Accessing the Rear Brake Master Cylinder

[Sadlsor]

<SNIP>
Once installed, the header pipe compresses around the seal as the bolts are tightened as it is intended to do so there is no ill effect.

I'm sure I've done this a couple times in the past, but I've slept since then and I don't remember those details.
Seems to me, that a good tip might be to not over-tighten the muffler clamp bolts, upon reassembly.
There isn't a lot of weight or stress at that junction, as the muffler is hanging from the frame and supported in 2 other places where it is heavier.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I'm sure I've done this a couple times in the past, but I've slept since then and I don't remember those details.
Seems to me, that a good tip might be to not over-tighten the muffler clamp bolts, upon reassembly.
There isn't a lot of weight or stress at that junction, as the muffler is hanging from the frame and supported in 2 other places where it is heavier.

I would tend to think that the bolts where the header pipe meets the muffler pipe are primarily intended to compress the header pipe and exhaust seal around the muffler pipe rather than to support the weight of the exhaust system. These bolts don't require a particularly high amount of torque but if they are not tightened enough there could be an exhaust leak which could damage the seal quickly enough.

 

[St1300biker]

I tried that once and it didn't work for me. The seal just started to bunch up as I tried to push the muffler in because there was nothing to support it.
If reusing the old seals, I have found that the best way to avoid a problem is to be sure to that the mufflers are properly lined up so that they will enter and penetrate the seals in a straight line. I have never had a problem with them catching and digging in to the seals doing so. Having said that, I have also never replaced the seals on my ST1300. Every time that I have had a muffler off the seals seemed to be in really good shape so I just keep reusing them. Since they have been in there a while the muffler enters them easily. I can see where a new seal would be more difficult as it has not taken a set from having the pipe in it.

I have replaced the seals on other bikes that I have owned however. I did have a hard time getting the mufflers started without damaging the seals no matter how careful I was on one bike that I had. What I ended up doing was I made sure that the muffler clamps were loose and I expanded the part of the header that squeezes around the muffler pipe as much as I could without distorting it. I put the new seal in to the header pipe and then I took a piece of a round wooden broom stick handle and ran it around the inside of the seal to expand it against the inside of the header pipe as tightly as possible. This opened it up enough to make it easier to start the muffler pipe and keep it going in to the seal as long as I kept the muffler pipe straight in line with the header pipe. Once installed, the header pipe compresses around the seal as the bolts are tightened as it is intended to do so there is no ill effect.

When I bought my bike last year, I had no idea what condition the gaskets were in, although it appeared there was cement around the seals. I replaced the gaskets as a matter of course and I distinctly remember the difficulty I had trying to remove the old gasket remains - they appeared to have "fused" in the collector. That's why I wonder if I failed to remove all and this build-up caused problem.

I also tried to expand the entrance to the collector, but without luck. I need @Igofar's Plumb Bob!

I dread to think the problems I would have lining up the headers at the engine ports!

Paul

Paul

 

[St1300biker]

Seems to me, that a good tip might be to not over-tighten the muffler clamp bolts, upon reassembly.

Wouldn't that cause leaking?

Paul

 

[Sadlsor]

Wouldn't that cause leaking?

Paul

I wouldn't think so.
To be clear, I'm not advocating leaving them "loose"; only that we don't need to get ham-fisted and make them overly tight.
Obviously, if you could feel the exhaust coming out of that junction, then they are way too loose. Or, the seals are shot, OR... the pipe has rusted through and you have a big hole!