The exhaust system

The exhaust was kindly donated to the project by Dave "katana" Whitehead.
It used to be fitted to this bike...
...which was sold on to Dave in a somewhat lesser state.
As you might notice the system was originally designed for a GSX-R so it was a bit of a gamble if it'd fit allright.
But after bashing two small framelugs out of the way with a reasonably sized hammer it went straight on and runs very neat/tight along the frame.
The only things that needs to be changes are the exhaust flanges as the GSX's exhaust bolts are further apart than on the GSX-R.
It was a very pleasant surprise to find a baffle inside the megaphone which saves me lots of work to keep noise levels below the pain-limit.

Even the bracket is in the right place!
Just need to weld a lug to the frame.
The system tucks in nicely.

Anyway this pipe will be used on my 7/11 on special occasions instead of having to be re-chromed to make it onto the Katana because...

FastCat discovered her GS1100 propipe wouldn't clear her GSX-R's clutch cover with spacer-plate for the lock-up.
A swap with my system would be a great idea but she allready had ordered a new GSX-R propipe.
So a deal was made and a couple of weeks this box arrived at my doorstep. I allways wondered why items in their original box are worth more more, but I must admit it has something special to it unpacking a box like this. Allmost a ritual.
First thing to be unpacked is a brand new megaphone. FastCat's GS1100 megaphone had a baffle inside which she kept herself to meet track regulations. Poor Cat, lucky me ;-)

Next up are the headers, freshly-ceramic coated in satin titanium colour, courtesy of FastCat's sponsor Performance Coatings

There's a few dents and scrathes in the pipework, but they're coated afterwards so it won't corrode anymore, and the dents in the collector provide a few extra mm of extra cornering clearance so I reckon that's a bonus ;-)

 

Performance Coatings offers high heat ceramic coatings capable of withstanding exhaust gas temperatures of 1300° F in our Chromex finish and over 2000° F in our Satin finishes. These coatings possess excellent thermal barrier characteristics, providing a dramatic reduction in radiated heat. This means reduced under-hood temperatures, accelerated exhaust gas velocity and a longer life expectancy for the entire exhaust system, not to mention their chemical and corrosion resistance.

All pieces are first sandblasted with garnet and walnut shell media inside and out to ensure the removal of any foreign matter that could impede proper application, and then re-blasted with aluminum oxide to give the surface the perfect tooth for the coating to adhere to. All pieces are then coated inside and out to seal in the metal, protecting them from rust and corrosion, and giving them the best possible performance properties.

1300°F=700°C
2000°F=1000°C

Retail prices: 4 into 1 Header- loose flanges
Satin - $110.00
Chromex™ - $140.00

Here you see the difference in pipework between a GS (left) and a GSX-R propipe.

The GSX-R headers are also a bit bigger in diameter than the GS headers.
Bob, who works at JAMA Engineering (who produce LASER exhaust systems) made a set of dampers to fit the megaphones.
Even though it took a bit of persuasion by a large hammer and filing away some welds on the inside the fit inside the megaphone is perfect.