GS450L Exhaust Question

[Buster-boy]

I bought a new-to-me set of pipes for a GS450L on eBay last year. When I finally got around to installing them this year I found the rear mounting brackets are different and the pipes won?t mount to the frame. They were advertised as compatible with my yr/mk/mdl, but you know how that goes sometimes. The salvage guys don?t always really know for sure.

The pipes I had have the bracket welded to the pipe and has just a bolt hole in it. It?s welded in a position such that the bracket is on the inside of the pipe and extends downward. The new-to-me kind has a bracket welded to the inside and has two studs coming from it. Another bracket is then attached to the studs. This bracket then bolts to the frame. This bracket extends upwards.

As typical (according to the Suzuki fiche from Babbits.com) I can only use years 80-82, and model ?L? on this bike. That slims my pickings even more. I have searched eBay and the salvage yards for another set but can?t seem to find any.

I know many times they?ll use the same part but assign a different part number over the years. Does anybody know, or can you point me in the right direction, is there a cross reference out there anywhere that will show part #123xyz from 1982 is the same part as #789abc from 1987? I called my local Suzuki dealer but they don?t have anything back that far in years.

Also does anybody know if I can flip that new-to-me bolt on bracket around? Will it work, or will I have to fabricate something to bolt to the bracket and then to the frame?

There are a few sets on eBay currently but none have the bracket like mine, or the seller thinks he has gold for sale.

Thanks in advance and anything you may have will be helpful.

Jim

 

[Guest]

Bugger what a PITA! I have an E, and the original pipes have a bracket on the inside going up with a single bolt hole that mounts the chromed brackets for the foot pegs.



I don't know if that will help you at all or not, but if they're like that I can potentially measure from the header to the bracket or something?

Might need one of the L guys to chip in here...

 

[olddaddy]

This is one of those situations where you have to make do with what you have. So, you can either modify the ones you bought or cut up your old ones for the brackets and weld them on your bike. I have pipes from an 83 L model if that would help. Can you post pictures of what the ones you need look like? I can compare to mine.

 

[Steve]

If you have a separate bracket that needs to be bolted to the pipes, why not just make a new bracket to fit?

.

 

[Buster-boy]

I can't take a pic of what I need because I put them back on the bike. However, the pic below is of a set that's on ebay right now. These are exactly what I need. I'd buy these but they have holes in them too so that would get me nowhere.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980...657148QQ_trksidZp5197Q2em7QQitemZ310313733806

My plan B is what Steve suggested - "why not just make a bracket?". That's what i'm going to look into if I can't find a set for sale. I figure I could get an L bracket of some type from Home Depot or something and fab something out of that.

I think the dimensions are the same across models/years (don't quote me on that) however I think it's those brackets that throw a wrench in my machine.