Today after short ride I noticed what sounded like an exhaust leak. Visual inspection of the exhaust revealed a crack in the mid-pipe, beginning right at the factory weld for the mounting bracket at the footpeg. Anyone know how to weld repair stainless steel???
I am really surprised because the Staintunes are top quality pipes. This looks to be a manufacturing defect since the crack begins at the weld. I am hoping it does not continue to spread.
johnmark101, Jan 28 2006, 05:41 PMToday after short ride I noticed what sounded like an exhaust leak. Visual inspection of the exhaust revealed a crack in the mid-pipe, beginning right at the factory weld for the mounting bracket at the footpeg. Anyone know how to weld repair stainless steel???
I am really surprised because the Staintunes are top quality pipes. This looks to be a manufacturing defect since the crack begins at the weld. I am hoping it does not continue to spread.
No prob. Call/email Staintune. They back their products well.
Tried to send them an email using their website form. Seems there is some sort of problem and it will not submit the form. May have to write them a letter and sent it the old fashioned way.
johnmark101, Jan 28 2006, 06:02 PMTried to send them an email using their website form. Seems there is some sort of problem and it will not submit the form. May have to write them a letter and sent it the old fashioned way.
Some sort of computer prob? I just sent them a msg and it went through.
I believe that Stainless needs to be Tig welded - might be an idea to let Staintune know about the issue, but if its a simple touch up weld - maybe they'll reimburse you to take it to a welder yourself - versus shipping it back and forth?
I love the tunes, but they are hard mounted instead of being mounted with a clamp. This can make them prone to cracking and yours is not the first one to crack. The hard mount looks much better though. I hear Staintunes will back up there product, so this should not be too much of a problem. Good luck. smile.gif
johnmark101, Jan 28 2006, 03:41 PM Anyone know how to weld repair stainless steel???
I've seen oxygen acetylene welding of stainless steel and it ain't pretty... best results are with Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG as Kandian Ken suggested...
Stainless steels are slightly more difficult to weld than mild carbon steels because of lower melting temperature... lower coefficient of thermal conductivity and higher coefficient of thermal expansion...
If the guys at Staintune don't fix it for ya, send it to me, and I'll tig it up for you. I just recently got my aerospace cert's for .032 stainless groove and fillet welds, and working on getting them for aluminum(tough!) and titanium also. Just cover shipping.
I have the same crack on my Tunes. Where the pipe mounts to the right side passenger foot peg. I've been monitoring the size of the crack to see if it gets bigger. The Tunes only have a 1 yr warranty in the USA. I'm trying to decide what to do. I love the cans. I wondered if I could buy just that pipe from Staintune and not buy the cans. Also thought about taking it to get it welded but knew it would take someone with special welding skills and equip.
Looks like you guys have a few good options here on the thread...
Also sounds like this should be reported to Staintune for future repair of process or design. Curious, some of you do not have bikes labeled in your sidebar...Are these all referring to 6th gen.? I was in the process of changing out my Yoshimura RS-3 exhaust on my 5th Gen. and possibly getting a 'Tune so I can throw my passenger pegs back on and have use of my Givi's.... The Yosh does not allow the use of the peg due to size... hmm... wonder if a custom bracket could be made to go around the Yosh and still measure out correctly to fit the tubular mount system of the Givi's....
Anyways... Best of luck on the Mid'dy... That's definitely a PITA!! blink.gif
Although not a huge factor, but this could provide useful info on my search for a 'Tune..
staintune do support there products well & if there is a common fault that reoccurs then you should let them know. send them email with pic & you might find they will send link pipe replacement, offer to pay postage would even make it more likely
i'm in aus so if you have problems contacting them you could always send me pics & info & I'll forward it to staintune.
Here is a picture of the crack around the weld. It extends about 12-13 millimeters out from the weld. [image: user posted image] Crack at weld.JPG
Tried several times to send an email to Staintunes using their website form, but it would not go through. I even tried disabling the firewall and virus scan....still would not send.
Going to call CBT Imports this week to see if they have any contact information. Will keep you informed of any results I get from Staintune in the event anyone else with this same condition needs help.
johnmark101, Jan 29 2006, 10:17 AM Here is a picture of the crack around the weld. It extends about 12-13 millimeters out from the weld. [image: user posted image] Crack at weld.JPG
Mercy... not enough bracket welded to pipe... I'd spread the load with a reinforced bracket...
