Issue with 1.5 headers

[JesseeS]

I want to post this because I feel like a crazy person. Maybe it’s the way it’s supposed to be. I haven’t had headers on the bike in so long I forget, but I cannot get my headers to be even. They are from yamahaxs650.com. It does not matter how I adjust them the clutch side sticks out basically near the end of the case and the kick up at the end is damn close to the frame. Charging side I can run the pipe nice and tight under the cover with a decent gap from the frame. Charging side also doesn’t come down as far. Did I receive a wonky pair of pipes? Am I just an idiot and losing my mind? Like I said I have messed with adjusting them every way possible and something is always off

 

[MacMcMacmac]

I bought a set from xs650direct.com and they are not symmetrical from side to side either.

 

[JesseeS]

Good to know thank you!

 

[5twins]

Yes, mine came from MikesXS and are the same. I actually had to tweak the right side one a little to get the muffler to clear the axle. I plan to try and bend them even more. I want more of a kick up on the ends so the mufflers sit above the rear axle. As they are now, I have to remove a muffler to take the axle out. On my '78, I have MAC headpipes. They kick up more and the mufflers sit above the axle. They're perfect .....

 

[WideAWAKE]

When you lay them on top of each other, do the have the same curve? And if you hold them together and look down to the have a mirror image of one another??

If they do, it may be the way the flats are ground where they bolt up and touch the engine case.

I’ve had to grind, or or less of an angle, or change the direction of an angle to get a set to sit correctly.

 

[JesseeS]

Yes, mine came from MikesXS and are the same. I actually had to tweak the right side one a little to get the muffler to clear the axle. I plan to try and bend them even more. I want more of a kick up on the ends so the mufflers sit above the rear axle. As they are now, I have to remove a muffler to take the axle out. On my '78, I have MAC headpipes. They kick up more and the mufflers sit above the axle. They're perfect .....

View attachment 216291

Good to know. At least I’m not the only one with issues. They were only $100 so not a big deal but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. I love the kick up on those macs. I’m going to have to get a set

 

[JesseeS]

When you lay them on top of each other, do the have the same curve? And if you hold them together and look down to the have a mirror image of one another??

If they do, it may be the way the flats are ground where they bolt up and touch the engine case.

I’ve had to grind, or or less of an angle, or change the direction of an angle to get a set to sit correctly.

I’ll have to get them off the bike and check it out.

 

[Jim]

What I did was grind the flange that fits in the head to a different angle.
For instance, grinding off the bottom of the flange raises the rear of the pipe. Grinding the inboard side kicks it out at the back. I used a bench belt sander to keep the flange flat.
Doing that managed to get my MikesXS headers symmetrical side to side.
And yes, they were gawdawful bad as far as fit.

 

[WideAWAKE]

What Jim said is what I was trying to say if what I said was not clear haha.

 

[5twins]

Unfortunately, MAC doesn't make those headpipes anymore. But, they weren't without their issues too, lol. The sealing lip on the end is tiny and wouldn't seal very well at all. That small lip would slide off the seal ring as you tightened them down. They leaked like crazy. I made inserts from the ends of old stock headpipes to keep the MAC pipe centered and on the seal ring. It worked out very well .....

Turns out I had also made AR inserts although that wasn't my original intent. The bike ran much better, maybe in part due to the AR insert, but I think mostly because the pipes were sealed real good into the head now.

 

[JesseeS]

Debating if it’s worth messing with these or just getting a new set and keeping these as spares

 

[Kevin Werner]

Debating if it’s worth messing with these or just getting a new set and keeping these as spares

Mess with them. Messing is learning...

 

[5twins]

Chances are, the new set will be the same as what you've got, lol.

 

[arcticXS]

Mine were also just like that. Dead annoying.

 

[grizld1]

For street performance 1.5" twin pipes are the Goldilocks standard: they're juuuust right. But with the exception of that misfit junk that's been sold for years without correction because it's cheap, they've become unavailable. All kinds of stuff is available in 1.75". I hated to do it, but I had to install 1.75" pipes with outlet reducers.