[VinnyN]

Hi Folks - I bought 2014 Vaquero stock mufflers from eBay. Before buying, I did some research and concluded that the eBay mufflers should fit my 2009 Nomad. Well, it looks like I was wrong. The right muffler went on with no problem. Unfortunately, the (2) left muffler threaded mounting holes are off by 3/8"., i.e., each muffler threaded mounting hole is 3/8" off of the respective motorcycle frame mount hole it's meant to go through. If the left muffler could be pulled toward the back of the bike 3/8" - all should fit. I've learned that getting the muffler pulled back 3/8" is easier said than done. My attempts to do so result in the left muffler being pulled 80% out of its gasket, which is unacceptable.

The left muffler has the dog-leg pipe that ties into the right-side exhaust. Except for exhaust head bolts, I've loosened just about every bolt that can be loosened to allow me to align the left muffler mounting holes - but no soap. At this point, I'm thinking that the 2014 left-side muffler mounting hole positions differ "by design" compared to the the 2009 models.

One thing I haven't done is loosen the exhaust pipes to heads attachments. There is the potential that this would allow me to finagle 3/8" on the left side muffler but then the exhaust attachments at the motor heads would be off 3/8" . BTW - 3/8" may not seem like much but when it's relative to fixed threaded holes - it is.

Another consideration would be to bend the left muffler's dog-legged pipe, which would be risky and could make matters worse.

Has anyone encountered difficulty aligning the mounting holes on the left muffler of a 1700 and if so, how bad was the misalignment and how did you overcome the problem?

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Peg]

The dog leg pipe on my Cobra aftermarket pipes needed to be "leaned on" just a little, to persuade it to fit properly. It doesn't take much bending to get it right.

 

[VinnyN]

Thanks for the tip. By 'lean on' I assume you mean bend. How (what technique or equipment) did you use to bend the pipe? Thanks.

 

[Peg]

Thanks for the tip. By 'lean on' I assume you mean bend. How (what technique or equipment) did you use to bend the pipe? Thanks.

You'll find it's not the pipe that bends, but the plate where the pipe is welded to the muffler. My mounts on the muffler were half an inch backwards of where they were supposed to be, so I simply upended the muffler so it was upright with the bent pipe resting on the ground (carpet on my garage floor)... and then applied a little weight (I have plenty of that)... I literally leaned on it.

Yours may need to be pulled the other way, but I'm sure you can figure something out so you don't scratch anything. Lie the muffler down on the ground and push the pipe by hand, or something like that? It won't require much movement at the join, to get it to fit further out, and that metal is very soft - it moves easily.

 

[VinnyN]

Peg - I thank you for the info!

 

[matt7even]

Yep my Cobra on the left side has alignment issues. Stripped the original bolt trying to get it to fit. Eventually I had to use industrial zip ties for the time being till I figure out a more permanent solution.