If StainTunes replaces the pipe with the same weak bracket then I'd take SEBSPEED offer and let his aerospace training produce a proper fix...
johnmark101, Jan 29 2006, 12:17 PMHere is a picture of the crack around the weld. It extends about 12-13 millimeters out from the weld. [image: user posted image] Crack at weld.JPG
Tried several times to send an email to Staintunes using their website form, but it would not go through. I even tried disabling the firewall and virus scan....still would not send.
Going to call CBT Imports this week to see if they have any contact information. Will keep you informed of any results I get from Staintune in the event anyone else with this same condition needs help.
Can you take this picture again, but zoom out a bit? It'll give me a better idea of how to remedy this...
johnmark101, Jan 30 2006, 01:48 AMSebspeed..........here is a picture from just a bit further back. You can still see the crack.
Man, that really sucks. I hope they take care of it for you, and I hope it isn't a wider spread problem since I just ordered mine! At least its in a less obvious spot so a patch wouldn't show if thats what you end up having to do. Good luck.
I spent 25 years of my life as a certified welder, and have done loads of fabrication work, I even built Drag bikes for a few years, mostly Harleys, the Harley guys had loads of cash. It surely looks like a poor design to me the weld is not spread over a large enough area to prevent cracking. I'm not saying it needs more weld it needs a larger footprint "bracket to pipe" to prevent this problem. Like the example BLS showed. I always loved welding stainless it seems to want to be welded. I was welding at Martin Marrietta 20 years ago when the space shuttle exploded.
johnmark, judging from your last picture, were it my own exhaust, I would most likely and in this order:
a. (using a tig machine) fuse the crack back together (w/ filler if neccesary)
b. add a gusset of the same thickness as the bracket, maybe two, just a touch forward of the cracked end of the bracket, and weld it to both the pipe and the bracket
c. I would also add few slices of urethane or rubber(something compatable w/ the heat of the pipe) between the bracket and the mount, bending the bracket a tad if needed
This will make the piece a bit more rigid and add a bit of damping in theory, but it's all bench talk until someone does it...
Well........called CBT Imports Monday morning (the US distributor for Staintune), and they were very polite. Shari gave me an email address directly to someone at Staintune. I emailed them a friendly letter stating my concern, along with the picture.
Get home tonight and and I already have a reply from Shari. Staintune had contacted her and authorized her to send me a replacement pipe.
I am impressed! My pipes warranty had expired by four months. Great customer support from Staintune! Just another good reason to buy their products.
johnmark101, Jan 31 2006, 05:28 AMWell........called CBT Imports Monday morning (the US distributor for Staintune), and they were very polite. Shari gave me an email address directly to someone at Staintune. I emailed them a friendly letter stating my concern, along with the picture.
Get home tonight and and I already have a reply from Shari. Staintune had contacted her and authorized her to send me a replacement pipe.
I am impressed! My pipes warranty had expired by four months. Great customer support from Staintune! Just another good reason to buy their products.
fing02.gif
Sweet! Did CBT imports give you any indication when you would get it? When I ordered a couple of weeks ago they were on back order and I still have not heard when to expect them.
CRFJOHN, Jan 30 2006, 09:15 PMIt surely looks like a poor design to me the weld is not spread over a large enough area to prevent cracking. I'm not saying it needs more weld it needs a larger footprint "bracket to pipe" to prevent this problem.
I'm glad Staintunes is giving johnmark101 great customer service. But I hope they take it a step further and stay on top of their game regarding feedback from members of this forum that would cause them to consider a minor design change to prevent this in the future.
VIPERon, Jan 31 2006, 01:42 PMI'm glad Staintunes is giving johnmark101 great customer service. But I hope they take it a step further and stay on top of their game regarding feedback from members of this forum that would cause them to consider a minor design change to prevent this in the future.
I agree, there is no way I would spend close to $1000 for something that could crack so quickly. I love the sound of the staintunes but keep looking for something better (and cheaper). Maybe they'll do a recall. biggrin.gif
Hoopster, Jan 31 2006, 10:10 AMI agree, there is no way I would spend close to $1000 for something that could crack so quickly. I love the sound of the staintunes but keep looking for something better (and cheaper). Maybe they'll do a recall. biggrin.gif
I think Staintunes should become a member of this forum (just like Mike at CTS Moto with the Pazzo levers). There's nothing like direct, first hand, unfiltered feedback from customers. Hopefully the guys Down Under can make that happen. idea3.gif
cozye, Jan 31 2006, 01:25 PMSweet! Did CBT imports give you any indication when you would get it? When I ordered a couple of weeks ago they were on back order and I still have not heard when to expect them.
