Stucchi Crossover for V11S - Fit Problem

[Guest guz]

Any of you wrenchmeisters out there run into this when trying to fit a Stucchi X-over:

 

The right-side pipe going forward seems about 15 mm too long. It's as if Stucchi built the thing for 15 mm TOO MUCH cylinder offset . It looks like I could shorten the stock header by that much to get it to fit, but then I'd risk not being able to go back to the stock X-over - just hate to do that. Can't shorten the X-over itself because the internal expansion joint ends where it ends and that's it. Everything else all the way back and on the left side seems to fit pretty well.

 

I expect SOME degree of "finagling" with any aftermarket pipe to achieve a decent fit, but this one's a bit much. . .

 

Any similar experience or advice?

 

Thanks,

 

Guz in San Diego

[Mike Stewart]

Guz,

 

The Stucchi crossover does not fit like a glove and takes some tweaking to make it fit properly. Try loosening up the header pipes from the cylinder heads and with these loose you can move the crossover around to get it centered. Do not tighten any part till the cans are on and centered. On both of my Stucchi installations the header pipes were not the problem, I always had problems with getting the cans to be centered and at the same height. My Stucchi crossovers both fit shorter than the stock unit. I had one Stucchi crossover that did not fit at all and had to exchange it for another one and that one worked out fine.

 

Are you going to the San Diego rally next month? Hope to see you there.

 

Mike

[Guest guz]

Guz,

 

The Stucchi crossover does not fit like a glove and takes some tweaking to make it fit properly. Try loosening up the header pipes from the cylinder heads and with these loose you can move the crossover around to get it centered. Do not tighten any part till the cans are on and centered. On both of my Stucchi installations the header pipes were not the problem, I always had problems with getting the cans to be centered and at the same height. My Stucchi crossovers both fit shorter than the stock unit. I had one Stucchi crossover that did not fit at all and had to exchange it for another one and that one worked out fine.

 

Are you going to the San Diego rally next month? Hope to see you there.

 

Mike

Thanks for the benefit of your multiple experiences, Mike. In response to your suggestions: "Try loosening up the header pipes from the cylinder heads and with these loose you can move the crossover around to get it centered. Do not tighten any part till the cans are on and centered." - I anticipated having to take it all apart and carefully re-fit the whole system as a unit, tightening it and positioning it joint by joint according to how each angle and length corresponds to the overall fit, clearances, and position of the cans, etc. No dice. It all lines up pretty well except for the problem mentioned. The front pipes on the X-over are also about 3 cm closer together than stock, which places the headers VERY close to the cases, hope I don't catch the dreaded "bubbling paint" syndrome . . .

 

You've confirmed what I had suspected but didn't want to believe - They evidently don't have the tightest quality control on the Stucchi tube bender & fab jig. At this point I'm willing to trade risk of loss of backward compatibility for about 2 weeks of return exchange shipping during my prime-time riding weather!, so the header's "going under the kinfe" with my angle grinder tonight. Damn the torpedoes, FSA .

 

You bet yer metric dial caliper I'll be at Dos Picos Park next month, wouldn't miss it, expecially since it's nearly in my back yard! My place is about 15 mi from there. I'll look out for you then!

 

Rgds.,

 

Guz in San Diego

[Guest goldgooz]

Guz, Just installed Stucchi crossover on my '02 Lemans last night, also had fitment probems. My right top pipe was about .25 inch short! I hope the performance is better than their quality control. After much fittleing,I got everthing to line pretty well. Good luck John B

[al_roethlisberger]

Yep, my Stucchi also had(has) fitment problems, but I'm happy to say that they aren't in regard to pipe length, as that is often a harder problem to fix.

 

My problem is that the rear exhaust tubes are slightly higher/lower than the other, so my mufflers don't sit perfectly even. I don't think anyone but me notices, as we're talking less than an inch difference, but I know

 

I've got them so that the ends of the exhausts as viewed from the rear are even, but if you look closely from the rear or side, one can see that the angle the cans descend to the x-over is steeper on one than the other.

 

I've tried to bend one side of the x-over a bit, but it's pretty darned stubborn, so I'm going to try to bend one side up a fraction, and one side down a fraction and see if I can split the difference.

 

....it's on my "list" that I haven't gotten to yet though

 

al

[Guest guz]

Thanks Mike, John and Al for your valuable input . Last night I wound up shortening my RHS header to achieve a fit as planned. As happened to Al, however, I was still left with the same "alignment" situation with the cans. I could get the ends of the cans at the same height, but only on (considerably) different angles going fwd. to the X-over. This confirms what I observed when laying the X-over on my bench - it isn't "flat", it's twisted somewhat on it's longitudinal axis - again indicating poor QC at Stucchi. Here's how I got myself over that one: When I consider that the RHS can is 2 1/2 inches farther out laterally from centerline than the LHS can (!) -(to clear the beefier drive-side of the swingarm), the can angle disparity seems realtively minor - just another "character" item. Being anal retentive is SUCH a burden. . .

 

I took it for a shakedown ride after torquing it down to ck. clearances (no rattles). Was it me, or has the bike (stock cans) quieted down a little at and above idle? Also, it seems to have smoothed out vibration-wise at low & medium rev's?!

 

Guz in San Diego