Poor FMF Pipe Fit

[moridin]

I finally got my FMF Gnarly bolted up last night - but it was no easy task. Not sure if FMF is having some QC problems - but my pipe was far from perfect (sure looks good though).

The headpipe was about 1/8" from sliding into the manifold. Doesnt sound like alot - but 1/8" is a long way to stretch. They dent the inner side a bit (flat spot) to make enough room for the thing that shoots up from the right side of the engine. That looked fine. There was just NO way of getting it on in its stock conguration.

I wound up putting most of my weight on the pipe, sticking a 3/4 socket wrench int he pipe opening - and bending it that 1/8". I felt it move a bit - although the steel did make a bit of a noise as it moved. Doesnt sound like any welds popped or anything.

It then fit the bike - but the lower lounting tab was out of whack. had to bend it a bit too. I can tell than bending that tab caused the finish to stress - so I assume my plating will come off that tab in no time flat.

I looked with a flashlight - and it looks like the pipe fits correctly in the manifold. Knowing what I did - I would say visually it appears as if the (looking fromt he front of the bike) left side is a bit closer to the manifold wall than the right. I would guess there is about 1.5mm around the pipe - and the left is maybe 1.25mm.

I got the tab bent - everything mouted tight - silencer fit well.

Fired it up and all seems good. No leaks or anything. Put a match under the manifold to see if any air at all was getting out - nada.

So question is - with a $2200 pipe I expected a PERFECT fit. Shoudl I be concerned with my alterations? I hate to go through the process of sending it back and waiting all month for a return.

sn

 

[Smit-Dog]

For starters I'll assume the pipe was $220, not $2,200. Either way you're right; for that price it should fit. It's not like every bike has dimensions unique unto itself.

Do a search in this and other forums on FMF fitment quality. Seems like it is hit or miss, with A LOT of misses reported.

About a year ago I asked an FMF rep at an industry event about the fit and finish quality issues. His response was that some of the manufacturing jigs get "dropped" or "bumped" once in a while, and it goes unreported or unchecked. A bunch of pipes make it out the door before the the jig is corrected.

Now maybe he wasn't the most qualified to comment on the issue, but he was a rep for FMF, and I think his response speaks poorly on the quality commitment FMF has to it's products. They are obviously a big-name pipe manufacturer with a lot of market share. Perhaps they are just too fat, happy, and arrogant to do anything about it. Their products are still flying off the shelves.

Everyone seems to rave about the performance of the pipes, so if you get one that fits good, you're a happy camper. But if you get a poorly fitted piped, (to paraphrase CanyonCarver) it's "100% bad". I rarely, if ever, hear these quality stories regarding Pro Circuit. I'd call FMF and complain LOUDLY. It's not as if they aren't aware of the issue; I get the sense that they are just ignoring it.

 

[Twiztid One]

i put one on my bike a few months back and i had the same problem with it being just a little off like you said . a few cuss words and shrugging on it and finnally got it on . this is my third FMF purchase and this was the only one i had troubles with , they must have some quality issues right know . i'm still happy with the performance with it but its kinda a pain for what you pay to haft to fight with it to get it on .

 

[Racerjoey1]

I took mine off my bike after I bought it to clean it and polish it up and I got so mad at it I didn't work on it for a few days. I finally got it on there but I had to rig it a little bit like tweak the brackets. But, you would think when you spend that much coin on a piece of glorified piping it would fit right the first time.

 

[McRider]

I just put an FMF Gnarly on my 220 and had the same problem as the original poster.......pipe didn't clear the power valve advancer. I had to dent it in a little more with a big hammer. I only paid $60 for it at an end of year clearance sale. Maybe they were getting rid of a bad batch.

 

[canyncarvr]

The headpipe should fit square into the cylinder. If it doesn't it will likely leak and THAT is a power robbing situation for a fact.

FmF fit-n-finish is crap. That's common knowledge.

That said, it's not uncommon to have to loosen/tweak brackets a bit to make any pipe fit. At least that's been true of the four pipes I've had on my bike.

IF you don't have a good fit to the cylinder, take it off and reassemble it with a bead of hi-temp silicone applied between the o-rings. Let it cure before you start it up and (maybe) blow all the sealant out.

Don't be tweaking on the pipe with pressure being applied to the cylinder!!! It's aluminum 'fer crin' out loud!! Reefing on aluminum with a nickel/steel pipe is asking for disaster!

The pipes do bend fairly easily with a piece of pipe jammed in the headpipe, hanging on to the stinger and pushing it around.

It's also real easy to goober the fit so bad doing that that you will be sorry you ever started messing with it!

You could send the thing back....tell them to send you one that fits!

Yeah...I'm sure they'll send you a replacement forthwith...fedex no doubt!!

I'm joking. Not only is FmF's quality complete suckage, their concern over such is nil.

That's my experience, anyway.

Here's a heads-up...their S/As often don't fit any better and commonly come without any of the hardware (grommets and such) you need to bolt the thing on.

....something else for you to look forward to.

 

[moridin]

Geeez - $60 - I dropped $200. Where did you find it for $60?

Sean

 

[palmer69]

Man, mine fit perfectly. I was a little worried after reading the posts about bad fit, but I must have gotten a good one. It is a woods pipe which is considerably smaller in the belly area than a desert making jockeying it around for fitment easier.
I completely removed the silencer and the pipe mounts before I tried to fit the pipe up. This gives alot more room to maneuver the pipe around as you fit it to the cylinder. I know, duh, but maybe this tip will help someone, and yes I realize that this certainly isn't the problem with your fit issues.

 

[canyncarvr]

Ah....your frame is just tweaked!! ;) No other way an FmF pipe would fit 'perfectly'!

......just kidding.

 

[dthoms]

I would send it back, and if they couldn't send me one that fit, I would get a different brand.
My father and uncle both have KDX's and both ordered the same pipe. My dad's fit well and my uncles didn't fit well at all. So he took it back and the second one bolted right into place like it should.
You aren't doing yourself or anyone else a favor when you except a out of tolerance product.
I have had the same problem on one of my bikes before I bought a FMF pipe and it didn't fit so I took it back and got another that did.
At this point the only way I would buy a FMF is if it was the only option or I was assured the pipe was going to fit right the first time.
I have a couple of friends that both own KX 250's one bought a FMF and the other bought a Procurcuit, the Procurcuit fit better and performed better enough so that the guy who bought the FMF bought a Procurcuit for the next season and shelfed the FMF.

 

[Rhodester]

Both my -35 and -30 pipes fit perfectly. I purchased the -35 a few months ago. The -30 came on the bike (used 200H1, '95) and is so old that it is the old thin-wall 'Fatty" version.

 

[kdxme]

Go with Pro circuit. Mine fit perfectly and so has many others on this site.

 

[moridin]

I may go with the PC. My main goal was to pick up some low end.

Odd - after installing the poor fitting gnarly - I thought the pipe made all the difference - the bike seemed to really wake up. However, I also changed the stock jetting down to 45/155 and dropped the needle one notch.

Someone earlier mentioned that FMF customer service - well sucks. they were right. I called and just expressed my concerns over QC and to see if a bad batch made it out. He informed me that a batch had gone out without the indentation made on the inside of the pipe. if mine was like that - I could bang it out myslef - or send it back and they would do it. No kidding.

He also stated that I could send it at my expense - let them force fit it in the jig and they would send it back in 10-20 days at my expense again. I told him I already force fit it on a jig (my KDX and I wasnt happy with it). He said "sorry g".

Great company - lol.

Short story too long - I put the stocker back on - and took it around the culdesac. Wow - I know the pipe helps alot - but he better jetting made a huge diff. Cant decide to get the PC or just beat up the stocker for a while.

Which PC do most folks go with (sorry sure that has been threaded to death).

This just bums me out.

 

[motorpsycho]

Just installed a woods pipe on my bro's '03 200..........He could not get the thing to line up at all. Then I showed up. Within 2 minutes we had the thing on and bolted up. Excellent fit. Ever played with one of those bent nail puzzles?.........Was the same type of thing. Just had to keep tryin', and it slipped right home! I am sure he woulda got it to fit in time! Sometimes, it pays to just walk away from a project and retry with a fresh attitude. No real news here, just my .02..........Hopefully I will be singin' the same tune after I try to install my pipe!!

 

[chris kuba]

I posted previously about this. There product may be good but their customer service is the worst in the world. I never bought anything that was so improperly manufactured that it wouldn't go onto my bike. And it took me over 3 months to finally get a new pipe from them that worked, and it was the third one they sent me. I think all they did was put a biger dent in the side with a hammer and send it back to me. I will never buy from them again. They cost me plenty in shipping from PA to CA 3 times. My advice is to stay away.

 

[BJH]

You would think that Procircuit would offer more options as far as their pipe offerings. They really only have one profile for the KDX. There is a platinum pipe and a works pipe. Both are roughly the same profile. The works pipe is not really an option (IMHO) because it is a HIGHLY rust prone temporary pipe. If PC would offer different profiles like FMF they would rule the aftermarket exhaust world.
Then of course you would think that FMF would tend to quality a hell of a lot better than they do. I just bought an FMF pipe and I'm about to install it. I hope that I'm in the sixty percentile (estimate) that got a pipe that fit. I bought mine through a distributor. If I do have to return it I will return it to them. Hopefully they have better customer support than FMF.

 

[BJH]

Update:
After reading this post I got paranoid and went to check my brand new FMF pipe...There is no KIPS actuator dent in the pipe :(

 

[K220]

I guess I must be one of the fortunate ones. Received and installed a Woods pipe on my 02-220 a couple of weeks ago. No problems. I did follow their suggested instructions to the letter (removing all existing exhaust and hardware ) and did a mock-up fit. Granted when I initially started to install the pipe, it did not fall into place, sorta had to find the right combination (twist, screw, lift-up, push down,etc), but after I determined the proper sequence of events , actually removed the pipe and reinstalled it again with much greater ease. I'm happy. No doubt this was a much easier installation then when I installed the HMF exhaust on my P650 Kawa Quad. Sorta like threading a gnat's a$$ over a telephone pole. Get one side started and the other side slips off !!

 

[Bricks88]

Thanks for the heads up before I even try to put this thing on.I guess Ill have to bring a hammer with me because theres no dents or relief for the KIPS in mine either. Maybe Ill be lucky :laugh: :laugh: Also You spend a nice chunk of change on a new pipe and they cant send you new o-rings because they want you to buy 2 fifty cent o-rings for $7.95. :uh:

 

[BJH]

I agree. on the O-rings. That's pretty cheesy. I would think new O-rings and springs would come with a pipe...
There I go being logical again.

 

[moridin]

When I called FMF - the guy immediatly responded with "oh - your may have slipped out with no KIPS dent". Guessing it isnt the first time this has happened.

Personally - this left a sour taste in my mouth - so I will go with the PC Platinum II. Looks lie a great pipe and it isnt made by the fine people at FMF.

Unless I can find another one of them $60 pipes - who got one for $60 and where? Principal is fine - but 60 bucks...

sn

 

[kevin c.]

Mine fit fine , I have an 03 220, I put a fmf gnarly rev on.

 

[canyncarvr]

This thread has been sent to FMF Racing technical support.

It's not the first time.

re: 'bent nail puzzles?'
It is kind of like that. They certainly don't slip 'straight' on. The puzzle reference fits the situation very well...even if the pipe fits.

It is at the very least a sad thing that a pipe that performs quite well has such a bum reputation quality/service wise.

Compare them, say, to the folks at asterisk...or frp....or mx-tech. It can be done (support/service) correctly!

 

[Danny Stein]

I put my pipe on this weekend with a Turbine Core 2 S/A. It went on a 02 200 and was a gnarly torque woods pipe. I had some issues slipping the pipe on but once I removed all mounting hardware and a few tweaks on the hangers and a little cursing and and it slid in the manifold with a few taps of the rubber mallet. It was'nt as bad as I thought it was. To be honest it slid on like I cars exhaust a little customizing for each application is expected. The power once I put a new plug air filter and fresh oil; holy crap whata difference in power I'm almost scared to get into 5th. It wakes the motor like I never expected. Definetly all the power I need at the moment.

 

[McRider]

I'm the guy that got the $60 FMF Gnarly. I bought it at a year-end vendor sale at Beaverton Honda in Portland Or. I wasn't even planning on buying it, but could not pass up a deal like that. I do love the results, though, I gained some real useable power. The banging on it with a hammer to make it fit was worth it.