Hey. Before I took the RVF off the road to give it the service it deserves, the exhaust started blowing, down under the sump where the two clamps hold the two front headers into the merger. So I bought a couple of clamps, to replace them come service time. I've just taken the two front headers off to find that it's not just the clamps that have gone. If I deduce rightly from the remains I have, the merger used to have a further two inches welded onto the front of it, some sort of sleeve that had gasket inside it, and into which the two front headers used to slide, before being clamped. They're fucked. Left pipe's just gone, down to the the weld line, and the other's terminal. Given that I'd never even looked at the exhaust before, and I've never spannered seriously on anything except old two-smoke trailies and aircooled VWs, neither of which have much by way of complicated exhaust systems, can someone just confirm for me that this is fatal, and I'll need a new merger? The Haynes BoL isn't much use: there are a couple of pictures but they don't tell me, for instance, that actually this is a replaceable part and it's just that my surviving one is so far rusted that I can't see. Oh, and a related question: when I cracked the nuts holding the front headers onto the studs, they pulled the studs from the head instead. They've come out clean, no galling, and I'm of a mind to pull the nuts from them, clean them up and and reset the studs in the head with some caselock, rather than use them like bolts when reassembling -- I fear the softness of the head compared to the steel of the stud. Any advice most appreciated. Chris.
Can't help with the first bit, as you need a parts microfiche for this model. Regarding the studs, your plan is the best root. Clean them by spinning in a drill-chuck and appling a light emery-paper. Fit into the heads using two nuts locked together, with Loctite in the head if you feel the need. Use "anti-sieze" copper grease on the exposed ends and (new if available) nuts.
Not so bad, dude, not so bad. I've got no news really, since I last wandered past. The boy continues to grow, as do I, though he's growing up and I'm growing out. Parenthood is both a blessing and a curse -- higher highs and lower lows. In fact I've taken to retiring to the garage for half an hour's peace to regain my wits. So many things my father used to make sense to me now. What I need is a poster of a tennis-player scratching her arse, though I doubt my wife would put up with that for too long. Some things have changed since my Dad's day. How's yourself? Still terrorising the streets of London with that scary stare?
Quite. To be fair, Transit Motorcycles in York are bloody good with greys like this, and the parts guy there (Andy, I think) is a patient and clued-up man. But he may fancy selling me a header, and I dread to think how much they cost. Last time I was through here someone gave me a great tip on repairing pitted fork legs that saved me a fortune, so I thought I might call on the collected wisdom of UKRM again. Not that I'm into cutting any corners with the RVF. Not figuratively.
Jolly good - at least life is not a disaster area. You'd had some bad luck bikewise last time so a lack of news can be seen to be a positive thing. Are you still living in York or have I misremembered? Parenthood - not something I'm likely to experience but the ups and downs I recognise from others. Not too bad thank you. I don't know what you mean.
Get the parts fiche here - should give a reasonable idea of what has disintegrated... File: nc35partsmanual.pdf http://a.s-t-f.us/d.jsp?t=LXCAGAeNkKw24Mrvn3dkaXaj
Aye, well, I seem to hit A&E every other year, so 2005 should be my year off. No, I was living in York, but I've moved out into the sticks of Humberside. It's a nice ride out from there to work on the RVF, when the weather's not so manky. And I get to do a little bit of green laning on the Bombardier. Unfortunately, though, my neighbour's a ****. Can't have everything. I suppose some bike-related news is that I "competed" in the Ryedale Rally in the Novelty Trail class on the Bombardier. I did very badly, though I did beat three out of the four squaddies who'd entered on medical corps Armstrong MT350s, which was nice. I'm sure you don't, old bean.
When you speak to the parts bods, you may find that they more easily comprehend your needs if you refer to it as a "collector" or "collector box" rather than "merger".
Oh, you know, around and about. *Still* didn't get my damn knee down last year, but I did get the pegs down twice. I see you've added another duke to the stable. Racing?
Yeah, rings a bell. Dunno where I got "merger" from. This is the bit where I find out (again, because I keep forgetting) that both Bat and Transit are bloody closed on a Monday. Why, I don't know; there must plenty of people who need parts for greys on a Monday, either because they've been fettling on the Sunday and found something broken or they've been out for a spin and dropped it. Maybe they make more sales to trade than private.
