Help... something's not right!

[Hansi]

Hi Guys... I have just fitted new gas shocks and the Diablo exhaust, but something seems amiss with the exhaust... when I took off the stock exhaust it felt as if it was partially inserted into the engine block, but the Diablo seemed to only butt up against it. I went ahead and tightened up the 2 nuts so that the flange, or plate, tightened up against the 2 bolts. Unknown to me, as I was tightening the bolt on the far side (and out of sight) the flange bent up and appears to have slipped over the end of the bolt. I only noticed this when I went to replace the sump guard (crash-plate), it wouldn't go on as the new exhaust was too low and the front of the guard is about an inch away from where it's supposed to attach! Does this mean that the end of the exhaust has to be fully inserted into the engine block before slipping the plate up against the bolts and then tightening? I have hunted on YouTube for some sort of advice on how to do this but I can't find anything... does anyone know how to do this, I'm desperate for advice! Cheers, Hansi

 

[Hansi]

Just a footnote to the above.... I just took the whole thing apart and re-installed it, I managed to seat the pipe into the engine block about as far as it would go, which is about 2mm, and tightened everything up only to find the muffler end is then about 10 cm too low. I took a chance and gently coaxed it up until it reached the shock absorber bolt, but... the stone guard still won't fit because the exhaust is too low... see photo... what's going on, this exhaust is made for the Ct 125...?

 

[m in sc]

it should sit in the hole, yes, but the flange will always be away from the head. if the headpipe didn't go 'in' the hole, loosen it up and wiggle it in. if it still doesn't fit, sand some of the paint off the header fitting that goes into the head. heres a stainless setup i made for my grom, note the position of the flange/fitting, etc. all the same.

 

[Hansi]

Thanks M... before I reinstalled it I put my finger inside the head and there was a ledge inside, only about 2mm in, so the exhaust pipe hardly goes in. I'll take it out again and run a file around the pipe to make sure there are no burrs or thick paint stopping it. Even if it goes in a few more mm it doesn't look as if it will be enough to allow the stone guard to be fitted... very strange but I'll try again. Cheers, Hansi
Ps: The exhaust sounds amazing!

 

[dmonkey]

Did you replace the gasket? Make sure you're not double gasketing it if the Diablo came with a replacement but the old one blended in, it's a kind of soft metal coil gasket that crushes so it would be a good idea to replace it when changing to a different pipe.

Honda GASKET, EX. PIPE 18291-GE2-920

 

[AZ7000']

Yeah, make sure you got the OG out and didn't double up...

 

[Hansi]

Thanks, guys... the Diablo doesn't come with a gasket and when I removed the stock exhaust I didn't think it had been fitted with one either, but... I was curious about the texture on the end of the pipe, it looks like asbestos (see photo) but I realize now from your posts and the photos that it is indeed the remains of a gasket. I'm even more confused now, as fitting a gasket would make the bend in the Diablo pipe even lower. I have made sure that the pipe is completely inserted in the head but the bend hangs so low that there's no way that the stone guard will fit... I'm wondering if I've been sold a dud with the wrong angle in the pipe...? The 2nd photo is of my wife holding the stone guard up and you can see how it hits the Diablo pipe and prevents it from reaching the fixing... as I said, this exhaust is made for the Ct 125 but the curve in the pipe is nothing like the stock exhaust, which has a much tighter bend.... very strange!

 

[dmonkey]

@cpsmith5 had the same issue with the skid plate, don't see any updates with a resolution on it though: https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/exhaust-blocks-skid-plate.757/

 

[Hansi]

@cpsmith5 had the same issue with the skid plate, don't see any updates with a resolution on it though: https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/exhaust-blocks-skid-plate.757/

Thanks for that info, I've contacted him to see if he ever solved the problem.... cheers, Hansi

 

[Hansi]

Here's another photo that clearly shows just how low the exhaust is, the curve in the pipe seems too large.... you can see how it's ended up being well below the crash bar that the stone guard attaches to..

.

