revtothelimit - motorbike forum

I've just found a pair of silencers for my 1980 CB250RSA...

£280 leaves a bit of a stinging sensation but hey ho... I've been looking for a replacement for the left one since I bought it 15 years ago. Even then, there was bubbling under the chrome that betrayed corrosion and a small hole appeared about three years ago, so failure was imminent.

The reason is that they ALL rot the left pipe just in front of the bracket (presumably water pooling inside when the bike's on the side stand) so although you occasionally find the right exhaust. It was a well-known issue when I was a courier and I had a couple of spare ones squirrelled away. Unfortunately, I used one and sold the other to a mate who's own left pipe had just fallen in too.

I did find a pair in Germany three years ago, brand new original Honda parts, but the 'price on application' turned out to be €1500 - I'm not kidding. That was €300 for the right and the rest for the left one and a silly shipping charge!

As it's just become a historic vehicle (bit like me really), it doesn't need an MOT - just a declaration of roadworthiness - and although you still have to tax it, the tax costs £0. So I diverted the saving towards the exhausts.

I just have to fill in the relevant form and head off to the post office then go out and enjoy life in the not-very-fast lane again

Predator make a 2-into-1 system for the RS, it's a bit spendy, but has a 10 year gaurantee.

I'm a million miles away from being a Honda fan,but the RS is a pretty little bike.

Mate had one fitted with a 500 engine, it went and handled well nice bike

IIRC the RS gearbox was an upgrade for the XBR500, gave it an extra gear.

They were cracking little bikes. I bought one for my GF at the time and she was very happy with it. One of the big H's better designs (apart from the LH silencer, obvs...)

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:16 pm Predator make a 2-into-1 system for the RS, it's a bit spendy, but has a 10 year gaurantee.

Thanks for the heads-up. Unfortunately, 2 into 1s on the RS have a reputation for being the equivalent of sticking a potato down the end can.

A mate fitted a MOTAD when his left hand pipe dropped off, and it lopped 10 mph off the top speed.

And having got to its 40th birthday still with a full set of original parts (except mirrors) I wanted to keep the 2 into 2 looks.

Couchy wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:46 pm Mate had one fitted with a 500 engine, it went and handled well nice bike

That was something I always fancied doing... but thanks to an article on "just how easy" it was in one of the bike mags, the price of a 500 engine went through the roof!

Is there much of a demand for the pipes. At least, enough to make it worth getting a small batch made (apart from that you now have a set*).

* Which could be used as a template

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:47 pm IIRC the RS gearbox was an upgrade for the XBR500, gave it an extra gear.

Not to my knowledge - I owned both and they are definitely both five speed.

Horse wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:37 pm Is there much of a demand for the pipes. At least, enough to make it worth getting a small batch made (apart from that you now have a set*).

* Which could be used as a template

If I were an engineer

BTW that's how Les Harris, the parts man, got started off towards his £millions.

Isnt it great CB250RS is now sought after for parts etc yet in the late 80's they were disposable bits of kit for city couriers to ride till they blew up or suffered too much crash damage to fix so buy another one. No good for inter city work but ideal for carving through traffic

Bigyin wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:35 pm Isnt it great CB250RS is now sought after for parts etc yet in the late 80's they were disposable bits of kit for city couriers to ride till they blew up or suffered too much crash damage to fix so buy another one. No good for inter city work but ideal for carving through traffic

I lost count of how many I had... five, maybe six... they used to get to about 85k - that was about 15 months - then the top end wore out, even with my rigorous 1000 mile oil change routine.

You could run them up the motorway @60-ish and they'd be quite happy but if you opened it up to 70 you had to check the oil every 200 miles.

Mind you, my brother and his mate rode a lightly-modified pair from London to the S African border, via the Sahara... overlanding before overlanding was invented. I think the only mods were CB650 Honda tanks wedged onto the top tube (they held around 5 gallons instead of under 3), off-road tyres, a couple of plates either side of the forks to raise the front mudguard a couple of inches, slightly lowered gearing, and a pair of welded up pannier racks to carry two Jerrycans - one for water, the other for petrol.

Horse wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:37 pm Is there much of a demand for the pipes. At least, enough to make it worth getting a small batch made (apart from that you now have a set*).

* Which could be used as a template

That was my thoughts too. I'd be contacting Gibson or suchlike.

That sounds like a very good price to be honest.

I remember when I was dispatching back in t' early 90s there was loads of lads using those bikes down in London.

I did get a quote for handmade stainless exhausts to follow my OE pipes as a pattern... but it was even more expensive - around £700 IIRC.

I assume that one from a small batch production run is exactly what I'm getting with my replicas!