Comments on: Back on the Road — Almost

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:21:06 +0000

Conchscooter: Good to see you comment temporarily.

I too have the Moto Amore muffler bearing --- bombproof -- but you need that damn Piaggio clamp to make a good seal.

Hope life is treating you well in Key West!

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:16:09 +0000

Mr. Riepe: Had I known how long it would take to get the clamp I would take to get the clamp I would have sprung for the Jet Hot coating. Next time maybe.

By: Conchscooter

Conchscooter — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:07:51 +0000

This comment has been removed by the author.

By: Jack Riepe

Jack Riepe — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:47:02 +0000

Dear Mr. Williams:

The flat black paint on the muffler looks great. I think the job looks very professional and should increase the perceived speed of the bike by a good ten miles per hour. I love black mufflers on bikes and will replace the chrome muffler on the very next BMW I own with one blackened by Jet Hot.

That's too bad about the exhaust clamp. I had a similar problem with the clamp on the end of the header pipe on the K75, but I was able to use a hose clamp from NAPA ($2) as opposed to the ($49) BMW part.

Still, it's best to have the factory part.

Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
Twisted Roads

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:16:02 +0000

Tim Carr: A big leak in the exhaust gasket can cause a catastrophic failure if the superhot gas burns through the brake line.

The good thing is the failure has a distinct, loud, hard to miss sound -- a loud POP POP POP.

My leak is very small, I can just feel some exhaust gas wisping from the joint. And I am not using the normal graphite gasket but instead have an Amore brass one that lasts much longer and isn't as fragile as the graphite part.

But on inspection I see the Amore part has degraded. I plan to sand it smooth, reshape the muffler section, and try again with the temporary clamp. I believe the problem is the design of the temporary clamp-- the surface area of compression is very thin as compared to the factory clamp which compresses and area about an inch wide.

I feel as if I am getting a little engineering lesson.

By: Tim Carr

Tim Carr — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:52:56 +0000

…fried brake systems? Not sure I’d be riding after hearing something like that.

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:50:15 +0000

Dom: That’s the place. Common problem with the GTS. I think my problem is the wrong clamp though. Different design and coverage area.

By: Steve Williams

Steve Williams — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:48:49 +0000

RichardM: It does feel good to do some mechanical work -- we'll see how long that lasts.

No plans for any reviews at the moment. Maybe down the road when I get some other stuff in order.

By: Charlie6

Charlie6 — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:41:38 +0000

So it's leaking where the muffler mates to the pipe coming out of the engine? Not familiar with Vespas.....

Dom

By: RichardM

RichardM — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:00:31 +0000

It looks like a nice paint job on the exhaust. Doesn’t it feel good to know that you did it yourself? And you should’ve hit up the dealer for a nice loaner as you’re overdue for a review…