I knew to avoid sparks & flames & such around batteries, especially when they are being charged. I never even thought about the vent tube going down close to the exhaust. As I was grinding the end off the header the most white of flashes DID flash & it was the vapor off the battery. It cracked the battery & it is toast. I added baking soda to a spray bottle & water & sprayed the bike down to neutralize any acid. I hope this helps keep someone else from goofing up. The upside? I did get to hear the Trapp rumble before I pulled the busted battery. Sounds real Nice.

Where the offset in the SuperTrapp is, it only goes about an inch & a half, it wouldn't let me slide it on the header far enough to get both bolts in the rear support. Just can't slide a bent piece on a straight piece past the bend.

sorry to hear about this, mate!never even entered into my head about vent pipe with batteries.

still, every cloud & all that - good reason to upgrade to a maintenance free battery (see links on site if you need sources - my 96 came with a (new) one from old owner).

Blew the entire top of a car battery off with a spark from a grinder once. Had the battery on a charger while grinding nearby and a spark must of gone in one of the caps. Sounded like a M-80 going off. Luckly for me I was wearing goggles and a heavy jacket cause I got soaked with battery acid. Spent a good 15 minutes washing down with a hose to get the battery acid off, didn't help too much, all the cloths ended up falling apart when washed.