Hi I’ve just removed the exhaust from one of my VFs and it was a nightmare or a job.
I thought I was lucky as all the nuts came off OK, well 3 of the 4 - the 4th stud was already snapped when I got the bike.
Even with the nuts removed, I couldn’t get the exhaust flange/collars off the front heads. I ended up cutting through the exhaust studs and pulling them off that way. I’ll worry about the studs later.
Once the collars came off the front, I was able to removed the collector box quite easily, with the rear exhaust joints slipping out reasonably easily.
So Now I have the collector box sitting on on bench but - embarrassingly - I can’t get the collars off the front headers. the end of the exhaust has a ridge/flange/sleeve thing that helps position the pipe in the exhaust port, but that sleeve seems too big to allow the collar off the end of the pipe.
Do those exhaust flanges come off the pipe? They are sold individually as a spare part so I am assuming they do. Does the sleeve knock off the end of the pipe to allow the collar off?
I also see the collector box sold as a new part has them attached - so maybe they don’t come off.But I don’t particularly want to buy a new collector box for $1,000 to get a new $50 collar.
I’ve done a lot of reading and see a number of guys cut these collars off to allow them to remove their exhausts - so obviously they bought new collars - but how did they fit them??
Welcome to the club — you’ve just met the VF1000’s most hated design detail, and you’re far from the first to cut those collars off.
Short answer: yes, the collars do come off the pipe, but only one way — off the plain end. The collar is a slip-fit that goes over the pipe BEFORE the pipe is offered into the head; the locating sleeve/ferrule at the port end is what traps it once assembled. So on the bench, with the pipe pointing port-end-up, the collar is stuck at the fat end with nowhere to slide.
Two ways forward:
If that locating ferrule is a separate sleeve (it often is, just rusted in place): soak it in release agent for a day or two, warm it gently with a heat gun (not a torch — you don’t want to anneal the pipe), and drive it off the pipe end with a soft drift. Once the ferrule’s off, the collar slides off behind it.
If it won’t budge or it’s one-piece: cut the collar off. It’s sacrificial and cheap; the pipe and collector are not. This is established practice on these bikes — plenty of members have drilled or cut seized collars to bits to get exhausts apart.
Fitting the new one is the easy part, and it’s the answer to your “how did they fit new ones” question: slide the new collar over the pipe’s plain end first, then offer the pipe into the port, slip the collar over the studs, and do up the nuts. The collar never has to pass the ferrule because it goes on before the pipe goes in.
Prevention for next time: those collars seize to the studs, not the pipe — corrosion between steel collar and steel stud. A soak in release agent every day for the week before you plan to pull the exhaust makes an enormous difference. And when you get to the snapped stud, the thread into the head is M7x1.0 with M6 nuts on the collar — stainless stud kits exist and are well regarded, and there’s no specified torque beyond the usual 10-14Nm for the 6mm nuts, rechecked after a couple of heat cycles.
The front cyl "collars"are fitted to the collector assembly before it is welded together…no way to remove them unless you cut them off. Best thing to do is get custom headers made up. I made my own stainless “crossover” headers and did away with the silly collector setup…1/2 the weight and will never rust. Pic below looking from under the rear towards front.
Thanks for the info - knowing I can’t get those collars off will save me a lot of wasted time and effort.
I kinda like the idea of chucking the collector box and getting some Custom - like yours Stainless crossover. My collector itself in in pretty good condition, but the two small pipes that come off the read over which the mufflers slip are not so good, and would need to be cut ff and new pipes welded on - I dare say that would cost almost the same as getting the new custom headers made.
I’ll look into it.
I don’t need to get the collars off the pipes, I just wanted to stick them in my vice to make it easier to remove the exhaust studs that are still corroded into them.
Hey Smithy - just out of interest - do you know who I am? We met in Australia, when you were living in NSW.
The OEM header pipes themselves are actually stainless, the collector box is not…The front headers are just welded to the collector box. I still have my stock exhaust at stored at home in the shed. My exhaust is now full stainless with “Polish” Dominator mufflers, came up pretty well even if I do say so myself… the mufflers are actually for a Blackbird but fit the R quite well after a little “fanagling & fettling”…Found that out by accident.
I used to live 50km southwest of Sydney, I’m living ~50km north of Brisbane these days, been up here for 6-1/2 years. I vaguely remember you..! I had another R before this one which I had to sell before I moved up north…always regretted selling it and looked around for ~12-18months for another R until this one turned up, (a deceased estate). All restored now, looks & rides like it was meant to, very happy with the final results. It’s all basically stock except for the exhaust, “Factory Pro” jet kit, new front brake rotors, YSS shock and fork internals, the original rear shock on it was junk basically didn’t work at all.
