Aftermarket parts

YING said:

I have a set of Les Harris pipes.The problem I have is the clearance of the left side and the kickstand bolt.It all fits fine until the rose tightens into the head.
Another question
With the bike in proper tune,won’t any chrome exhausts turn colour,even after you have them re-plated?Whenever I see a m/c with beautiful chrome pipes all the way to the head, I wonder if it ever gets ridden.
Thanks,
Mike

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It's an old trick to stop the pipes discolouring: wrap a few turns of copper wire ( multi strand from an electrical cable) around the header pipe close to the head. Don't know why it works but it does.

YING said:

Another question
With the bike in proper tune, won’t any chrome exhausts turn color, even after you have them re-plated? Whenever I see a m/c with beautiful chrome pipes all the way to the head, I wonder if it ever gets ridden.
Thanks,
Mike

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Yes. I have a set of OEM Norton pipes that tuck closer to the frame than any aftermarket pipes I've seen. I had them re-chromed by one of the best shops on the East Coast for $400 and they're starting to blue after 500 miles. Just the way it is.

marshg246 said:

The best quality peashooters I've found are also from Wassel, but they are extremely loud.

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Well, define "loud". I've been running Wassels for 15 years and I LOVE them. Have they changed over the years?

I LIKE the bluing that occurs at the bend in the pipe where it turns downward. In fact, I wouldn't buy a set of pipes that were made of some material or construction type that won't turn blue! It's part of the 'look!"

"This bike is so hot that it's pipes turned blue"
I'm in the camp that doesn't mind the blue, or the gold of heated up SS pipes.
The worst pipes I've purchased to date were a Siamesed set for the BSA. These came from Armours. The left header angle was off by a good 15 degrees . The sharp left header bend included a series of very visible creases about 2 " apart.
I have also purchased items from Armours that were very good.

Glen

maylar said:

Well, define "loud". I've been running Wassels for 15 years and I LOVE them. Have they changed over the years?

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They are straight through with holes in the inside tube. The quieter peashooters are the same but with indentations of about 1/8" along the inside tube. Those are still plenty loud but not as loud as the current Wassells.

I install the current Wassell headers and peashooters on all my builds and people always love them, but I can hear the bike coming back from a test ride at least a mile away.

They are much better than a horn for getting attention - just blip the throttle and you'll be seen

Are there any headers to be had in stainless? My modern bonneville has stainless, and these blue with the original emissions equipement installed. The Air Injection system lets air into exhaust stream before it leaves head, to get residual hydrocarbons to burn off in the headers. This makes temps rise enough to blue the pipes. Cure is to remove that injector and give the pipes a clean up with products like Blu-Job (be careful how you google for that stuff!).
So one "cure" to reduce bluing is to run richer mixture, as lean state makes it hotter.

Tornado said:

give the pipes a clean up with products like Blu-Job (be careful how you google for that stuff!)

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There was a product years ago called "Blue Away" that we all called 'Chrome Away".

Tornado said:

Are there any headers to be had in stainless? My modern bonneville has stainless, and these blue with the original emissions equipement installed. The Air Injection system lets air into exhaust stream before it leaves head, to get residual hydrocarbons to burn off in the headers. This makes temps rise enough to blue the pipes. Cure is to remove that injector and give the pipes a clean up with products like Blu-Job (be careful how you google for that stuff!).
So one "cure" to reduce bluing is to run richer mixture, as lean state makes it hotter.

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I have a set of brand new, never fitted Mk 3 header pipes, probably fit them one day, or maybe they will stay with the rest of the 'must have' spares that will no doubt outlast me.

Tornado said:

Are there any headers to be had in stainless? My modern bonneville has stainless, and these blue with the original emissions equipement installed. The Air Injection system lets air into exhaust stream before it leaves head, to get residual hydrocarbons to burn off in the headers. This makes temps rise enough to blue the pipes. Cure is to remove that injector and give the pipes a clean up with products like Blu-Job (be careful how you google for that stuff!).
So one "cure" to reduce bluing is to run richer mixture, as lean state makes it hotter.

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Somebody, somewhere out there makes or has previously made stainless (unbalanced) pipes. Mine came with a pair fitted, but I junked them for a balanced set.

The only way to get pipes that fit perfect is to get them made for your bike, but finding a shop that has a mandle bender is the hardest part and someone who knows how to use it, I was lucky back in the 80s when converting my 850 to the Featherbed frame my local exhaust shop had a mandle bender and Ken the owner knew what he was doing took him a 1/2 hour to bend each header to fit my bike so 1hr all up and he charged me $20 and a new chrome shop just opened next door and $20 to chrome both pipes to this day I am still running those header, they are showing their age but they have never blued, I also got a set of SS header pipes bent up for my 81 Triumph by the same shop and Ken, they cost a bit more $40 each, ken was good at what he did and every bend was done by eye and fit as he went, it was great watching a true tradesman do his stuff and he told me later its was the first bike headers he made in 20 years since his last set, the same shop is still there and same owners but the old mandle bender is long gone and Ken past away from a heart attack.
But as I say the pipes need to be made for each bike to fit right not something off a production line, if you can find someone to do it and pay the money to get it done while your bike is there, its well worth the money and troubles.

