It'll be a quick job...

For awhile, before returning to school and eventually landing my dream job, I worked in a rough part of town in an auto repair shop. My dad had known the owner since sometime in the 70's and he figured it would be good for me to keep busy and learn something. My dad would often ask me when I came home, what I had learned that day. My answer never changed. "I don't want to be a mechanic."

Whenever I was presented with a job it would always appear easy. Remove a series of bolts, remove the old part, clean and grease the area, install the new part and insert the new bolts. In fact many jobs would seem this easy. I learned, though, that there is no such thing as 'easy' or 'quick'. These jobs that we assumed would take no time, quickly devoured a whole afternoon. We would frequently find ourselves working into the night on a 'quick job'.

I was able to acquire some useful skills and meet new and interesting people. In retrospect, it was mostly enjoyable and it also taught me to be wary of things that seem simple.

When it came time to start deconstructing parts of the motorcycle I made a terrible, terrible mistake. I assumed that because they are not ridden in the winter, the normal rust and salt damages that would make work difficult, would not apply. I was provided with a set of slip-on mufflers for the bike which seemed like a 10 minute job at most. Remove the 4 bolts and 2 clamps holding them in place, slip on the new ones, re-tighten and done!

Two hours later I completed the job. I failed to realize a few things, those of which I hope will prevent you from going through the same pain.


What did you learn that can help me?

The exhaust system is encased in a series of covers that serve two purposes. First, to make the system more stylized and second, to prevent burns from pipes. These covers are clamped on in multiple sections which you need to move in order to access the mufflers. My advice is to have some PB Blaster on hand in order to loosen the nuts that tighten these clamps to the pipes themselves.

Hiding under these covers are the actual pipes.

 If at all possible, try and avoid removing these covers completely as in order to put them back on you will be working blind. Consider using the blaster as a lubricant in LIMITED quantities in order to slip the new mufflers on as well. As always, before any new mufflers are installed make sure you use a wire brush to clean all the rust off any part. When I removed my old system I noticed that the area where the muffler and pipe met was very rusty. I made sure to clean both these areas before installing the new parts.

Finally, use some type of level to ensure your exhaust tips are even across the back of the bike. The mufflers are designed to be a very tight fit so knowing where they need to go before you begin can save you lots of time, especially when you think they are even, but it is clear to everyone else they are not. At least 3 times I had to remove all the bolts and clamps and start again. As the old saying goes, 'measure twice, cut once'. It is also advisable to have a piece of wood around and a strong rubber or plastic mallet in order to 'persuade' the pipe into place if you are having issues.

Never assume it will be a quick job. They are often surprisingly time consuming.