Doug - is he a professional builder or is this his hobby? I just noticed this sentence kind of hidden in the post. 82!! wow, I want to know more about this guy. Inspiring.
I can remember seeing siamesed pipes (as they were known then) on Triumphs and other British sporting bikes when I was a callow youth in New Zealand, back in the 60`s.
It doesn't seem to be the most ideal situation for one header to be longer, or have more length to travel than the other, does it? I would think the best performance would come from equalized lengths...not that they were looking to get the most power out of bikes possible in the ISDT.
That is what I have always understood, but the Vincent twin`s exhaust was like that and it`s the same on the BMW R1100 engine, so it can`t be too much of a detriment unless you are trying to get the exhaust absolutely perfect.
He had a motorcycle shop for 20 yrs., now his shop is his garage. The bikes he still builds are for him. He just told me the Triumph is for sale though. He is a kick to hang out with!
not mine but pretty cool... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/triu...7418404?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item3f1520eaa4
Thank you Earwig, indeed it does look like the ISDE setup-$170 plus shipping. First set I've seen for sale. Waiting on a sludge trap cleaning before the project can move forward.
FWIW, I didn't read everything. Low pipes get flattened unless reinforced or placed between frame tubes. Old time remedy was to get them close together under the engine and weld some angle iron on them to use as a bit of reinforcement and skit plate. High pipes keep pipes out of danger, but not your leg! Here's my high pipe I made for the SR500, but it can burn a hole in a pair of jeans if the rider isn't careful, as my brother learned. Made using mandrel bent tubing from JC Whitney (about $27 worth of U bends and a 45 deg bend and about 3 hr of cut, tack, modify, and TIG) It got chromed by mistake, was to be just nickle plated. The pipe looks gunky in the photo due to oil preservative sprayed on it from a long period of storage. The project is afoot now and due for a May finish date. The pipe gets really hot and will burn through clothing. A piece of a Harley pipe shield kit was added, but it's still hot. I hate the look of exhaust wrap and it was never used in the 60s-70s by flat trackers, so I'll just have to keep my leg away from the pipe - although I never did ruin any pants or burn my leg. If I did a similar pipe again I'd get it ceramic coated, as I did with my KLX650 pipe. Good stuff with minimal care needed. Aesthetic Finishers in Piqua Ohio do good work and turn it around fast. They do coating for Supertrapp and just redid my pipe after the JetHot coating had rust bubbling on the megaphone from what appeared to have been poor cleaning when done ten years ago. I hope AF did a better job, it certainly looks good. The KLX pipe is an old BajaDesigns reverse cone megaphone pipe that is irreplacable unobtainum now.
I made a high pipe for my Ducati 450 vintage racer and melted the threads on my boot. I had wrapped the pipe with pipe wrap and that cut the heat some , not enough. So I made a small heat sheild from aluminum and that does the trick. But the problem is it pushes my foot out further. I need to remake the pipe to tuck in behind the frame tube. It never ends.
Anyone have a closeup of modified footpegs for a Triumph? Trying to come up with a lighter mounting system. Hope to have some pictures soon of the Triumph I'm building-just got the bottom end back.