OK, bit the bullet and purchased the Mikes "Commando 2 into 2 Exhaust System for 'Specials'" for my XS650G (Part # 07-0764). They arrived on Friday evening. Mufflers are EMGO 80-84034 as others have said and apart from a small dent in one of them, they seemed pretty decent. Headpipes looked fine, bracketry was interesting. Different brackets for each side, which is understandable as the left side incorporates the main stand bumper. No instructions included, but no problem, i'm a semi intelligent, mechanically minded, engineer. Should be no problem right? I can also look at the instructions for the other Exhaust installs.
Nope, other instructions are pretty much useless. So Saturday morning, layout the brackets and work out which go to which side. OK, get where I think they might go, but no matter where I think they might go, they block the installation of the rear foot pegs. Adopt the, "If I was designing it" attitude, enough parts for one side, not both. Bolt the headpipes up, that was easy! but how far away from the frame should they be? Too far out and the brake pedal hits it, too far in and theres not enough 'Splay' of the mufflers to clear the rear suspension. These headpipes don't have welded on tabs, but clamps so realise the clamp can only go to the one of the original exhaust clamps on the bottom of the frame. depending on how far out you swing the headpipe, it alters the location of the clamp bracket to the bolt hole. Look for brackets (Must be a pair, right?) there are two, but if I use the supplied spacer and long bolt, and drill out the clamp bracket holes, I could create an elegant solution. Unfortunately I only have one spacer & one long bolt, so that won't work. Ask myself, "Why do I have a spacer and long bolt? and why only one of each?" , the only thing that is a femail thread is these bottom frame mountings. Everything else is a male thread??? The only difference side to side is the rear and none of them are femail.
On Sunday, invite my Mechanical Design Engineer son over for a beer, and ask, how would you design / fit it? He takes one look and asks if they sent the correct bracket kit. It's Sunday, so I can't call Mike XS, so I send an email. No response on Monday, so I call a couple of times. First time I leave a message, don't bother for the other calls. Eventually use their web messaging service. Still no response and they will have gone home for the evening now. Made up a mounting template from card and probably going to fabricate a pair of brackets myself.
Unless anyone out there has some pictures of how they mounted their 'Special' exhaust???