fitting a new exhaust

Just got some new megaphones to replace the old ones on my kz440. I noticed the oem pipes are connected to each other. I think i need to cut the exhaust in front of the connection to fit the new exhaust to the headers since the piping on the headers is smaller than where I cut in the picture. Do I have to keep this connection or should I cut in front of it?

I'm hoping I can cut infront because I noticed on the other side the exhaust is cracked at the connection.

With increasingly restrictive exhausts, the cross-over pipe between header pipes before reaching the mufflers is supposed to enhance performance. Am guessing this is due to exhaust being able to escape through both mufflers instead of just one.

With the bike at hand, eliminating the cross-over pipe might not produce a significant difference in performance, especially where freer breathing mufflers are fitted.

Good Fortune!

My '79 400 didn't had aftermarket megaphone mufflers and no cross-over pipe. Worked great!

Go for it!

After breaking two bolts and 3 reciprocating saw blades it's on and sounds pretty decent. Not sure if it's air tight though, really had to toque the clamps. How can I tell if it's air tight? Should I just get it welded on?

Likely hear it spitting if not air tight.

Tried metal shim stock?

Could use high temp silicone to seal joint.

Good Fortune!

Hopefully I'm going to be putting my exhaust back together soon and I'm going to use Permatex high-temp silicone gasket material when connecting the muffler to the header pipe. The material the FSM says to use isn't available anymore, but this sounds like the closest thing.

I'll give the silicone a go.

So I got the new mufflers on today and new handlebars. Replaced the miniapes with drag bars. It looks good and gives me better control, but I'm not sure how my back likes it... I'd really like something wider with more pull bar...

Fitting the exhaust system to the bike, hanging the muffler in just the perfect position, etc., requires being able to move the muffler's position on the header, both rotationally and further onto or off the header pipe.

Would bear in mind the need for such adjusting and positioning, because using silicone to seal the area between muffler and header will likely make it virtually impossible to later separate the two pieces from each other, or to ever re-adjust their interface with each other. If using the silicone, better get a perfect fit the first time, before it dries.

Often, small leaks will seal themselves with carbon, after running for awhile.

Good Fortune!

Sounds like your clamps are bottomed out. I made gaskets out of aluminum with a hole saw a file an a grinder.

Patton wrote:

With increasingly restrictive exhausts, the cross-over pipe between header pipes before reaching the mufflers is supposed to enhance performance. Am guessing this is due to exhaust being able to escape through both mufflers instead of just one.

With the bike at hand, eliminating the cross-over pipe might not produce a significant difference in performance, especially where freer breathing mufflers are fitted.

Good Fortune!

thats a balance tube,supposed to equalize pressure