interested to know if letting me back out on the road again with the front muffler hanger missing was not a good idea. Certainly want to avoid a _cracked_ header. Only reason I can think of for the whole thing being a bit loose to begin with, is evidence of a dent on the underside of the exhaust (clearly one of the demo riders before me getting a bit carried away) Talking on the phone to the service guy, he suggests replacing also the 'collar' straps that go around the muffler, as even when these appear tight, they can sometimes not hold everything securely. Interested in thoughts as to putting this right (& being sure it gets sorted). Uly's sure do vibrate a bit, particularly at low revs - is the whole loose exhaust thing common? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Not a common occurrence (especially when they're installed *correctly*), but definitely a known issue with a big, thumpin' twin. The muffler hang straps (big hose clamps) are recommended to be replaced every time they're loosened. I got four cycles out of mine before one broke (install drummer, uninstall drummer and replace stock muffler, remove exhaust for base gasket work, remove stock muffler to reattach valve actuator cable). Probably my own fault, over-torquing it. If they're willing to replace the straps, see if you can keep the old ones as emergency spares. I have a set zip-tied to the inside of my topcase lid, along with a clutch cable. That said, I wouldn't ride it much without that front hangar. These engineer-guys at Buell are pretty smart fellas. For peace of mind, when you get it back and its all re-installed...BEFORE it has a chance to have a problem again, get it home and loosen EVERYthing - the nuts at the header flanges on the head, the clamp at the muffler inlet, and all three muffler straps. You can even go as far as removing the muffler if you want and let it hang by the cable. Then, *personally* go through the process yourself (and again - a shop manual is The Bible for any of this). This is not to say your dealer is wrong or inexperienced...but I'm the type of guy who'd rather KNOW how it was last put together, right or wrong, because at least that way I *know*. You know?  | ||
| Xbimmer |
(and again - a shop manual is The Bible for any of this). Exactly. There is a back and forth sequence with specific torque values involved with muffler/exhaust R&R. Running without that bottom bracket bolt WILL stress the rest. | ||
| Ulyxb |
Thanks guys... All makes sense - and also being the kind of person that likes to KNOW something is done right myself, I think I might go thru this process. Looks to me like a knuckle or universal joint with the socket wrench is a bit of a must-have for this exercise, getting onto some of these bolts is no simple thing. Gawd, I can see myself investing in a motorcycle hoist too  |
