Hi everybody. Hope you had a good new year and not too many sore heads!
Thanks for all the advice and comments.
I still feel that it would be a useful addition to the forum if we could have a ?manufacturers showcase? section where we can share experiences regarding quality, ease of fitment etc. I realise that there could be issues with libel if defamatory remarks are made. This may depend on what country this forum is registered in as different laws will apply in different countries. This type of feedback is common on sites such as Amazon, ebay and product tests and reviews are common in car and bike mags where various products are lined up against each other and scored in various areas. In fact, ebay have recently introduced a new feedback system where I understand that Power Sellers are penalised in their advertising rates if their average feedback scores are too low. Any comments we give should relate to our personal experience and the particular part we are fitting with no generalisations. Comments should be specific and positive, ie suggestions on how the part could be improved.
Sometimes with lower priced faulty products it is easier to bin them and put it down to experience as life is too short, but it would be beneficial to fellow enthusiasts if we could share that experience so that others do not waste their hard earned money.
I know that if I ran a company I would be proud of that company and be committed to continual improvement and customer satisfaction as that is how a company grows ? through reputation and by recommendation. If I find a company which does not have that commitment I will not use them again.
In the UK all goods sold must be ?of merchantable quality? and ?fit for purpose?. The first criterion is sometimes subjective and could pertain to the styling, cosmetics, finish etc. which are difficult to quantify but could also apply to BS standards for safety. The second one is quite specific ? the goods should be fit for purpose. If an exhaust system is sold to fit a certain bike then it should fit straight from the box ? no bending, grinding or cutting. I would think that if that item was also paid for by credit card then more protection is given under the consumer credit act.
Is there anybody on the forum who has expert knowledge in libel and consumer law?
I know that we all run old bikes and that modifications may have been carried out by previous owners that we may be unaware of which may affect the fit of new parts. In this particular instance I am fairly sure that my bike is original as I have checked the frame and engine number through the BSAOC. I have also applied for a new age related plate but DVLA has found the original registration number from the frame and engine number and it all ties in to a 1959 bike.
It may be that as all manufacturers produce pipes in batches, there are variations. It is probably stored as a set of dimensions and bending radii which are used on a pipe bending machine and it may depend on who set up the machine that day and their skill in using it. Small variations in bend angles and springback of pipe after bending, differing thickness of pipe wall and type of material used will all probably have an effect on the finished article. I would doubt that a sample from each batch is actually tested on a bike to check the fit. This is where we, the end user come in. Any manufacturer worth their salt should value our feedback and not treat it as an irritation.
I will try and sum up the situation as I see it. An A10 RGS exhaust is siamese and runs down the timing side of the bike where there is plenty of room and has a single goldie silencer.
A10 SR models have twin pipes with the Burgess style silencers. The driveside pipe has an, it would appear, unnecessary double kink under the footrest.
Using standard silencers the double kink is not an issue but if twin goldies are fitted the it is, as the driveside pipe needs to be shortened as the kinks prevent the goldie being slid on the pipe enough to line up the rear mounting as the pipe ends up fouling the baffle. If the pipe is shortened then the clamp ends up on one of the kinks and will probably not seal correctly. The timing side pipe is ok as it is straight and slides in the goldie enough to line up with the rear mounting.
Purists may say that the SR should have the standard silencers and then there would not be a problem and they may have a point. I think that the goldie looks nicer but the manufacturers have not thought it through when they manufactured a left hand silencer for a twin pipe system. It seems that they have used the right hand goldie for a Siamese system and then made a left hand version assuming that it would all fit ok. What is needed is to weld the mounting bracket about 1.5 inches further forward to allow twin goldies on stock pipes. I will try to contact Britura and suggest that to them and update this post with any news.
In the meantime I will go ahead and make a couple of triangular brackets so that I can fit the goldies further towards the rear using my old stock pipes.
Ride safely
Jim