When Shari replied she stated it would be shipping out today. Seems odd that yours would be on back order if they are sending me a replacement part right away. Maybe they keep a few spare components on hand.
Sent Staintune a link to this thread. Maybe it will help them spot a potential design issue that could be avoided on future pipe assemblies, or help anyone else with similar concerns.
I've had the same pipes (Tunes) for approx. 2 years. I have developed the same crack. Their warranty is 1 year. I will be sending the an email also. I hope I have the same luck.
VIPERon, Jan 31 2006, 10:23 PMI think Staintunes should become a member of this forum (just like Mike at CTS Moto with the Pazzo levers). There's nothing like direct, first hand, unfiltered feedback from customers. Hopefully the guys Down Under can make that happen. idea3.gif
Done, spoke to Alesha (sorry if misspelt) and given her contact details. We shall see if anything comes of it!!
Sorry to hear that you have had a problem with a Staintune product. I like to pride our business with not only great customer service but also a high quality hand made exhaust system. I hope your experience does not sour your opinion of this Australian made product. I thank you for all of your comments made on this site and others and will make sure that web forum becomes another avenue for customer service and support in the future.
Great Site !
Keep the rubber side down and feel free to contact me direct for your future needs.
P.S Please keep me informed of your warranty replacment progress.
Adam, staintune @ Jan 31 2006, 08:31 PMDear Johnmark 101
Sorry to hear that you have had a problem with a Staintune product. I like to pride our business with not only great customer service but also a high quality hand made exhaust system. I hope your experience does not sour your opinion of this Australian made product. I thank you for all of your comments made on this site and others and will make sure that web forum becomes another avenue for customer service and support in the future.
Great Site !
Keep the rubber side down and feel free to contact me direct for your future needs.
P.S Please keep me informed of your warranty replacment progress.
Kind regards
Adam CEO Staintune Australia Pty Ltd
Thanks for joining, Adam! And for being a part of a company with such great customer service! Now, can we have a group buy? biggrin.gif
QUOTE(VIPERon @ Jan 31 2006, 10:23 PM) I think Staintunes should become a member of this forum (just like Mike at CTS Moto with the Pazzo levers). There's nothing like direct, first hand, unfiltered feedback from customers. Hopefully the guys Down Under can make that happen.
vfrgreg, Jan 31 2006, 07:37 PMDone, spoke to Alesha (sorry if misspelt) and given her contact details. We shall see if anything comes of it!!
biggrin.gif
Greg
Thanks Greg...great teamwork! Adam has signed on for Staintunes, so it looks like it's already working fing02.gif
Adam, staintune @ Feb 1 2006, 01:31 AMDear Johnmark 101
Sorry to hear that you have had a problem with a Staintune product. I like to pride our business with not only great customer service but also a high quality hand made exhaust system. I hope your experience does not sour your opinion of this Australian made product. I thank you for all of your comments made on this site and others and will make sure that web forum becomes another avenue for customer service and support in the future.
Great Site !
Keep the rubber side down and feel free to contact me direct for your future needs.
P.S Please keep me informed of your warranty replacment progress.
Kind regards
Adam CEO Staintune Australia Pty Ltd
Adam,
Thanks so much for your prompt response to my concern. I am very pleased with the Staintune products and impressed with your customer service. fing02.gif
<....Lurking in the back of the room and watching as progress has been made on this interesting problem.... Very Impressed at the speed of which everything has happened... Customer satisafaction is such an important part of owning and running a business in today's society. It sounds like Staintune's Owners have a great working force constantly at their disposal....>
Welcome Adam.... We look forward to giving you direct feedback on such a great product, and likewise... beer.gif
There has been mention of a group buy? I am not sure if it is appropriate to discuss this on the forum? so please excuse me if this is not the done thing. I would be open to a group buy if you think the members of VFRdiscussion would be interested? any feed back would be welcome.
Is there a perticular place on the site for this sort of discussion?
Adam, staintune @ Feb 1 2006, 04:34 PMThere has been mention of a group buy? I am not sure if it is appropriate to discuss this on the forum? so please excuse me if this is not the done thing. I would be open to a group buy if you think the members of VFRdiscussion would be interested? any feed back would be welcome.
Is there a perticular place on the site for this sort of discussion?
Sorry just very new to the web forum seen.
Thank you.
Adam CEO Staintune Aust Pty Ltd
I'm not sure this is the right place, either, maybe the "For Sale" forum?
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