Malc Johnstone

The Black widow exhaust is a really good fit all round, but I'm glad Snakebite68 voiced his concern about the proximity of the exhaust to the fairing. The sides of the belly pan were close enough to cause me to space them out a bit. Probably not the fault of the system, to be fair, more to with the bendy brackets.

I didn't use the paste on the gaskets, no need, they were proper crushable jobs. I used the paste on the sections that joined together, but, honestly, they were that good a fit and a generous overlap that I could likely have done without it Hoping to refit the belly pan and possibly fairing tomorrow- I'll be sure to post a full review of the proceedings on here. That may get to Wednesday tho, hoping to have a look at a Tuono Factory tomorrow evening. I sold my 1200 Tiger Explorer last year, with every intention of stopping riding after my missus was diagnosed with breast cancer. But she's recovered well from surgery and chemotherapy and I'm finding the bike bug, after 50 years, is still strong. Won't be going touring anymore, which is what I bought the Tiger for, but I'm struggling to do without one.

The Black Widow system is excellent mate. As well as supplying new gaskets, they included a tube of sealant too. The whole thing fitted together perfectly, with springs and hooks to hold it together. Very solid and, from a mechanical nerdy perspective, looks like a supermodel compared to the original. Significant weight saving too. I have some tarting up work to do on the fairing panels, so they're not back on yet, but the system fits so neatly around the engine cases I can't imagine it coming into close contact with anything.

Thank you very much jcr, that's a really good article. Unfortunately, I'd already taken most of the steps explained there. I ended up with a pulley wheel that was so corroded it broke up, lots of snapped bolts and an exup valve that was seized so tight in the housing that I think someone must've welded it there for a laugh. I managed to break the exup blade trying to get the damn thing out. To replace all the parts was in excess of £700, versus 294 for a Black Widow system. I'd recommend the Black Widow solution very highly. Beautifully made, perfect fit, brilliant delivery and the bike sounds awesome now. Absolute bargain and no more exup misery.

Yeah, thanks Snakebite68. I didn't follow the link , just had a look at their website. I'll probably go for the system and just chuck the standard can back on, for now. He can have a look and figure out a can for himself Recommend the Blueflame stuff, decent quality

Thanks gents . The Black Widow exhaust option looks like the best bet, for sure. If only I had the 400 sheets lying around doing nothing special . It's good value tho. I'll have to persevere with what I have, but it's a major ball ache. Cheers

Thanks Snakebite68. I'm getting to the end of my rope with the damn thing now. Soaked it in oil, WD40, paraffin, heated it, but it won't budge. I'm very tempted by the Blackwidow exhaust too, but even the cheapest option is more than a third of the cost of the bike . I'll keep trying. I wonder if a halfway house solution might be an option- anyone tried drilling some holes in the blade, or cutting the bottom half of the blade away ? Can you tell I'm clutching at straws here ?

My son has a '96 Thunderace, low mileage, which he bought quite cheaply after he wrote his old ZZR1400 off. While his wrist recovers I'm going through the bike for him. Most of it seems good, if tatty, but I'm having a real problem with the exup valve. It's seized and seems to be seized in the fully closed position. It was a dog to get out, corroded and broken up cable pulley, snapped bolts etc. I'm fairly handy and can fix most things eventually, but what has got me really stuck is that the blade part of the valve is seized solid in the plate which unbolts from the exhaust. Absolutely nothing will shift it. And I can't find a replacement even if I drill the damn thing out. Can't a full Black widow exhaust, so I'm looking for options - drill some holes in the blade, cut half the blade away, cut it out altogether ??? Don't usually ask for help, but I don't know what to do next.