Sealing exhaust air leaks

Hi all

Getting ready for a trip to Spain so thought I'd spend a little time sorting the air leaks on my R80GS paralever exhaust. It's standard downpipes, Keihan Y piece and standard silencer.

I've always had problems getting the thing to seal completely, but this time I've cocked up the balance pipe gasket. Not sure what happened but I tightened up the clamp and somehow crimped a ridge into the gasket underneath so it wouldn't seal. I've got a new one from Motorworks, but don't want to risk damaging it. Maybe overtightening caused it?

Also, does anybody use any exhaust sealing gunk to get the Y piece to seal to the standard BMW silencer?

Cheers

Sean

i didn't have any gaskets when i came to refit mine, so i podged it up with B & Q silicone sealant

no leaks for thousands of miles though

I use Gun Gum Exhaust Assembly Paste - small tube from Halfords.

Seems to work fine for me and it is possible to take the system apart again later !

Bob.

Thanks chaps

I've had the Y piece checked at Keihan because I thought it might be bent following an 'off' in India a couple of years back and it seems fine.

It seems they don't use any gaskets with the complete keihan systems and any small leaks self-seal very quickly with a bit of carbon.

Anyway, for a small consideration they will open up the end of the Y piece so it is a proper fit for the BMW tailpipe and should seal without gasket - but I will probably use some of that gun gum stuff just to be sure.

Cheers

Sean

cookie said:

i didn't have any gaskets when i came to refit mine, so i podged it up with B & Q silicone sealant

no leaks for thousands of miles though

Click to expand...

+1 but I used some spare fish tank clear silicone sealant I had. Withstands the vibration much better than Gun Gum does.

GE make a red silicone sealant that is cleared for use in high temp areas. I have used this for years with all my various bikes and it works really good. The joints do not seem to deteriorate over long periods.