Ashley

marshg246 said:

I agree.

I've also found that when people say they don't fit it's often because they (IMHO) don't install them correctly. You need to put everything together loose and hand tighten, then a little shaking is good and making sure the headers are laying along the bike where you want them, then tighten the exhaust nuts more, then make sure the mufflers are aligned like you want them, then tighten the muffler mounts and the exhaust nut and finally the muffler to header clamp. If the header is not in the muffler the perfect amount and straight, it can seem like the headers or mufflers or both are wrong - the perfect amount being whatever it takes.

The best quality Roadster/Peashooter/Non-Balanced headers I've found are from Wassell! The best quality peashooters I've found are also from Wassel, but they are extremely loud. Yes, I know, Wassell, like EMGO has a good bit of poor parts but they also have some quality items as well. For instance, I bought 6 sets of EMGO roadster tanks and side covers and it's well known how good they are, but now they are not available and I need more.

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Be careful, Wassel the parts supplier and Wassel the pipe bender are two different wassels.
The 'tucked in' pipes at the head usually found on 68-70 bikes were the original design, this later changed for the later bikes had pipes that came straight out. Both styles are original Norton.

Madnorton said:

Be careful, Wassel the parts supplier and Wassel the pipe bender are two different wassels.
The 'tucked in' pipes at the head usually found on 68-70 bikes were the original design, this later changed for the later bikes had pipes that came straight out. Both styles are original Norton.

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Wassell, LTD was started in 1946 by W E (Ted) Wassell.
TJ Wassell is run by Tim Wassell (Ted's son) and they still make exhausts and silencers in the UK. They are related in someway to Wellbrook Engineering.

The current exhausts and silencers from Wassell, LTD and made my EMGO Wassell LTD for Wassell, LTD. The pipes are: "Chrome plated, polished 1018 Carbon Steel pipes. CNC Mandrel bent for consistent quality!" The metal is heavier than others I've seen and the silencers are as well.

As I've said before some products are good and some are not for both Wassell, LTD and EMGO. I'm very happy with the current pipes and silencers from Wassell, LTD and the EMGO Roadster Tanks and Side Covers.

marshg246 said:

Wassell, LTD was started in 1946 by W E (Ted) Wassell.
TJ Wassell is run by Tim Wassell (Ted's son) and they still make exhausts and silencers in the UK. They are related in someway to Wellbrook Engineering.

The current exhausts and silencers from Wassell, LTD and made my EMGO Wassell LTD for Wassell, LTD. The pipes are: "Chrome plated, polished 1018 Carbon Steel pipes. CNC Mandrel bent for consistent quality!" The metal is heavier than others I've seen and the silencers are as well.

As I've said before some products are good and some are not for both Wassell, LTD and EMGO. I'm very happy with the current pipes and silencers from Wassell, LTD and the EMGO Roadster Tanks and Side Covers.

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Cool info. What about Vape-Wassell, as per the EI setups? Is thast another Wassell off shoot or a collaboration? My repro Roadster seat came in a box stamped Wassell Staffordshire I beleive. Very happy with it.

Tornado said:

Cool info. What about Vape-Wassell, as per the EI setups? Is thast another Wassell off shoot or a collaboration? My repro Roadster seat came in a box stamped Wassell Staffordshire I beleive. Very happy with it.

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Don't know about VAPE. Lucas (partial), Girling, Hepolite, Jones, and others are owned by Wassell. The Wassell seats are really nice and made for them but I don't know by who.

Tornado said:

What about Vape-Wassell, as per the EI setups? Is thast another Wassell off shoot or a collaboration?

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I'd guess Wassell has an agreement with VAPE to sell their ignitions.

marshg246 said:

Wassell, LTD was started in 1946 by W E (Ted) Wassell.
TJ Wassell is run by Tim Wassell (Ted's son) and they still make exhausts and silencers in the UK. They are related in someway to Wellbrook Engineering.

The current exhausts and silencers from Wassell, LTD and made my EMGO Wassell LTD for Wassell, LTD. The pipes are: "Chrome plated, polished 1018 Carbon Steel pipes. CNC Mandrel bent for consistent quality!" The metal is heavier than others I've seen and the silencers are as well.

As I've said before some products are good and some are not for both Wassell, LTD and EMGO. I'm very happy with the current pipes and silencers from Wassell, LTD and the EMGO Roadster Tanks and Side Covers.

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Are these their WW93020 pipes?

gortnipper said:

Are these their WW93020 pipes?

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That's their number for 06.3375, 06.3376, Non-Crossover, Roadster

Richard Tool said:

My exhaust came from RGM - fit very well but chrome on pipes turned gold and blue very quickly.

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Same

The tucked in or turned in at the head pipes were found on the 68-70 models, these look real neat. However, it seems that they changed for the Roadster when the came straight out of the head. Apparently this was for the American Market.
Norman White will make a set of Roadster tucked in pipes, but will cost though.