Hitchcocks Forum

Hello All. I noticed a leak where the exhaust pipe is fixed to the cylinder on my '99 Bullet 500. Not too bad, but a hiss and a bit of backfire on de-celeration. So, I went to remove the exhaust to inspect and had a few issues...and got a few questions.
FIRST, Is the pipe "dry" fitted into the cylinder, or should there be a crush gasket or donut gasket in there to replace? If not, should I be using an exhaust sealing compound to help seal the leak?
QUESTION, am I doing any damage to the valves, etc with this leak...or only suffering a little soot on the pipe?
SECONDLY, IS there a trick to removing the front engine plate nut from the stud bolt? This is where the exhaust pipe bracket mounts and I couldn't get it off. It's a double sided stud and when I begin to remove the right nut, the bolt will turn inside the left nut. I'm trying to prevent removing the entire stud and supporting the engine. Is there a trick to getting this nut off and leaving the stud in?
LASTLY, is it a common issue for the tab to break where the silencer bracket mounts under the tool box? Mine is broken, and the silencer has not been supported. Perhaps this is why the pipe is working itself from the cylinder? I imagine the only remedy is to re-weld the tab back to the frame?
As always, thanks to a wonderful group of enthusiasts...with infinate wisdom!

I've never heard of that tab breaking before matey,it's a new one to me. There's no secret to the front stud that I know of either, maybe soak it in fish oil (WD40 et al)and leave it overnight? There is usually nothing between the pipe and cylinderhead but the received wisdom is to smear just a little silicon sealant around the pipe before it is fitted. I know this sounds wrong but it really works. Be sure to clean any carbon out first. The exhaust systems never fit well on these bikes. The trick is to fit the whole system loosely and tighten it gradually, don't try to fit the front tightly and then force the rear to fit cos it may not go.

...And you're unlikely to do any valve damage unless the engine is running really lean, for example if you've removed an air filter and not re-jetted accordingly.

Hi Guys-------- and a "HELLO" to tsflyer ( anything to do with the Sea Scouts, me hearty ??)------Pipe is a free-fit into cyl.head..No washers, gaskets originally BUT why not have a try at something ??... As per A.L Eddie's notes re}-- clean out old carbon, then smear white bathroom silicone sealant on the lip inside and on the pipe outside such that when the pipe enters the head a small amount of surplus is pushed along the pipe to form a fillet on the outside.... Try haveing a finned heat sink on the pipe as well..This will form another lip that seals against exhaust leaks...... -------------------- If you can I would tack-weld ( or permantly fix--) the nut on the L/H side so that the R/H nut can be taken off and the long eng. mounting stud knocked back inside the mounting hole and thus be clear of the front mounting bracket.....Broken tab on rear mounting is unusual..... Yes, will need re-afixing to mainframe..

Suport the motor with a jack, remove the stud and turn it around. The tabs sometimes break off. A double bolted clip from a plumbing supply co will do if you can't get it rewelded. You would have to redrill the muffler bracket

Thanks all for the response! All good advise. @ALLEN R...no affiliation with the Sea Scouts. Just a single engine pilot, mostly "bush" flying with vintage Pipers and Huskys and tundra tires. Haven't landed on a "paved" runway in quite some time! @NORM, great idea flipping around the stud...done! I ended up using Permatex Ultra Copper (high temp silicone) for sealing the pipe at the head...worked great. Standard bath silicone scared me as I thought it would just burn up. Anyhow, so far so good. Thanks again.