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July 14, 2013
Exhaust System
[Click on pictures for a larger view]
So
I've been saving up my money for the exhuast system for the Daytona.
The 30-odd year old Dunstall mufflers on the bike, while not
rusted through, were pretty much just chrome containers full of rust
flakes. The insides were completely gone. The pipes were also
non-standard and didn't fit very well.
I expected some trouble
in finding the right parts for the system because this is a UK bike,
and I was determined to bring it back to the original UK spec. I
have a "Supplement" to the 1971 T100R Parts Catalgue for "UK &
General Export" bikes. It shows my original exhaust system, and
it's quite a bit different from the US models. The UK models had
megaphone mufflers while the US models had the "sausage" style.
The mufflers hung from brackets that also held the passenger
footpegs. Since the megaphone mufflers are longer, the pipes are
shorter on the UK models, and here was the main rub. Though I had
part numbers for the shorter pipes, I couldn't find anyone in the
states that could supply them. Some crossed them to the US pipes.
which I knew probably wasn't right.
I have the good
fortune to live only a pleasant hour's drive from Baxter Cycle in
Marne, Iowa, who specialize in British bikes. I explained my
situation to Randy Baxter, and he spent a good deal of time checking
his books and his stock, and calling around. Though it looked
like he had some aftermarket British mufflers that were very close to
the originals, the pipes were not going to be had. It appeared
that possibly the shorter T100R pipes might have only been supplied on
UK bikes for that one year. I ended up taking the mufflers and a
set of NOS US T100R pipes with the agreement that if I couldn't make it
work, I could bring them back.
Here's what it looked like when I mounted the pipes and mufflers on the bike.
After
a lot of head scratching, I was almost ready to take Randy's advice and
convert the bike to a US-style exhaust. After a night's sleep, I
looked at it again and came up with a way to make it work with just a
simple adaptor. First, I had to get rid of the excess pipe
length. So much for taking them back to Baxters.
Fortunately,
I have a small lathe, and spent an hour making two of these adaptors
out of aluminum. The left picture doesn't show it, and it can
barely be seen in the right pic, but I sawed a slot lengthwise in the
adaptor so the clamp force would close it on the pipe.
The adaptor did the trick and although not stock, it allowed me to use the correct UK mufflers.
It is really starting to look like the Triumph I remember now.
Comments to: elhollin1@yahoo.com
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