ONE: my exhaust pipe is come loose AGAIN and is now backfiring at the connection where the header meets the pipe. THis happens almost once a month and is a pain to reassemble. The pipe is a replacement (not stock) HD with a screw clamp.  My question is: is there another way, better way, something way to get this to stay together?

TWO: I looked (for over an hour) at my owners manual, at the Clymers manual and in the Savage CD and could not find the NAME of a hose that seems to be leaking oil on my bike.
It is located above the oil case right in front of the clutch cable. It is rubber wrapped in spring wire.  It seems to be leaking right at the nut joint.
My guess is that it is an oil hose but going where and what for, and do I need to drain it or anything before unhooking or tightening it? Does it have a name or ID?

If you can get the clamp on tight enough to stop the leak, drizzle some high temp threadlock on it, so it will stop vibrating loose.


If finding the right size O-Ring is a hassle & you can lay hands on a couple that are too big real cheap & easy, take an X-Acto & cut thru an o-ring, at an angle, then stick it in the housing & wrap it to the overlap, then cut & fit it. I've done this twice & it doesnt leak. Just takes a few minutes.

Don't forget ACE hardware if you have one of them around you, they seem to have a fairly extensive O-ring inventory.

You may need to get another hose clamp.  The one I have is excelent.  It has a full band that encircles the pipe entirely.  And the clamp is tighted by an aircraft style T-bolt and nut.  Not like the stock clamp or a typical worm drive hose clamp.  That and a gasket made by coke-cola or budweiser should do you just fine.

The speedo cable connection will leak oil cause it constantly wetted by the oil being thrown off by the clutch.  And due to the pumping action of the piston going up and down there is quite a bit of air flow pushing this oil out.  The original o-ring is not really an o-ring, but a standard size will fit and keep the leak down to a point where it only collects dirt.

skatnbnc wrote on 01/21/08 at 05:34:11:


The reason that you couldn't find the photo on the Savage CD is because you didn't know what to call it.  As mentioned before it is the speedo cable.  The photo name is "Speedo_Seal.jpg" and it is in the "Engine" folder.  In that photo I show a common size o-ring that you can buy at a hardware store for about .25 cents.  

It is made out of neoprene.  Just get one that is a snug fit inside the nut, and that nut is only hand tightened enough to compress the seal and stop a leak.  You don't have to make it really tight with pliers or something...which might actually make it leak too.

PS - anytime you can't find something that you seek on the CD, please feel free to send me an email.  I always check email even if I don't log in here.

skatnbnc wrote on 01/21/08 at 09:18:01:

Glad to keep an eye on it for you!

I'd leave it, once it gets worse then replace it.  

Reelthing wrote on 01/21/08 at 11:39:09:

But wouldn't you say that if it's leaking from the threads, that it must be leaking past the seal?  If that's the case, then why not just buy a 25 cent o-ring at the hardware store, instead of a roll of tape?

If someone can make me a sketch of this O-ring, I'll see if I can find/make some.

I either lost it on the first tank removal or it never had one.