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Cracked Cal 14 Exhaust Parts

GT-Rx® said:
Nothing has changed. I imagine 2017+ models will see the same issues in time. I'll put (one or two) products on the shelf until the need is gone. All of my 1400 offerings have been slow sellers... almost not worth the time, effort and $ I've put in.
Click to expand...
I went with Todd’s full system also. Not only did it make the bike run much better and solve the cracked pipe issue, it got rid of that annoying tinny sound made by the pipe heat shields. That sound was driving me nuts. I had them torqued with lock tight but I could still always hear a vibration.
 
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Like Curt I went with the full system, polished stainless steel headers and cross pipe.

Todd worked some magic with the mounting brackets for the Stainless Steel Shorty Zards. The rear wheel of my '14 Cali Custom can now be removed without dismantling half the rear end.

Should be interesting to see how time is saved with the next tire change.

Oh yeah the Shorty Zards were installed along with the full Fuel Mod package.

Better response, better performance, better sound and much better looking than the stock system.

She needs a bath and will need new tires soon.

Zards.webp
 
blakbird said:
Like Curt I went with the full system, polished stainless steel headers and cross pipe.

Todd worked some magic with the mounting brackets for the Stainless Steel Shorty Zards. The rear wheel of my '14 Cali Custom can now be removed without dismantling half the rear end.

Should be interesting to see how time is saved with the next tire change.

Oh yeah the Shorty Zards were installed along with the full Fuel Mod package.

Better response, better performance, better sound and much better looking than the stock system.

She needs a bath and will need new tires soon.

View attachment 17735
Click to expand...
Very nice, but out of interest why the Zards as opposed to Todd’s full system or did you have them fitted prior to replacing the headers.
 
Robert Gibson said:
Very nice, but out of interest why the Zards as opposed to Todd’s full system or did you have them fitted prior to replacing the headers.
Click to expand...

I already had the Zards. Purchased shortly after the Fuel Mod system was installed. Todd provided updated map.

The polished SS headers and cross pipe are the essential finishing touches.

I Forgot to mention that Todd also worked other magic on the Zards. Removing all traces of the heat shield brackets.
 
roadventure said:
THAT has got to be the biggest benefit of the short mufflers.
Click to expand...

After the improved "breathing" and increased Torque / HP yep!

Right up there with scaring the p!@s out of a cager that won't park in the middle of the road behind my parking space in a near empty parking lot.
When gentle blips on the twin Fiams didn't get his attention. The highly audible bark from the Zards did the job.
 
my full system arrived yesterday for my Audace. This is the best looking exhaust I've ever seen. The welds are perfect- the finish is great, and the fit and finish is great. I'm a bit of a whore for cool exhausts- I spent so much time researching the best exhausts for my Aprillia and my Harley- eventually going with an Arrow Ti system for the former and an RB Racing system for my Street Bob. For the Audace- I literally spent 30 seconds researching- and got the best exhaust ever. I can't wait to see how it sounds and performs especially with Todd's feuling kit that also arrived yesterday.
 
cgaulzetti said:
my full system arrived yesterday for my Audace. This is the best looking exhaust I've ever seen. The welds are perfect- the finish is great, and the fit and finish is great. I'm a bit of a whore for cool exhausts- I spent so much time researching the best exhausts for my Aprillia and my Harley- eventually going with an Arrow Ti system for the former and an RB Racing system for my Street Bob. For the Audace- I literally spent 30 seconds researching- and got the best exhaust I've seen. I can't wait to see how it sounds and performs especially with Todd's feuling kit that also arrived yesterday.
Click to expand...

Would love to see pictures and hear the sound when installed.
 
sir fred said:
After reading that the Cali 1400 was going to be discontinued,I became concerned with a future crack. I was going to purchase Todd's H-pipe and some mufflers. After some emails with Todd, I ended up purchasing the full system. I am super pleased with my purchase and after removing the old pipes was glad I did...this is the old H-pipe.the best way to remove the old system is with a sawsall...I highly recommend changing it if you are going to keep your bike.
Click to expand...

