Fitting head pipes from Mike's.

[CoconutPete]

Is anyone using the head pipes from Mike's?
These: https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-chrome-xs-perf-headpipe-set.html

The left side is a perfect fit.

The right side runs a tad closer to the frame than the left side and as a result the muffler hits the swingarm.

Has anyone else run into this?

It runs parallel to the frame perfectly so it's almost as if it ought to slightly kick out to the side at the end. I'm tempted to rig up a bender because of how slight the bend is.

Just wondering if anyone has run into this.

 

[5twins]

Aftermarket pipes, even repro stock style, often aren't exactly right. I suggest you loosen the connection at the head and rotate the whole pipe outward (and up) a little. If you've added P clamps to the headpipes back along the frame, you may need a washer behind them. I had to put washers behind mine.

 

[Bob Kelly III]

if you attempt to bend them or tweak them just a bit...use a pipe that fits snuggly in the end of the header pipe and push it in as far as it will go..... probably only about 6" or so then yank on that with the header bolts good and tight....
no guarantees as this can snap header bolts, bend the header end so the muffler don't fit and all sorts of things.... use your own judgment and allot of caution as well as cheater bars !
...... I did this a few times in my life with good results, usually the pipe is softer than anything else in the chain so the pipe gives first....but not always
Bob........

 

[FLEA]

had that trouble with his 2-1 , turned out they were only for the specials not the 447 frame , don't know if the other headers have the same prob

 

[CoconutPete]

The bend needed is very slight. A few degrees at most. I may try to rig up a bender in the vise just because of how slight it is.

 

[joebgd]

The bend needed is very slight. A few degrees at most. I may try to rig up a bender in the vise just because of how slight it is.

You know any one might have a bender? Electrician or muffler shop etc, might have a hydraulic or electric bender?

 

[CoconutPete]

You know any one might have a bender? Electrician or muffler shop etc, might have a hydraulic or electric bender?

I don't know anyone, but thought about just popping into a muffler shop and asking.

 

[Bob Kelly III]

you can make clamps from 2"x4" boards to go in the vice to Hold the pipe and not crush it so easily... as you can deform a tube real easy with a vice.....another idea is hold the pipe in the vice with a wood "V" so it has more surface area to hold the tube and then put a Large 2.5" pice of water pipe over the end and then use it to slightly bend the tube....
I'ed make a wood plug for the end of the tube and pad the end of the water pipe wit a thick layer of duct cape so as not to scratch it !
..... tweaking thin tubes is not easy, and your better off if you can find a guy with a tubing bender..... muffler shops usually have them that can do the job .
good luck !
Bob.........

 

[ThatXS650Guy]

I had the same problem with mine. I just kept the head pipes loose and rotated the right pipe out a tad to clear the muffler. I also had to space the mount out a few mm. Well worth it IMHO the pipes look much sleeker than the rounded stock pipes.
HTH,
Jim

 

[CoconutPete]

Well my wooden attempt at a pipe bender was an epic fail. Pipe did not change shape at all and the wood pretty much collapsed. I think I'm going to throw it in the trunk tomorrow and go on an adventure at lunch time.

Washers behind the p-clamp won't work. The route of the pipe just doesn't quite work on the right while it's perfect on the left. I marked the spot on the bike with tape and hopefully I can find someone with a pipe bender.

 

[CoconutPete]

So I finally got everything to fit. The pipe is a bit further away from the frame than the left side - a bit further away than would be ideal - but either way, it fits. I went out and bought an extra long bolt for the P-Clamp for bolting the header to the frame, so once I fab up some sort of spacer, I should be able to make it work.

 

[650Skull]

Good stuff........sense prevails I was cringing when i read the effort to try and bend the pipes.

 

[Mailman]

Are these pipes supposed to be duplicates of OEM pipes? Or are they different somehow?
Replacement pipes for my stock exhaust have been on my radar for some time now, as the chrome finish on mine is crazed and dull.

 

[XSLeo]

I bought a set of Mike's 1.5 inch head pipes. They are not very close to the stock pipes. The bend at the top and bottom hold the pipe too close to the engine case.This isn't much of a problem for most but they wouldn't leave enough room for the oil cooler/external oil filter line fittings.
Tried several things but ended up building a set from 1.5 inch prebent tubing online. I have plenty of room now.
Leo

 

[CoconutPete]

Hm, no clue if they are supposed to be replicas. Mikes sells 2 sets. A stainless one that's a larger diameter and the chrome ones who are the same diameter as stock - not sure if they follow the same bends.

I wanted to go from a 2-1 to a 2-2 and this seemed like the best course of action. I reached out to a couple of aftermarket places, but never heard back. I was able to put together a system I really like between Mike's, eBay and Dime City.

This is an almost 40 year old motorcycle and these are reproduction parts... sort of .. the pipes are single walled instead of double. I figured some tweaking would be involved - i'm almost shocked I could find no prior threads on this. Mike's says they sell about 95 sets of these a year and I was the first one to have this issue. First time for everything I guess.

Hopefully this weekend I can let'er run for a bit longer to make sure nothing vibrates loose and take her for a ride.

It's a pinch louder than before, probably due to listening to 2 mufflers instead of 1, but the sound is great.

 

[mrtwowheel]

Pictures?

 

[Bob Kelly III]

Pictures !!!!! HAHAHHA !
Bob......

 

[CoconutPete]

I'll get pics this weekend.

 

[ThatXS650Guy]

So I finally got everything to fit. The pipe is a bit further away from the frame than the left side - a bit further away than would be ideal - but either way, it fits.

This is the same thing I had to do. I don't even notice the difference anymore and no one has ever pointed it out.
And yeah, freakin' love the sound.

 

[650Skull]

Standard headers as near to the position they look when on the bike.

They twist in under the engine side-covers then kick back out and straighten up for the exhausts.

Please next time there is an option/suggestions and one is finesse and the other is a BFH, try the finesse first............Impossible to use a piece of wood and a vice to achieve this sort of alteration to a header pipe.