 

[SLO]

Here's another photo that clearly shows just how low the exhaust is, the curve in the pipe seems too large.... you can see how it's ended up being well below the crash bar that the stone guard attaches to..

.View attachment 2538

I think this photo sent to MANUFACTURER would resolve your issue.

 

[m in sc]

somebody else on here mentioned clearance issues to the skid plate .

 

[Hansi]

I think this photo sent to MANUFACTURER would resolve your issue.

Well, this is interesting... I wrote and sent photos to the dealer in Thailand through eBay. I explained the situation and here is the reply that I received....

Dear Buyer,
Thank you for the photo. Please let us explain about it. We checked with Diablo about this issue. The exhaust has to be used with their crash bar and engine guard as the photo advertisement shows. The item will not fit with the original part.

I have actually seen several YouTube videos of people installing the Diablo exhaust and then refitting the stone guard. I actually wrote to 'Lazy Dog Productions and asked if they had trouble and they told me that they had no problem at all. The advertisement states that this exhaust fits the Honda Ct 125, it doesn't mention anything at all that it will only fit if you also fit Diable crash bars and stone guard! If this is true then the ad is misleading and incorrect in my opinion. On top of everything else, this is supposed to be a trail bike with good ground clearance, this low pipe if then used together with a Diablo stone guard would be so low as to be vulnerable to just about every small rock. Anyway, I still need to find other people who have fitted one of these exhausts. All the photos and videos that I see look as if they have the stock stone guard. The plot thickens.... below is the advertisement he is talking about and I can't see where it shows that Diablo crash bars and stone guard is needed!

 

[dmonkey]

I wouldn't be surprised if they changed the design over time without changing the name or model of the exhaust.

 

[Hansi]

I wouldn't be surprised if they changed the design over time without changing the name or model of the exhaust.

Yes, you might be correct, the eBay dealer is checking with Diablo again, just to make sure that he got it right. I'm annoyed with myself as I was thinking of getting the Yoshimura exhaust, which looks the same but is better quality... just my luck!
Cheers, Hansi

 

[SLO]

Designed that way probably on purpose. Thanks for the heads up. They owe you your money back,and you keep the exhaust the way I see it.

 

[Hansi]

Here's the latest... K-Speed, the creators of Diablo exhausts, are looking into this eBay dealer right now. They told me that they have never advertised that buyers of the exhaust need to purchase their crash bars & plate, and they agree that the stock bash plate fits their exhausts. They told me that the eBay dealer did not contact them and discuss this, as he claims. They don't know the guy on eBay at all. Anyway, they asked me to make a very clear film of the exhaust so that they can study it... it might turn out that someone is making cheap copies and using their logo, etc. If it is a scam I can open a case with PayPal and eventually get my money back...

 

[dmonkey]

Certainly sounds fishy. Keep an eye on the date, for eBay I think you have to open a dispute there within 30 days, PayPal and Credit Cards might have a longer window.

 

[Hansi]

Well, after all of that the whole thing has sort of fizzled out... I sent the video off and K-Speed could only point out that the little plastic spacer that fits onto the shock-absorber bolt, has been put on incorrectly. I must have looked at dozens of pictures of this exhaust installed on Ct 125s and at least half of them have been installed this way, and not just by novices, but quite often by motorcycle dealers and mechanics. In any case, this minor adjustment would make no difference to the low curve on the other end, and the exhaust ends up too close and rubs against the shock absorber....

.

When I asked about the eBay guy making up stories they said that they don't know him and can't make any comments about that... mmmm... seems like I'm on my own. Before I go down the legal path involving eBay, the seller, and PayPal, I will make a detailed video of me installing the exhaust and send it to K-Speed, just for one last opinion...

 

[Hansi]

Certainly sounds fishy. Keep an eye on the date, for eBay I think you have to open a dispute there within 30 days, PayPal and Credit Cards might have a longer window.

Thanks dm... yes, it's important to get this resolved as quickly as possible otherwise there's nothing that you can do about it... I've been caught before in the past and I was successful in getting a complete refund...