R51/3 - Muffler and Exhaust question

[Micha]

Thank you all.

Brian, I sent you a PM a few days ago.

[jwonder]

Micha,

As usual there is conflicting information for this. My R51/3 is #529205 so yours and mine are close cousins!

My R51/3 has straight pipes with swallowtail mufflers. My R51/3 is quite original (shocking for a almost 70 year old motorcycle) and after careful, close inspection, there is no reason to think it was not born with those headers and mufflers. My headers and mufflers have been re-chromed at least once in its life. No clearance issues for anything.

If you read the Barrington book in the back, Brian is right the cutoff is listed as 526210 but in the text of page 269 it states that until early 1953 the pipes were straight, which conflicts with when ours were born. We seem to be in-between those two and I am quite sure mine is correct based on all I have seen.

Brian, I just measured my center stand and it is about 250mm - 270mm (depending on how you measure) from the floor to the bolt. How are you measuring the 190mm?

Micha, I would do some more research to see if it was a straight pipe configuration.

[Micha]

I pictured my measurements, they are at about 190, I measured outside and inside.
First one is with folded stand, can not understand were it is interrupting, will be happy to get more explanation.

[jwonder]

Okay, mine is 190mm from outside to outside on the feet like yours Micha, I was measuring the wrong thing!

Thanks for clarifying that!

[Micha]

So you do have ca. 190 mm and use straight pipes??

[jwonder]

Yes, 190mm and straight pipes.

All good....

[jwonder]

Micha,

To put your mind at ease I took some pictures of my pipes and how they run. BY THE WAY, the whole story is on page 270 of the Barrington manual and explains this fully. Our bikes are correct with the straight pipes.

[The Plunger]

Micha,
Beware of dealers selling headers listed as fitting both R51/3 and R67/2, they are NOT interchangeable!
Brian

[The Plunger]

I just remembered, I initially installed the S-bend pipes on my R67/2 but then swapped them out to straight pipes based on some info I dug up. I also made a mistake regarding the center stand. The 230mm wide one forced the use of S-bend pipes after 526210. So, if you have 190mm, use straight pipes.
Brian

[Micha]

Thanks a lot both of you.