In order for this project to come to fruition I need a new exhaust system. One of my major complaints recently has been that after a ride my clothes smell very strongly of exhaust fumes. I narrowed it down to an exhaust leak but I couldn’t seem to identify the exact source, so I decided to try a relatively cheap solution of replacing the exhaust gaskets between the cylinder head and the header pipe.
I bought them, installed them, and the smell persisted. But this time, prior to parking the bike in the garage, I let it idle, and I watched for tell-tale wisps of exhaust to exit in places they shouldn’t be exiting from. Bingo! The pipe is leaking from the collector beneath the bike, where the 4 pipes converge into the single exhaust canister. Unfortunately, that’s really not an area that can be fixed. Pinholes are created due to corrosion, and corroded metal can’t be successfully welded.
So that led me to another option of replacing the entire exhaust system. I’d prefer to go back to the stock 4 into 2 arrangement, but in the 2-1/2 years I’ve owned this GS850, I’ve only come across one ad for a parts bike with a complete exhaust, and it turned out to have a hole in the bottom of it the size of a fist. This was discovered after the seller told me “the pipes are good”. “Good” is a relative term if I ever heard one.
Needless to say I was skeptical, to say the least, when, upon performing a Craigslist search for “GS”, I came upon a complete parts bike, pictured with its gleaming chrome pipes. In the print ad the seller said the pipes were “mint”. When he returned my voicemail that evening he further elaborated by describing the exhaust system as “f---ing mint”. Weren’t you just swept away by the enthusiasm? Just to re-cap, that’s “f---ing mint” as opposed to simply “mint”. As you may be able to tell, I’m generally not impressed by such unnecessarily colourful descriptors.
But, as I explained at the top, I was this close to just throwing in the towel and cutting my losses, because I really thought that finding a good-condition, chrome-plated, sheetmetal assembly that has hung below a motorcycle for 3 decades, being assaulted by all manner of moisture and abrasive debris, would not be easy to locate. Especially when you narrow it down to one specific year, make and model of bike; a 1979 Suzuki GS850. I mean really, how many could there possibly be in 2010?
Well, I’m happy to report, there was at least one satisfactory set left. And I bought it! The seller had been completely on target in his judgment. I traveled to the seller’s house, complete with cash and my tool box. He assisted me and we unbolted the pipes from the donor bike right there in his driveway. As a bonus I also bought a pair of bolt-on engine protector bars. They protect the engine side covers if the bike should happen to tip over. And, much like the exhaust system, I’ve never come across another pair in my 2-1/2 years of ownership.
At this point my plan for tomorrow is to remove the old header and install this new original equipment 4 into 2 pipe. I’ll post a photo once it’s installed.
Needless to say, I’ve now changed my mind about selling.
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