Exhaust Repairable?

[Guest]

Hello all,

I own a Honda CLR125 and the exhaust has developed a hole. I've tried fixing it on my own accord to no success. the hole is on an awkward part of the exhaust so using bandages/putty etc just doesnt cut the mustard.

Unfortunatley i cant find an aftermarket replacement and the genuine Honda part is around £150 and then theres the cost of fitting. (Not sure how much this will cost).

I was wondering whether anybody has had success welding an exhaust?

I really dont want to fork out what could easily be £200+ as i'm looking to get on a bigger bike in the summer and i'll only get around £700 quid for the bike anyway.

Advice/help is much appreciated.

Thanks

Tricky

[Juggler]

Never tried welding but have had great success patching all sorts of holes that developed in my rust bucket of an exhaust. Did you warm up the exhaust beforehand and let the putty harden overnight, at least? What shape, and how big is the hole?

Fitting an exhaust isn't a big job, something you may be able to do yourself if you want to keep labour costs down.

[Grumpy Old Git]

There is a very good aluminium low-temperature welding kit available from t'internet.

I've used it to create alloy brackets but the video demo shows how to 'fill' a hole in a coke can (approx 1p size0 so should be good for anywhere on yoursilencer (but not the down-pipes).

[oslin06]

if you have a mate with welding gear then yes you can weld a plate over it

[Guest]

A picture would be helpful. From here I canna see if you are trying to weld something which is utterly shot ...

[megawatt]

I can fix that for you Tricky. But you will have to post GOOD pix and price up postage both ways

[bullet5]

Welding it shouldn't be too difficult. After I had my restrictors put back in on my 50 (previous owner had them out). The dealer welded it, and then painted over it. It dosn't look that good at all, and putty would have left a far neater look, if i'm honest. But saying that i've had no problem with the weld. So as long as you get it done well, and the area the hole is isn't too visible, then you should be fine.

[Guest]

Thanks for you're replys. I'll get some pics done today and get them posted asap.

Bullet5 - The hole is on the inner side of the exhaust, above the rear wheel. It's only visible by getting on your hands and knees. Thanks for sharing you're experience though.

Megawatt - Thank you for you're offer, but ideally i'd like to avoid taking the exhaust off and posting as i need the bike to travel to work. Ideally i want to get it done over a weekend.

Dan - Pics will be up asap

Grumpy Old Git - Aluminium welding kit sounds good. i'll have a look into that one. It might be a cheaper option.

Juggler - I used evo-stick, epoxy stuff. It was recommended by a garage - apparently alot better than the putty found in the likes of Halfords. I warmed the exhaust, wire brushed the area to get rid of any loose bits and applied an ample amount, making a complete ring around the exhaust where the hole was. Lasted two minutes - the vibrations/pressure just made it loose its grip. I tried this stuff twice.

I'm concerned that the metal may not be thick enough to weld resulting in the welder just blowing holes. I'm sure the pics will shed some light.

Nice one gents