is this a cutom made/ aftermarket exuast? can't find anything similar

[sm7482]

so im starting my restore on my kawasaki g5b 74' model. upon researching i found that the pipe on the bike is nothing like stock :whoa: it has an expansion chamber and is a totaly diffrent design. ontop of that i can't find any info on any kawasaki dual sport or streat 2-stroke bike with an identical exuast. nore any aftermarket exuast ever made for this model :whoa: here are some pics: the heat sheild kind of looks home made don't yah think? anyways help in figuring this out is strongly appreciated.


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what it should look like

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[sm7482]

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my bikes exuast

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this one has a fat expansion chamber, the other original doesn't. is this custom? :think:

 

[sm7482]

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o3/rock_krawler/B-13.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> exploded view of original pipe.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

It looks like a Bassani expansion chamber.

 

[dirt bike dave]

During the early to mid '70's, there were quite a few makers of performance exhausts for the Japanese dual sport bikes. Some of them were auto parts makers such as Bassani and Hooker. Others were motorcycle specialists in street bikes systems for the the Yamaha RD's and Kawasaki triples. There was one maker who specialized in Kawasaki stuff who would have had a pipe for your bike, but I can't recall the exact name (Bill Wirges? something like that).

It's hard to track these things down as most of these bikes and pipes were in landfills or scrap yards long before digital photography, .pdf parts catalogs and the internet.

While its doubtful the expansion chamber/silencer is custom, your heat shield does look home made (maybe the original rusted off or the bike owner wanted a small project for his metal shop class).

BTW, your bike is remarkably complete overall. In most cases the street stuff got ripped off, larger rear sprocket put on, etc...

 

[dirt bike dave]

Found this thread via google http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/vintage-motorcyle-info/61528-74-f11-no-power.html

Here's a pic of a Wirges expansion chamber, reportedly for an F11. Your bike's previous owne may have just drilled holes in the Wirges heat shield plate.

 

[sm7482]

it looks similar. Yeah the bike is pretty complete, the only thing missing is the oiltank cover and original pipe. I will probally paint this pipe and re do the heat sheild on it but also pick up an original just so if i sell it the pipe goes with it. so this is an aftermarket exuast? if most of them have been destroyed does it mean this one is worth something? does it have a spark arrestor?

 

[dirt bike dave]

Not sure if that has a spark arrestor or is just a silencer. Is it rebuildable? Maybe there is a clip on the tail end. My brother had one that looked liike a smaller version of your silencer on an aftermarket exhaust on his '72 Yamaha 60, and it was a spark arrestor if I remember correctly. Spark arrestors have been stamped as USFS approved for some time, but yours may be a spark arrestor that pre-dates the USFS stamp.

The old test that the forest rangers would do is to stick a length of welding rod down the tail pipe. If it proceeds unobstructed, no spark arrestor. If it hits a blockage within 6" or so, then it probably has a spark arrestor. There is a patented type of spark arrestor (Krisman, I think) that was commonly used on aftermarket pipes back then. It looks like a turbine blade with a solid fixed center, and it would be near the middle of the silencer.

I'm sure your pipe dates back to the '70's and might be worth a little something to the right buyer (ideally someone who used to have one on his bike back in the day, and he's trying to recreate the thrills of his youth), but those buyers are probably few and far between. Maybe $50? That same buyer would probably want your entire bike at the right price.

The bike probably runs better with the aftermarket pipe (some of those stock pipes were quiet but very restrictive) so it would be shame to separate them, IMO. I think that pipe will clean up nice with a new heat shield. I'd try to make it look like the Wirges shown above, since that's probably what the pipe is, IMO.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I haven't heard the name Bill Wirges in a long time. :)

Next we'll be talking about Dennis Dean and the Denco Triple Triple.

 

[_JOE_]

That triple triple had to be one heavy pig.

 

[sm7482]

yeah theres a clip on it, it seems rebuildable and ill problally take it out any way later on in the rebuild to clean up all the carbon deposits. when i took it off and set it on the floor, it hit the ground kinda hard so when i picked it up a rain of carbon flakes fell out.

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amazingly there isn't a single dent anyware in the pipe. any body know if the Bill Wirges exuast company is still around?

 

[dirt bike dave]

any body know if the Bill Wirges exuast company is still around?

Well, he used to have ads in the motorcycle magazines during the '70's, but it seems like he fell out of the scene by 1980 if not before. He specialized in Kawasaki pipes, but had other products and made some pipes for other brands, too. But he made pipes for just about every Kawasaki it seemed. I think he was based in Illinois. By the late '70's alot of the MX and aftermarket industry focus had shifted to California, and SoCal companies like DG and FMF started up, and started getting big market share.

BTW, I found Bill went 242 mph at Bonneville in 1973. I think it was a Kawasaki triple powered streamliner he built. Maybe a triple double, or is that a double triple?

Found these images on the web. Looks like you have to go to Japan to get a Wirges shirt, but the stickers can be ordered at http://www.reproductiondecals.com/default_frameset.html?kaw_sm.html~main

 

[dirt bike dave]

amazingly there isn't a single dent anyware in the pipe.

The entire bike looks very low hours. What little it was ridden was probably almost all on the street. Not sure that its worth much, but its nice to see one intact. That's a good candidate for a restoration.

Most street/trail bikes from the '70s had all the street stuff torn off, knobbies put on, different sprockets, handle bars, and Preston Petty fenders to replace the broken stockers. The metal tanks are usually dented and eventually repainted, the seat gets covered in black duct tape, the rubber foot pegs get torn in crashes, the forks start leaking, etc... Eventually the thing stops running and gets tossed away. Most of them probably got disposed of by about 1980. By then, the longer travel bikes were making the old dual sports totally obsolete.

 

[sm7482]

9,500 miles on it. seat is original with no rips, nothing broken just a little worn. it will be hard finding dust sheilds for the front forks thogh. overall it's in great condition. the tank has no dents and is originall, it will however need to be sealed.

 

[dirt bike dave]

9,500 miles! I never would have guessed.

 

[sm7482]

Aha!

look what i found under old paint :whoa:
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turns out it's a j& r power pipe. Ive never herd of em before, anybody know any history on j&r? i'm more than eager to hear about them. sadly the serial numbers are gone to, all thats left is a 4.
the inside appears to be rebuildable but im unsure what this stuff is, it looks like fiberglass. can it be repacked? it's bad in some places.
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[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Nice, Wirges rung a bell or 2. I was guessing Bassini also. That inner core with the holes should come out, with all the nasty stuff. I would get some gloves for sure. Any 2 stroke packing will be fine to put back in.