I did purchase and install Todd's H-Pipe on my stock exhaust and expect many happy years of riding to come.

FYI, IF you ever need to remove the full system you bought from Todd you may find that cutting will be the way to go. Heat and time does wonderful thing in helping metal pieces bond together (even stainless steel...).
 
roadventure said:
FYI, IF you ever need to remove the full system you bought from Todd you may find that cutting will be the way to go. Heat and time does wonderful thing in helping metal pieces bond together (even stainless steel...).
Click to expand...
Not sure what you mean here, as I've uninstalled systems I've built from 12 years ago with no issues. That and nothing a squirt of Kroil or eq won't undo.
 
GT-Rx® said:
Not sure what you mean here, as I've uninstalled systems I've built from 12 years ago with no issues. That and nothing a squirt of Kroil or eq won't undo.
Click to expand...

Todd, don't you remember when you and I tried to remove the mufflers on my (then) new 2013 Custom 1400? We could not make them let go.

It was only much later when my crossover broke, I was able to remove each side separately. then with some heat and brute force I was able to get them to let go.
 
I’ve searched for a few years on YouTube and such for exhaust systems or slip on mufflers for the CA14’s. None of them sounded like something I’d want to spend money on. Yes, I know phone cameras and especially phone audio leaves a lot to be desired. But the before and after dyno graphs along with Todd’s videos are a real treat.

Thank you Todd for making your systems available to the Moto Guzzi community. After riding Moto Guzzi nearly exclusively for over 30 years I’ve been without a Guzzi since 2013. The Eldorado 1400 is the one I desire so I’ll wait and see if Piaggio drops the 1400s, improves them or adds an Eldorado Touring version for their Centennial line up.

Thanks again Todd!
 
Almost 16,000 here, no problems. I *did* put the much lighter Mistrals on at 1200 miles though. I've often wondered if it was the mass of the stock mufflers that causes the crossover issues...
 
You can add my 2017 California to the list of broken exhaust components, 17600 miles. I was both fortunate and unfortunate as to when and where it happened; unfortunate in that I was 1500 miles away from home, and fortunate that my return route allowed me to make a slight detour to GT Motorcycles to get the replacement parts fitted. The pipe split on a Monday afternoon. I emailed Todd to see if he had a replacement available, which he did, and I could schedule it to be installed on Thursday morning when I was passing through.

I was able to band-aid the system together using the hose clamp setup that kdirtrider posted on page 3 of this thread. I did not use the muffler tape as I was planning on just replacing the h-pipe and didn't want a bunch of melted tape on the header. The hose clamps sealed things back up reasonably well enough to make the trip from Tucson to Orange without issue. I wasn't able to get any pictures of the setup, but the way the pipe breaks at the weld allows it to seat and seal decently for a temporary fix.

I had intended to just replace the h-pipe. After disassembly, we discovered a large crack in the heat shield on the header right in the middle of the bend downward from the exhaust port. I knew the crack was just going to spread and cause buzzing and rattling, so I went ahead and had the headers replaced as well. I went with the brushed stainless for ease of maintenance, and also had the mid-pipe installed to retain the heat shields. Some may not like the look, but form follows function for me in this case. I'll see if I can get some photos tomorrow at some point.

The quality of the parts is great, the headers are port matched and then step up slightly for further tuning of the exhaust flow. Even with the Lafranconi mufflers with the baffle installed, I noticed smoother operation and better response in the 2500-4500 RPM range.

If anyone is wondering if a newer bike is susceptible to the h-pipe failure, I'm sad to say it is. I highly recommend to replace it before it breaks. Better yet, just replace the headers before other things happen as well, since the same inferior steel is used all the way to the mufflers. I am very happy with the results. Even better, I was back on the road before lunch with plenty of time to get to my next destination.

Dave
 
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