Aftemarket Downpipes - self fit? 2001 Yamaha XJ600n

[ViniH]

Hello,

I am very new to biking, and have little mechanical knowledge/experience with any sort of vehicle really.

However I do want to change that, and as part of that I plan to do as much repair and servicing of my bike as possible. First on the agenda is replacing the front downpipes - the originals are fine, but the 2-1 collectors are rotten. So I've bought a set of Delkevic stainless steel downpipes to replace them with (the existing cans appear fine, and I cannot really afford a decent replacement for those this month).

I have a few questions:

Can I replace the downpipes myself (and is it a good idea)?

What is the difficulty level of this job? It is wise for a novice to attempt it, or should I just pay a mechanic to do it? Are there any main pitfalls to watch out for?

I've done quite a bit of Googling and have picked up some knowledge, but I am still not really sure, and talking to my biker friend suggests that changing downpipes can be tricky - his main concern was that I damage one of the bolts - shearing or rounding, such that it needs to be drilled out.

I would particularly love to hear from anyone who's actually done this job on an XJ600n - will I need to remove the radiator? (From my novice eye-balling I don't think I will need to.)

[m3-paul]

Very easy job as it is just undoing bolts, however these bolts may well be rusty and difficult to remove without snapping them.

I would soak them in penetrating fluid, leave over night then give it a go at unbolting them.

You may just get the securing nuts undo or in some cases the nuts and studs will come out. Just take your time, and if you feel a bolt is not shifting do not apply too much force. It may need a bit of heat to help persuade it out.

Maybe ask a mate who has done this, even on a car to lend a hand.

Also, make sure you have new manifold gaskets.
____________________
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[chris-red]

Exhaust replace is one of those things that IS easy but can turn to shit pretty quick with studs snapping and what not.

Some tips

Use penetrating fluid (not WD40)
Buy replacement brass nuts to use when re assembling
Do not do them up that tight (they really don't need it.)
Use a proper correct sized ring spanner to undo the nuts.
Don't do it if you NEED to use your bike in the next few days.
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[Pol Anorl]

can i have the old pipes?
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[J.M.]

The only real problem is the downpipe bolts. As Chris says, preparing them and attacking them properly is paramount.

I snapped 1 of 8 on my XJ600:
https://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/947203_604021222966178_477415575_n.jpg

It required drilling out.
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[ViniH]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have the gaskets I need, but I am missing the correct tool to remove the stud nut bush... I am assuming this is just an Allen key (I don't have one big enough).

Back to Machine Mart I guess.

[ViniH]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[J4mes]

Could be worth buying a tap/die set and running the die down the threads to clean the corrosion out before you try to remove them too.

Otherwise the rust can bind up under the nuts and cause the stud to shear.

[Vincent]

All good advice above......I like to use deep domed nuts, they do a good job of keeping corrosion away from the end of the stud so they come off easier in future.

https://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/Drewskovitch/Deep20Dome20Nut_zpsb6c3f96b.jpg
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[Vincent]

[J4mes]

Very true, not tried it myself but remember thinking it when I snapped one of my Thundercat studs. Luckily there was enough left to get a nut on.

Not sure if there are any dies that are as small as normal-ish nuts, which can then be driven with a socket or spanner rather than the handles.

[m3-paul]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[ViniH]

Right, so I have taken both exhausts off, including the downpipes, and have separated the cans from the pipes.

Of the eight studs, four were easy, four were very awkward (wrong tools perhaps? I only had a 3/8" power bar and Hex socket set). Of the four awkward ones, two came out okay, and two were troublesome, the most troublesome one didn't snap, but the bolt came out with the nut, and I literally cannot separate them. What do I do about that? Screw it back in as is? Apart from that one the bolts actually don't look in bad shape considering they are 12 years old, I guess the bike has been kept mostly dry. Is is worth taking out all the studs and replacing them with brass ones? Realistically I will probably only have this bike for 6-12 months before I buy a newer one - and the stainless steel pipes I put on will probably last for the rest of the bike's life.

My problem now is this, I only bought replacement downpipes and the appropriate gaskets and such, I didn't buy new cans, because the existing ones (originals) looked okay.

Unfortunately at the parts where they connect to the 2-1 collectors they are a shambles. The left downpipe actually snapped off entirely (it was hanging on by a thin piece of rust) - and the sealing ring and packing material is still in the end of the can pipe. In addition the clamp disintegrated when I attempted to loosen the screw - and where the clamp was attached is very badly corroded. So much so that when I try to prize out the sealing ring and packing material it's just damaging the pipe - because it's weaker than the ring.

The right can is in better shape, the sealing ring and packing material came out with the downpipe, but the end doesn't look too good to my novice eye.

So my question is this, can I do anything here other than buy a new set of cans? This is an expense I could really do without, at least this month.

What are my options?

I'll post a photo of the bits I am talking about in a few minutes.

[ViniH]

Here are the pictures:

[ViniH]

In the absence of further advice I've sent the 4-2 downpipes back and have bought a 4-1 complete system instead - Delkevic stubby 350mm.

[ViniH]

So I passed my mod 2 today, and by a happy co-incidence my new exhaust arrived.

I have a bit of an issue with it. When I was trying to fit it I put the gaskets in as instructed, but unfortunately the studs aren't long enough to cope with the gaskets.

What can I do about this? Is my only option to get longer studs?

[chris-red]

Have you removed the old gaskets?
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[ViniH]