[Beef_Weezle]

My V has been through a lot. It was in a major wreck a few years ago, and when the bike was being fixed by the insurance company, I opted to have a used exhaust system, purchased from a member on this forum, installed. In hindsight, this probably wasn't the best of ideas. Anyway, they had just discontinued the SE 16g exhaust, and that's what I wanted.

Fast forward to two years later. A month ago, right before I left to go cross-country on the bike, I noticed soot all over the bottom of the frame, near the exhaust. It looked like the exhaust was leaking around the clamps. So, I took the bike to the dealer (all work done resulting from the wreck is covered under a lifetime warranty) and they ordered a clamp. I just got back from my trip last week, and dropped the bike off at the dealership today. About an hour after dropping it off, I got a call telling me the exhaust was trashed. They said there was a huge hole and several cracks and that it was not repairable.

Right now, I am approaching broke, but I also don't want to miss the rest of the riding season. Should I bite the bullet and go ahead and buy a new set of V&H Powershots? Are there other exhausts that look nice and aren't obnoxiously loud? FYI: The exhaust on the bike now has modified baffles.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LOCO]

Don't let the stealership snow you into buying a new exhaust system! Anything that is steel can be repaired. Find a local fab shop to repair it for you. Remove the exhaust and take it to a muffler shop, I 'll bet they will repair it for you. When I laid my bike down at the first of summer, I was told that the left frame weldment could not be repaired and that I had to replace it. BS! I did the prep work and had a fab shop reweld the forward controle bracket. Like new and only cost me twenty bucks.

 

[Louis]

I'm inclined to agree. It might actually involve a lot of work to fix, but there will be someone who can do it, and no, there is nothing I'm aware of that does the same job. They do come up used on ebay though. Even in the UK, so they will be a lot more common in the US.

 

[Beef_Weezle]

Relief...

So, after a visit to the dealer, the damage wasn't as bad as anticipated. The flange for the lower pipe was broken, and it looks repairable for a skilled welder. Even the stealership suggested this. I was real afraid that I would have to drop $500 on a new exhaust. Hopefully, I can get this welded up soon. I'm looking to break 10k miles this season.