Honda-SOHC

I agree with your approach using our real advantage as time rich private restorers. So what if takes hours  - getting an unstressed connection at the ports  that you don’t have to worry about will be worth it. Too much to hope that these aftermarket units would just bolt on but your patience is going to be rewarded.

Oh David I like the term time rich I just wish I had the phrase energy rich to match it.
I fitted the side stand in place before fitting the left side system - when using my spring puller I was giving it more grunt that some well known Tennis players.
It was my third full on fully grunted effort that got the piddling looking spring into the slot!  :'( :'( :'(

Fashion is a strange thing if can make a none-PC comparison when I was a teenager the Mini Skirt was all the rage - for me it has never gone out of fashion. The Lotus Elan S4 was always  attractive - it still is today.

In the early 1970's I thought the four pipe bulbous system on Hondas was dated compared to a decent four into one system.
Now 50 years later I chose the four pipe system not for orginality or as they are cheap - I finally understood that Honda were aiming for a classic style that endures.

That bike sure is looking pretty, I have always liked the looks of those 500 pipes, it sounds like a lot of faffing around to fit them but it will be worth it in the end.
Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Dennis

I agree with your approach using our real advantage as time rich private restorers. So what if takes hours  - getting an unstressed connection at the ports  that you don’t have to worry about will be worth it. Too much to hope that these aftermarket units would just bolt on but your patience is going to be rewarded.

So started my first fit for the left side exhaust pipes. I ended up using the old front clamps as the new ones appear to have quite tight holes causing me difficulty on number two front pipe as the studs that were Helicoiled are at a very slighty wrong angle.
Quite happy for now to use the old clamps that I had previously  cleaned &  painted.

I fitted number two front pipe first  as its the lower silencer unit. lt lined up quite nicely but number one upper silencer was not wanting to fit with the rear joint miles out. After several attempts and a tea break I tried a new idea.

I fitted the front pipe end first with the clamp in position but not the two collets. With the mounting bracket removed I fitted the connector pipe in place (not tighted but clamp in place) then slipped in the two collets on number one exhaust and nipped up the two retaing nuts finger tight. I then slipped the mounting bracket in place nipping up the silencer nuts and the top hole bracket just slotted in place. I used an old bungee strap on the end of the silencer to keep the connector in place rather than clamping it up.

Tomorrow i am minded to make some minor adjustment to the slotted holes on both brackets so that the front pipe sits more freely into the cylinder head. With a lot of faffing about it took me almost two hours to fit one side including tea break.  So far I've just fitted the left side exhausts - I still need to do a little fettling as I want to make the front pipes fit better into the cylinder head - I might need some wider slots in the top holes of the brackets to allow the silencers to move a mm back. Just to release any unnecessary tension.
 
side view by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

.end view by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr