TBW, nice to see the sun in winter time! Personally, I'd stick with a stock exhaust system & leave the crash bars on. If you had a performance motorcycle, then that would be acceptable. Last time i looked, you're a wise man full of wisdom than braun. Cheers
Enjoyed the anecdote Dave! The emergency services were full of characters back in the day.....some good, some bad. Unfortunately, there is no room for characters any more......just yes men and woman!! It's cracking the flags here in Perth, Australia!! Ride safe bruv. Dave (usually in N. Yorks!!)
I own a Gold star and I think it’s a wonderful bike as standard. Not sure why anything needs modifying on it. Always makes me smile 2 minutes into any ride😀
Can't believe some people. What you do is interesting and informative. I don't own old classic bikes but you make it interesting to see what you do. Please don't stop making enjoyable videos, sod the miserable gits. I am interested to watch you tinker with the old bikes. Keep smiling VB I for one will continue to watch and enjoy
Good 3. Advent Dave, as mostly your videos are very good. I love your private stories, that is not usual. Decat, please do not make it, there is our earth behind it. Trust me, in these things the factories know what to do. If your ex coll. here in Germany notice that ( or MOT), you have an expensive problem. I ride all my bikes standard, in the past.... keep up the good work and send a little bit sun to us. We have the same temperatures here, nicely wrapped in light depressive clouds.
I always leave the standard factory exhaust system on my bikes until it rots. When it needs replacement if the factory system is cost prohibitive or no longer available , I fit a good quality legal aftermarket system with cat , if a legal requirement & leave the baffle in to keep it nice & quiet. My motto is , if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it , & get yer moneys worth before replacing parts that are perfectly serviceable . Also I reckon Moto GB took too many brands on , instead of concentrating on one or two . That Rainbow used to be on our TV & I used to tell my missus , it’s a pity her gob wasn’t fitted with a zip . 😎👍
@thebingleywheeler they persuaded someone out of retirement, something to do with £180k a year being attractive enough. That's £360k a year being wasted along with the legal expenses. No wonder the council tax is money for nothing.
One of the first jobs I had to do with the HD I have now was take the exhaust system apart and refit everything properly. It's not something everyone is up to. I would fit everything loose first including the frame mount,it shouldn't be under any stress at that point. If it doesn't fit the guys that make it need to know, work with them. I was the first person to fit Goodrich lines to a GSXR750j when they were starting out. The information was useful to them.
Hi Dave, IMO I'd refit the standard exhaust with the cat. Keep the dresser if you like the look of them although I doubt if they'll give you full crash protection. It's all about the balance of what you think is right for you in this world. Personally I'm all for the modern retro that meets euro5:- good disc brakes with ABS, good fuel economy with low emissions from a well built efficient engine (that doesn't leak oil or fail to start when you need to get to work). I bought my BSA Goldstar because its 'the big brother' to my RE 350 Classic. Can't quite see the logic of replacing the oe exhaust but it's your decision to way up the burdens and benefits of the changes. Hey, the GS wasn't being sold as lightweight sports bike and I don't think with all the beautiful countryside around you that you're thinking of track days 😊 Best wishes to you for Xmas and the New Year. Great channel, love your content and comments on life 👍
Morning Dave I would leave it stock and keep the dresser bars all god forbid you need is a slip on a patch of ice or some leaves without dresser bars and damage the bike more then cost more money to get it back to normal again is it really worth it just to decat the bike not in my eyes ride safe mate and great to hear the stories of your uniform days be good to hear some more of them👍
Hovering around -2 to +2 here in NW Canada (coastal) ...bit of snow here and there. I'll ride at 5C but .... Hopefully get back out in March 2025 ...just waiting for the big drop to -20C !! The T120 & V7 Special are tucked up now for winter! Hopefully, you can keep some vids running for the next few months? Hey, nothing better han getting "lost" ... even if you almost know where you are! ...you find the best pubs, pork pie shops etc!
Keep the bars and ditch the "decat"'. Return it with a polite explanation and pics of the problem. In my later years of riding I was prone to dropping my bikes. The crash bars meant it didn't fall completely and I was able to pick it up' I was worried when you said it was 2C. Was hoping you would not encounter any icy spots in the shade. (from Quebec)
Great Video. Sunshine! I wonder if the Decat would save fuel? Guessing it might. Anyway, have a great day and mind the long shadows- (blinded drivers in winter sunsets don’t see bikes.)
I understand that Royal Alloy you mentioned wanted to leave MotoGB like Royal Enfield to start there own setup which is not a surprise as they are one of the big players in the scooter world like Vesper and appeal to a different market place
I'm unsure why you would want to get rid of the Cat. My understanding is that these are designed to make the air/environment better? So what is the advantage of removing one. Is there any real evidence that doing this would improve performance? Even if you needed it I have ridden a gold star and it seems to have enough real world power. I don't know what the new decat pipe looks like. But surely having an extra bracket and a bent crash bar could spoil the lines of what is a good looking bike. Just my 10 pence. I enjoyed the story as usual keep up the good work . And season greetings.
Doesn't make the environment better tho exhaust gasses still pass through so what difference does it make if a little less get through, the whole thing is woke nonsense imo just like how ev car owners think their green when they're not
@danielkerr4100 Everyone is entitled to an opinion and thank you for yours, But please be aware that there are also scientific facts. You could well be correct as Woke is being 'aware' or 'well informed' in a political or cultural sense." The overwhelming majority of motorcycling in this country is for pleasure so why not do as little damage as possible?
I would go with fabricating the solid extension bracket, as the exhaust may swing about and strain at cylinder head end with something too flexible. Gaz Yorkshire.
There's a decat pipe that just replaces the actual cat and uses the original header pipe. This would allow you to have the crash bars and a free flowing exhaust.
TBH Dave, I am not a fan of crash bars on motorcycles. If you are unfortunate enough to use them in anger, there is a chance of distorting the frame where they are mounted. When I first started riding, back in 1974, I found that one out! :0/ My suggestion. remove the crash bars & fit the exhaust as it should be. If you are unfortunate to have a minor off, re dressing or replacing an engine casing is cheaper & easier than sorting out a bent frame. :0/
Why is everyone removing the catalytic converter. With what is transpiring currently I suspect that immission level's will be reduced to bring about the demise of the internal combustion engine and, certainly won't help matter's when the bike is presented for a MOT. The gain in performance and reduction in weight seems to be the reasoning for the removal so it beggars belief why people are buying the bike in the first place. Does anyone remove the cat from their new BMW or Audi when they buy it? It's time to decide just what you want from a "classic" motorcycle. Don't forget that these after market companies are trying to sell their products so they aren't going to care about what the consequences will be on your motorcycle, in short, it won't affect them. If you follow MAG, they are very much aware of what is happening in the motorcycle industry and are very much concerned about where everything is going, didn't Stuart fillingham point out about how the rules are changing regards to fitting after market parts. If it was me I would leave the bike as it is. Sorry for the lengthy reply, I enjoy listening to your tales whilst travelling this great country of ours.
With one exception.... There is no emission test for a motorcycle in the mot, the only thing they note is if the exhaust is 'loud' which is over the expectation of the system, I don't know where this constant belief that there is any actual test on the bike emissions, the government don't actually give a flying fig on this whole thing
Rainbow was a big part of my childhood. But if bungle was a Bear and George was a hippo, what was zippy? And what the bloody hell were rod, Jane and Freddie up to 😂
I never heard of Rainbow or Zippy - I'm from the US - so I looked it up on TH-cam. Holy Moly. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect portrayal of assholery in my life. It was a very funny episode. I could only understand every 3rd word that the hippo said, and the bear/cat/wombat thing was insufferably whiny. I mean, why didn't he just take the wooden spoon from Zippy and whack him over the head with it rather than standing around crying? It made me wonder how my worldview would be different if I watched trippy stuff like that instead of Mister Rogers when I was a kid. I'd probably be trying to fit a decat pipe to my vacuum cleaner right now. Which reminds me, I (conditionally) agree with most of the other commenters in that you should take it off. Of course, if you're doing it for your channel rather than to satisfy some personal longing, then make it work. Thank you for the video!
For what it's worth I'll chip in... As you have spent a fair wedge on the new exhaust I would remove the crashbars and use the correct fitting. I never like extended brackets to make things fit, however well engineered they are. Would the bracket not also reduce ground clearance and make grounding the exhaust over bumps and kerbs more likely? I de-catted the exhaust on my Benelli last year but it made the bike hideously loud [even with the standard endcan] so I put it back to standard within an hour. My current BMW F800R sounds nice as standard so I have no plans to 'tune' it.
The new BSA isn't, unlike its namesake a performance Bike so whats the point in changing to a system that probably makes more noise but little else. Loud isn't the same thing as a nice tone...However, if changing causes running problems it's hardly worth the bother....Info from España, removing the CAT is instant ITV (MOT) failure. which may of may not sooner or later apply to UK Bikers...Even fitting a Tail Tidy will have the same result....l know from experience... Your Enfield sounds nice.. leave as is!...Greetings from España....Feliz Navidad a Dave....
I've fitted the TEC baffle but that's as far as I'm going. These things are on a knife edge as it is, trying to comply with ever tightening emissions regs and look after the engine at the same time. So radically changing the balance either side of the motor seems too risky without being sure the ECU can cope.
Riding with the air temp @ 2C is courting a nasty moment. There’s always a shady spot lower than either side where surface ice might still be there - not nice to discover it by sliding off. Plus - those roads looked proper greasy, wet and cold might easily have icy patches - and for some of this ride you’re riding fairly briskly… nag nag! If you could see my hands that were injured in an RTA in 2010… they work mostly quite well but my left wrist will never be the same again. Old bones are more brittle than a youngster’s! Any option reducing the routine-drop safety of the bike is a no go. Send it back. Things that don’t quite fit have a way of causing knock-on issues later. What’s not leaking today might well begin to just-leak later, and exhaust gases at combustion temperatures chuffing through a tiny gap might erode the alloy of the head. Being Indian alloy, how confident are you that it’d survive that well? Might lead to a replacement head being needed. Bin the thing, go back to stock. And return it. There should have been a warning about such a caveat with the component. You might ask if they did a variation taking the bars into account - ask for a swap?
Thanks for reminding me about Rainbow; I hated that b*stard zippy with a passion and he's out of my mental recycle bin now. Thanks mate. We're sitting here sweating in the thirties today again; could really do with a few brisk Yorkshire days I can tell you. Sympathies over the exhaust issue. The only thing to do if you're set on removing the cat, which I would be as a matter of principle, is to customise the bar, but then it'll look unbalanced I suppose. A bit of a bugger it is. All the best.
Send it back if it does not fit, I ken undoing what you have done but. Plus if lower cannot lean into a corner without scrapping. Those great roads you ride may be a problem.
Hi Dave, i experienced the same initial disappointment with my R&G crash protection in combo with the Hitchcocks decat. I did solve it in the end with a spacer and now im very happy. I have a suspicion that the BSA crash or dresser bars wouldnt hold up if you came off in anything but a standing drop. The R&G you could suspend the bike by them using an engine crane 😂 IMO. Downside is of course they dont look very retro. I think the decat changss the bike, by the way there is another decat option a u shaped pipe that sits in where the cat is and using the original header... could be good too?
Cheers Sean I did watch your video and it was very useful to me fitting everything thank you much appreciated. I think R&G bobbins with spacers could be a good option 😎👍🏻
@thebingleywheeler if you do ask R&G to pop in some 110mm bolts for you. This plus the 45mm x 25mm spacer works well. Both bolts and spacer hole are m10. Plus R&G gave me the bolts for free when i explained the situation, what a great company! By pushing the bobbin further out, I expect you also have further protection to your tank etc and when you ride through a flood you can put your feet up on them 😂
That's a shame. I applaud everyones efforts to make their bike "theirs". Best ignore them folk who cry Oh! No.I wouldn't do that if I were you. Well they are not you, so carry on mate. I must say I do like your stories. Ride safe and try to keep warm out there.
I'd go back to stock with the cat - leave the dresser bars on - "decat" is usually a waste of time apart from reducing the heat in the summer (so maybe not a waste of time!) - I fitted the decat pipe on my Classic 350 (and added the air filter cover) - slightly more noise is all I got 🤣 My gold star will most likely stay stock for now
Listening about Motogb dumping Hanway and Royal Alloy, just wondering where this leaves owners of these machines with spares and back up, these scooters are quite popular.
Isn't it crazy that the bike has to be manufactured with a cat. convertor yet its not illegal to take it off and it will pass a MoT without it. Usual EU crap behind it, i presume.
No, it's not like that mate, if you modify your bike in Spain, it fails. In France, bikes don't have to be mot'd or as it is called 'control techniqued'.
!Isn't it crazy that the bike has to be manufactured with a cat. convertor yet its not illegal to take it off and it will pass a MoT without it" Construction & Use Regs do make it illegal to modify, tamper with or remove emissions control equipment where fitted, just that the MoT test for bikes doesn't (currently) check that they are still fitted like the car test now does. I find it a bit strange that an ex-traffic officer is advocating making illegal mods.
Good riddance to the weight, function and esthetic of the catalytic converter and all the BS that it represents. I'd say try both of the other options and see which one you prefer. Greetings from NL (regulation hell)
I did but sadly my solution wouldn't work for Dave. I did click on the video thinking some spacers might help... but he's not gone R&G so it wouldn't help sadly
Zippy had a robotic kind of evil voice, it would of scared me as a young kid😆 Rosy and Jim was okay, also educational for young uns, you know the guy on the barge. Gaz Yorkshire.
There are so many tales of folk who spend lots of time and money decating their bike because they are led to believe by "influencers" that they need to make the bike faster or smoother, only to find it makes it much louder and upsetting for neighbours, etc. Their bike is now modified, which should be declared on insurance applications (if you want a valid policy) and probably devalued at sale time.
I had no problem fitting a decat pipe to a bsa Goldstar in fact I fitted the heat shield back on as well I just slid it down a little and had to drill a 6mm hole just behind the silencer rubber mount, the only problem I had with the pipe was my wife it was too noisy yup too noisy.
Moto GB are no longer "Official distributor"for Royal Enfield either,they still sell them but they don't distribute them since Enfield decided to go it alone about 12 months ago
@@thebingleywheeler Case for a full refund if you what to keep them engine bars. My self I would run the pipe and mod the bars, i run a Z900rs with a full yoshimura race system 6.5 kgs lighter more 10 hp and better fueling . The final say is yours's of Corse.
In my experience Moto GB are crap.I own a Hunter 350 and it was quicker to buy direct from India than them.eg it took them 6 months to supply the crash bars for my Hunter which were supposed to be fitted when delivered but I got a fly screen,rack etc from Mumbai in two weeks.I think RE got fed up with them as distributors,oh and btw it took Moto GB 9 months to supply the missing owners manual for my bike.Judt my humble opinion
Maybe there is a way to get a company to bend the pipe using heat so that you have the system as close to spec as possible and retain the crash bars....?
There's some cracking bikes coming out of China now, really nice. But. Once the warranty period is over the availability of required spares is virtually non existent. I watched a vid yesterday on the morning x cape 650. It's a good bike but as the guy said you cannot buy parts for it, there's virtually nothing. I think this is going to be a major problem for Chinese bikes unless they get on board with it right now.
Only one question. Why ? Sorry to say that your starting to loose me these days. After the BMW, and the Pan European, moving towards RE and BSA, I must confess my interest is flagging somewhat. Love your general musings and vids, but I'm sorry, I am drifting.
@@thebingleywheeler I never suggested that Dave. I"m still a subscriber, but my interest is diminishing with RE and BSA. As I said before I still love the General musings and blogs, but I find the RE and BSA focus doesn't concentrate my interest. Horses for courses as the saying goes. I will still continue to subscribe and very much enjoy the channel .
Your dead right you ' didn't think it though ' it started with buying the thing in the first place 😂😂😂😂 Anyway have you and SF kissed and made up yet ❤
Hi , personally it would annoy the hell out if me to think I'd wasted money on a decat I can't use, is there any wiggle room with the engine bars ? maybe fashioning two strong fittings to reposition them ? And finally (this will cause a stir) we humans that is are being blamed for "all" that's wrong with the earth's climate change.... we are being told we are the total cause ... not so, earth periodically goes through major changes in climate, there's nowt we can do about that ! So fit the decat if at all possible mate 🫡
i don't think you should listen to us but i would remove the crash bars - no way i would be making a bracket and if you ask me that doesn't seem right mechanically, there is stress somewhere to make the gap so large, also the pipe is touching the bars so.....Do they say this pipe is not suitable with the crash bars on their site because it should. Do they say their exhaust works with the bsa crash bars - if so i would return the decat, ask for refund if their page does not provide info about crash bars and buy their decat system, they seem a decent outfit so i cannot see them wanting this sort of publicity
I’ve never felt the need to decat anything what drives grown men to such lengths of tinkering and meddling is beyond me. I wouldn’t touch a used bike modified in such a way, stick with the crash protection Dave makes more sense.
I've got an old yamaha with a catalytic converter. When the cat finally dies, and I don't think it's far off, then I either spend about £2000 on a new exhaust (it's a one piece downpipes/cat/endcan) or a £400 full aftermarket system! I'm all for keeping original but equally I'm not spending more on the cat than the bikes worth!
@@splodge57and my Triumph Speedtwin 1200 is decated, with shorty end cans and DNA air filter, because the engine was so restricted in being able to breath and exit gasses and was so quiet. And I love the sound, performance and looks! 🤷🏻♀️
Because us grown men can and will, nothing wrong with that at all, first thing I did was decat my bike because I don't want that shit on my bike I don't know why anyone would but that's me, each to their own I guess. As for second hand that would not bother me at all as you'd obviously inspect bike first
something that doesn't fit = the head police man or the pipe ;; the makers of the de-cat pipe would not allow for the crash bar , full stop , so - one or the other , the pipe MUST come out of the head dead even as stock ;; as will leak after time if not fitted correct ;
Yes my Bmw dealer did same to when I took 1250rt in for a service give me a 400cc scooter just looked a idiot on it and it was horrible. Just can't get on with scooters
Dave i think the name gives it away engine dresser bars i got a set at the beginning of year that's where my problems began one the mounting on the left side of bike is a weak point one small bolt and then i went to the exhaust side no mounting point on my early 23 frame so i contacted lukas who i got them from guy on phone told me shouldn't be a problem they had test fitted a set on one of there bikes okay so im hitting 70 but i can still see theres a problem had to send him pictures he then said he would sort it ten months later nothing took my money don't want to no very quickly changed the wording on their site to say from frame number ... Love my goldstar but local dealer here in northern ireland give it up new dealer evolution motorcycles i went to him to find out about the update engine work riding motorcycles from 1970 he was verbally aggressive and told me he wasn't th to sort out the last dealers f..kups of which there were non then he then told me to go back to where i bought the bike he would not be doing any work on it u i had to remove myself from the shop as i was frightened by his manner i contacted dan from lukas hedid come back to me but the line has went dead now so i have a bike that i cant get the ,warranty work done on sorry about the long post
That sounds like terrible service Sam all round. Yes the left hand side mounting point is rather week I think the bars would only protect from a stationary drop
TBW, nice to see the sun in winter time!
Personally, I'd stick with a stock exhaust system & leave the crash bars on.
If you had a performance motorcycle, then that would be acceptable.
Last time i looked, you're a wise man full of wisdom than braun.
Cheers
Enjoyed the anecdote Dave! The emergency services were full of characters back in the day.....some good, some bad. Unfortunately, there is no room for characters any more......just yes men and woman!! It's cracking the flags here in Perth, Australia!! Ride safe bruv.
Dave (usually in N. Yorks!!)
Lucky lucky you in those temperatures pal. Yes the bosses with character were often the best leaders
I own a Gold star and I think it’s a wonderful bike as standard. Not sure why anything needs modifying on it. Always makes me smile 2 minutes into any ride😀
Beautiful motorcycle BSA
Can't believe some people. What you do is interesting and informative. I don't own old classic bikes but you make it interesting to see what you do. Please don't stop making enjoyable videos, sod the miserable gits. I am interested to watch you tinker with the old bikes. Keep smiling VB I for one will continue to watch and enjoy
Thank you Ian very much appreciate that 😊👍🏻
Good 3. Advent Dave, as mostly your videos are very good. I love your private stories, that is not usual. Decat, please do not make it, there is our earth behind it. Trust me, in these things the factories know what to do. If your ex coll. here in Germany notice that ( or MOT), you have an expensive problem. I ride all my bikes standard, in the past.... keep up the good work and send a little bit sun to us. We have the same temperatures here, nicely wrapped in light depressive clouds.
I always leave the standard factory exhaust system on my bikes until it rots. When it needs replacement if the factory system is cost prohibitive or no longer available , I fit a good quality legal aftermarket system with cat , if a legal requirement & leave the baffle in to keep it nice & quiet. My motto is , if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it , & get yer moneys worth before replacing parts that are perfectly serviceable . Also I reckon Moto GB took too many brands on , instead of concentrating on one or two . That Rainbow used to be on our TV & I used to tell my missus , it’s a pity her gob wasn’t fitted with a zip . 😎👍
😂😂😂
I've not needed crash bars since passing my test 45 years ago.
Devon and Cornwall are paying for 3 chief constables.
2 are currently suspended.
Blimey third time lucky!😅
@thebingleywheeler they persuaded someone out of retirement, something to do with £180k a year being attractive enough. That's £360k a year being wasted along with the legal expenses. No wonder the council tax is money for nothing.
Great video Dave ...I could listen to your stories all day! 👍
Let's decat the C500???+?
Thank you 2WW there’s plenty more where that came from. Decat that C500 🤩
One of the first jobs I had to do with the HD I have now was take the exhaust system apart and refit everything properly.
It's not something everyone is up to.
I would fit everything loose first including the frame mount,it shouldn't be under any stress at that point.
If it doesn't fit the guys that make it need to know, work with them.
I was the first person to fit Goodrich lines to a GSXR750j when they were starting out.
The information was useful to them.
Morning Zippy 😊 great work, natter. Now, the BSA take the crash bars off and fit some crash bungs job done 👍
That’s defo an option James! 😎
Hi Dave, IMO I'd refit the standard exhaust with the cat. Keep the dresser if you like the look of them although I doubt if they'll give you full crash protection. It's all about the balance of what you think is right for you in this world. Personally I'm all for the modern retro that meets euro5:- good disc brakes with ABS, good fuel economy with low emissions from a well built efficient engine (that doesn't leak oil or fail to start when you need to get to work). I bought my BSA Goldstar because its 'the big brother' to my RE 350 Classic. Can't quite see the logic of replacing the oe exhaust but it's your decision to way up the burdens and benefits of the changes. Hey, the GS wasn't being sold as lightweight sports bike and I don't think with all the beautiful countryside around you that you're thinking of track days 😊 Best wishes to you for Xmas and the New Year. Great channel, love your content and comments on life 👍
Thank you for those kind comments and yes I’ll most likely refit the cat etc. All the best to you and yours 😎👍🏻
Morning Dave I would leave it stock and keep the dresser bars all god forbid you need is a slip on a patch of ice or some leaves without dresser bars and damage the bike more then cost more money to get it back to normal again is it really worth it just to decat the bike not in my eyes ride safe mate and great to hear the stories of your uniform days be good to hear some more of them👍
Hovering around -2 to +2 here in NW Canada (coastal) ...bit of snow here and there. I'll ride at 5C but .... Hopefully get back out in March 2025 ...just waiting for the big drop to -20C !!
The T120 & V7 Special are tucked up now for winter! Hopefully, you can keep some vids running for the next few months?
Hey, nothing better han getting "lost" ... even if you almost know where you are! ...you find the best pubs, pork pie shops etc!
Keep the bars and ditch the "decat"'. Return it with a polite explanation and pics of the problem. In my later years of riding I was prone to dropping my bikes. The crash bars meant it didn't fall completely and I was able to pick it up'
I was worried when you said it was 2C. Was hoping you would not encounter any icy spots in the shade. (from Quebec)
Great Video. Sunshine! I wonder if the Decat would save fuel? Guessing it might. Anyway, have a great day and mind the long shadows- (blinded drivers in winter sunsets don’t see bikes.)
I understand that Royal Alloy you mentioned wanted to leave MotoGB like Royal Enfield to start there own setup which is not a surprise as they are one of the big players in the scooter world like Vesper and appeal to a different market place
I'm unsure why you would want to get rid of the Cat. My understanding is that these are designed to make the air/environment better? So what is the advantage of removing one. Is there any real evidence that doing this would improve performance?
Even if you needed it I have ridden a gold star and it seems to have enough real world power. I don't know what the new decat pipe looks like. But surely having an extra bracket and a bent crash bar could spoil the lines of what is a good looking bike.
Just my 10 pence.
I enjoyed the story as usual keep up the good work . And season greetings.
Doesn't make the environment better tho exhaust gasses still pass through so what difference does it make if a little less get through, the whole thing is woke nonsense imo just like how ev car owners think their green when they're not
@danielkerr4100 Everyone is entitled to an opinion and thank you for yours, But please be aware that there are also scientific facts. You could well be correct as Woke is being 'aware' or 'well informed' in a political or cultural sense."
The overwhelming majority of motorcycling in this country is for pleasure so why not do as little damage as possible?
I would go with fabricating the solid extension bracket, as the exhaust may swing about and strain at cylinder head end with something too flexible.
Gaz Yorkshire.
There's a decat pipe that just replaces the actual cat and uses the original header pipe. This would allow you to have the crash bars and a free flowing exhaust.
Hi Dave, Worth a try no doubt .but go back to standard oem. In other words leave well alone . Ride safe, Mike Sunny Wales
Good Morning Dave , Id go with having the crash bars fitted tbh & go back to stock , take care & ride safe
Cheers Steve
TBH Dave, I am not a fan of crash bars on motorcycles. If you are unfortunate enough to use them in anger, there is a chance of distorting the frame where they are mounted. When I first started riding, back in 1974, I found that one out! :0/ My suggestion. remove the crash bars & fit the exhaust as it should be. If you are unfortunate to have a minor off, re dressing or replacing an engine casing is cheaper & easier than sorting out a bent frame. :0/
Why is everyone removing the catalytic converter. With what is transpiring currently I suspect that immission level's will be reduced to bring about the demise of the internal combustion engine and, certainly won't help matter's when the bike is presented for a MOT.
The gain in performance and reduction in weight seems to be the reasoning for the removal so it beggars belief why people are buying the bike in the first place. Does anyone remove the cat from their new BMW or Audi when they buy it?
It's time to decide just what you want from a "classic" motorcycle.
Don't forget that these after market companies are trying to sell their products so they aren't going to care about what the consequences will be on your motorcycle, in short, it won't affect them.
If you follow MAG, they are very much aware of what is happening in the motorcycle industry and are very much concerned about where everything is going, didn't Stuart fillingham point out about how the rules are changing regards to fitting after market parts.
If it was me I would leave the bike as it is.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, I enjoy listening to your tales whilst travelling this great country of ours.
I agree with you entirely.
With one exception.... There is no emission test for a motorcycle in the mot, the only thing they note is if the exhaust is 'loud' which is over the expectation of the system, I don't know where this constant belief that there is any actual test on the bike emissions, the government don't actually give a flying fig on this whole thing
Rainbow was a big part of my childhood. But if bungle was a Bear and George was a hippo, what was zippy? And what the bloody hell were rod, Jane and Freddie up to 😂
Zippy was an early ET I think 😂
🎉If you want to know what Rod, Jane and Freddie were up to, you should search TH-cam for the "Twangers" episode. The one with the "Plucking Song"...
I never heard of Rainbow or Zippy - I'm from the US - so I looked it up on TH-cam. Holy Moly. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect portrayal of assholery in my life. It was a very funny episode. I could only understand every 3rd word that the hippo said, and the bear/cat/wombat thing was insufferably whiny. I mean, why didn't he just take the wooden spoon from Zippy and whack him over the head with it rather than standing around crying? It made me wonder how my worldview would be different if I watched trippy stuff like that instead of Mister Rogers when I was a kid. I'd probably be trying to fit a decat pipe to my vacuum cleaner right now. Which reminds me, I (conditionally) agree with most of the other commenters in that you should take it off. Of course, if you're doing it for your channel rather than to satisfy some personal longing, then make it work. Thank you for the video!
You should see the rainbow spoof videos on TH-cam 😂
For what it's worth I'll chip in...
As you have spent a fair wedge on the new exhaust I would remove the crashbars and use the correct fitting. I never like extended brackets to make things fit, however well engineered they are. Would the bracket not also reduce ground clearance and make grounding the exhaust over bumps and kerbs more likely?
I de-catted the exhaust on my Benelli last year but it made the bike hideously loud [even with the standard endcan] so I put it back to standard within an hour.
My current BMW F800R sounds nice as standard so I have no plans to 'tune' it.
Keep fettling, Dave! I know you’re a fan of the crash bars, but fit the decat and ditch the bars. Will sound nicer and look nicer!
The new BSA isn't, unlike its namesake a performance Bike so whats the point in changing to a system that probably makes more noise but little else. Loud isn't the same thing as a nice tone...However, if changing causes running problems it's hardly worth the bother....Info from España, removing the CAT is instant ITV (MOT) failure. which may of may not sooner or later apply to UK Bikers...Even fitting a Tail Tidy will have the same result....l know from experience... Your Enfield sounds nice.. leave as is!...Greetings from España....Feliz Navidad a Dave....
I would lose the crash bars. Each to their own, but I think they are horrible.
I've fitted the TEC baffle but that's as far as I'm going. These things are on a knife edge as it is, trying to comply with ever tightening emissions regs and look after the engine at the same time. So radically changing the balance either side of the motor seems too risky without being sure the ECU can cope.
Riding with the air temp @ 2C is courting a nasty moment. There’s always a shady spot lower than either side where surface ice might still be there - not nice to discover it by sliding off. Plus - those roads looked proper greasy, wet and cold might easily have icy patches - and for some of this ride you’re riding fairly briskly… nag nag! If you could see my hands that were injured in an RTA in 2010… they work mostly quite well but my left wrist will never be the same again. Old bones are more brittle than a youngster’s!
Any option reducing the routine-drop safety of the bike is a no go. Send it back. Things that don’t quite fit have a way of causing knock-on issues later. What’s not leaking today might well begin to just-leak later, and exhaust gases at combustion temperatures chuffing through a tiny gap might erode the alloy of the head. Being Indian alloy, how confident are you that it’d survive that well? Might lead to a replacement head being needed. Bin the thing, go back to stock. And return it. There should have been a warning about such a caveat with the component. You might ask if they did a variation taking the bars into account - ask for a swap?
You've come this far, so make it fit!😀
I love that you watched and could recite Rainbow 😂
It was a painful watch 😂
Thanks for reminding me about Rainbow; I hated that b*stard zippy with a passion and he's out of my mental recycle bin now. Thanks mate.
We're sitting here sweating in the thirties today again; could really do with a few brisk Yorkshire days I can tell you. Sympathies over the exhaust issue. The only thing to do if you're set on removing the cat, which I would be as a matter of principle, is to customise the bar, but then it'll look unbalanced I suppose. A bit of a bugger it is. All the best.
I’d fit the decat pipe and make a bracket to relocate the dresser bar , that way it would look better pal
My goodness you remembered that cartoon from the 70 s well. Was that the, Majic roundabout
I wish I could go back to 1995 😢
I would try the bracket.
Is the four year warranty still valid with the de cat pipe?
Send it back if it does not fit, I ken undoing what you have done but. Plus if lower cannot lean into a corner without scrapping. Those great roads you ride may be a problem.
Hi Dave, i experienced the same initial disappointment with my R&G crash protection in combo with the Hitchcocks decat. I did solve it in the end with a spacer and now im very happy. I have a suspicion that the BSA crash or dresser bars wouldnt hold up if you came off in anything but a standing drop. The R&G you could suspend the bike by them using an engine crane 😂 IMO. Downside is of course they dont look very retro.
I think the decat changss the bike, by the way there is another decat option a u shaped pipe that sits in where the cat is and using the original header... could be good too?
Cheers Sean I did watch your video and it was very useful to me fitting everything thank you much appreciated. I think R&G bobbins with spacers could be a good option 😎👍🏻
@thebingleywheeler if you do ask R&G to pop in some 110mm bolts for you. This plus the 45mm x 25mm spacer works well. Both bolts and spacer hole are m10. Plus R&G gave me the bolts for free when i explained the situation, what a great company!
By pushing the bobbin further out, I expect you also have further protection to your tank etc and when you ride through a flood you can put your feet up on them 😂
Cheers Sean I’ll bear that in mind buddy much appreciated 👍🏻
That's a shame. I applaud everyones efforts to make their bike "theirs". Best ignore them folk who cry Oh! No.I wouldn't do that if I were you. Well they are not you, so carry on mate. I must say I do like your stories. Ride safe and try to keep warm out there.
I'd go back to stock with the cat - leave the dresser bars on - "decat" is usually a waste of time apart from reducing the heat in the summer (so maybe not a waste of time!) - I fitted the decat pipe on my Classic 350 (and added the air filter cover) - slightly more noise is all I got 🤣 My gold star will most likely stay stock for now
Listening about Motogb dumping Hanway and Royal Alloy, just wondering where this leaves owners of these machines with spares and back up, these scooters are quite popular.
Put the catalytic converter back on, it's there for a reason.
Isn't it crazy that the bike has to be manufactured with a cat. convertor yet its not illegal to take it off and it will pass a MoT without it. Usual
EU crap behind it, i presume.
No, it's not like that mate, if you modify your bike in Spain, it fails. In France, bikes don't have to be mot'd or as it is called 'control techniqued'.
!Isn't it crazy that the bike has to be manufactured with a cat. convertor yet its not illegal to take it off and it will pass a MoT without it"
Construction & Use Regs do make it illegal to modify, tamper with or remove emissions control equipment where fitted, just that the MoT test for bikes doesn't (currently) check that they are still fitted like the car test now does.
I find it a bit strange that an ex-traffic officer is advocating making illegal mods.
I didn’t advocate anything as you well know if you watched the whole video 👍🏻
Zippy did say that on some of the You tube clips I’ve seen.
Good riddance to the weight, function and esthetic of the catalytic converter and all the BS that it represents.
I'd say try both of the other options and see which one you prefer.
Greetings from NL (regulation hell)
The Mindful motorcyclist had the same issue all be it with RG crash bungs on the goldstar...
I did but sadly my solution wouldn't work for Dave. I did click on the video thinking some spacers might help... but he's not gone R&G so it wouldn't help sadly
And I thought it was a bit nippy down here and I can’t go any further south as I will fall in the sea.😎👍
The engine warning light could be down to the BSA being Euro 5 and therefore having much more anti tamper firmware built into the ECU.
Same thing happened to my int 650 but a cheap scanner from eBay for 15 quid fixed that
I’d go back to stock and just enjoy it as it is. 👍
Cheers Nick
Zippy had a robotic kind of evil voice, it would of scared me as a young kid😆
Rosy and Jim was okay, also educational for young uns, you know the guy on the barge.
Gaz Yorkshire.
There are so many tales of folk who spend lots of time and money decating their bike because they are led to believe by "influencers" that they need to make the bike faster or smoother, only to find it makes it much louder and upsetting for neighbours, etc. Their bike is now modified, which should be declared on insurance applications (if you want a valid policy) and probably devalued at sale time.
I had no problem fitting a decat pipe to a bsa Goldstar in fact I fitted the heat shield back on as well I just slid it down a little and had to drill a 6mm hole just behind the silencer rubber mount, the only problem I had with the pipe was my wife it was too noisy yup too noisy.
Moto GB are no longer "Official distributor"for Royal Enfield either,they still sell them but they don't distribute them since Enfield decided to go it alone about 12 months ago
Sounds like you got a duff pipe there dave ,have you tried have had a word with Hitchcock's? about this ?
Yes spoken with Hitchcock’s and they confirm it is incompatible with the bars (though they weren’t previously aware of that)
@@thebingleywheeler Case for a full refund if you what to keep them engine bars. My self I would run the pipe and mod the bars, i run a Z900rs with a full yoshimura race system 6.5 kgs lighter more 10 hp and better fueling . The final say is yours's of Corse.
I think the pipe is the stand out ugly bit so if the replacement looks better, great. 👍 Surely crash bars are a faux pas on any bike.😁
In my experience Moto GB are crap.I own a Hunter 350 and it was quicker to buy direct from India than them.eg it took them 6 months to supply the crash bars for my Hunter which were supposed to be fitted when delivered but I got a fly screen,rack etc from Mumbai in two weeks.I think RE got fed up with them as distributors,oh and btw it took Moto GB 9 months to supply the missing owners manual for my bike.Judt my humble opinion
I buy parts direct from India and the last part I ordered arrived in the UK in 4 days!!
Maybe there is a way to get a company to bend the pipe using heat so that you have the system as close to spec as possible and retain the crash bars....?
Up above the streets and houses rainbow climbing high - no don’t remember it 😂😂😂
Paint the whole world with a 🌈 …….😂
Well as your a former cop, someone been in my bins and taking some rubbish away, think there looking for information, name address ect.
Always possible sadly
What's the idea behind removing the Cat?
Unfortunately the Production team of Rainbow 🌈 is now running our Country
There's some cracking bikes coming out of China now, really nice.
But.
Once the warranty period is over the availability of required spares is virtually non existent. I watched a vid yesterday on the morning x cape 650. It's a good bike but as the guy said you cannot buy parts for it, there's virtually nothing. I think this is going to be a major problem for Chinese bikes unless they get on board with it right now.
Since the warranties are typically 4 years they have plenty of time to sort out the supply problems….. fingers crossed 🤞🏻
@thebingleywheeler I hope so because there are some great bikes out there
The mindful motorcyclist got round it on one of his videos. Give it a look.
Ooooooh, somewhere down south..
Only one question.
Why ?
Sorry to say that your starting to loose me these days. After the BMW, and the Pan European, moving towards RE and BSA, I must confess my interest is flagging somewhat. Love your general musings and vids, but I'm sorry, I am drifting.
Which BMW?
@thebingleywheeler Your RT
I’m not defined by the bikes I own 👍🏻
@@thebingleywheeler I never suggested that Dave. I"m still a subscriber, but my interest is diminishing with RE and BSA. As I said before I still love the General musings and blogs, but I find the RE and BSA focus doesn't concentrate my interest. Horses for courses as the saying goes. I will still continue to subscribe and very much enjoy the channel .
Dump the engine bars, if you must run the de - cat. Personally, i'd dump the de - cat.
Your dead right you ' didn't think it though ' it started with buying the thing in the first place 😂😂😂😂 Anyway have you and SF kissed and made up yet ❤
Who says I “bought” it 😂
Leave the bike standard and just enjoy it.
Put original exhaust back. Or try a different exhaust. As long as it fits.
Why are people who are confrontational with no people skills allowed to join the police ?
Surely they’ll make any situation worse.
Hi , personally it would annoy the hell out if me to think I'd wasted money on a decat I can't use, is there any wiggle room with the engine bars ? maybe fashioning two strong fittings to reposition them ?
And finally (this will cause a stir) we humans that is are being blamed for "all" that's wrong with the earth's climate change.... we are being told we are the total cause ... not so, earth periodically goes through major changes in climate, there's nowt we can do about that !
So fit the decat if at all possible mate 🫡
i don't think you should listen to us but i would remove the crash bars - no way i would be making a bracket and if you ask me that doesn't seem right mechanically, there is stress somewhere to make the gap so large, also the pipe is touching the bars so.....Do they say this pipe is not suitable with the crash bars on their site because it should.
Do they say their exhaust works with the bsa crash bars - if so i would return the decat, ask for refund if their page does not provide info about crash bars and buy their decat system, they seem a decent outfit so i cannot see them wanting this sort of publicity
All fine with Hitchcock’s they’re including the issue on the listing from now on
@thebingleywheeler good news
I’ve never felt the need to decat anything what drives grown men to such lengths of tinkering and meddling is beyond me. I wouldn’t touch a used bike modified in such a way, stick with the crash protection Dave makes more sense.
I've got an old yamaha with a catalytic converter. When the cat finally dies, and I don't think it's far off, then I either spend about £2000 on a new exhaust (it's a one piece downpipes/cat/endcan) or a £400 full aftermarket system! I'm all for keeping original but equally I'm not spending more on the cat than the bikes worth!
It’s simple - because you can and because it’s your own! And it’s part of the fun for some people.
When buying used I steer clear of decat bikes and noisy exhausts. My 2019 Triumph Speed Twin 1200 sounds great as standard.
@@splodge57and my Triumph Speedtwin 1200 is decated, with shorty end cans and DNA air filter, because the engine was so restricted in being able to breath and exit gasses and was so quiet. And I love the sound, performance and looks! 🤷🏻♀️
Because us grown men can and will, nothing wrong with that at all, first thing I did was decat my bike because I don't want that shit on my bike I don't know why anyone would but that's me, each to their own I guess.
As for second hand that would not bother me at all as you'd obviously inspect bike first
something that doesn't fit = the head police man or the pipe ;; the makers of the de-cat pipe would not allow for the crash bar , full stop , so - one or the other , the pipe MUST come out of the head dead even as stock ;; as will leak after time if not fitted correct ;
I like cats 🐈⬛
But they are expensive and can be annoying 😜
I bet you have to rustproof everything there
th-cam.com/video/WDPNsckposI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3lt5aXfN1jI4PZXE
Thank you my sides hurt after watching that…..hilarious! 😂😂😂
Why does he have to speak in a strange way,Having one S F is one too many….
It’s not strange to us…you probably are 😎
Yes my Bmw dealer did same to when I took 1250rt in for a service give me a 400cc scooter just looked a idiot on it and it was horrible. Just can't get on with scooters
Dave i think the name gives it away engine dresser bars i got a set at the beginning of year that's where my problems began one the mounting on the left side of bike is a weak point one small bolt and then i went to the exhaust side no mounting point on my early 23 frame so i contacted lukas who i got them from guy on phone told me shouldn't be a problem they had test fitted a set on one of there bikes okay so im hitting 70 but i can still see theres a problem had to send him pictures he then said he would sort it ten months later nothing took my money don't want to no very quickly changed the wording on their site to say from frame number ...
Love my goldstar but local dealer here in northern ireland give it up new dealer evolution motorcycles i went to him to find out about the update engine work riding motorcycles from 1970 he was verbally aggressive and told me he wasn't th to sort out the last dealers f..kups of which there were non then he then told me to go back to where i bought the bike he would not be doing any work on it u i had to remove myself from the shop as i was frightened by his manner i contacted dan from lukas hedid come back to me but the line has went dead now so i have a bike that i cant get the ,warranty work done on sorry about the long post
That sounds like terrible service Sam all round. Yes the left hand side mounting point is rather week I think the bars would only protect from a stationary drop