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I had a similar situation with my wide glide recently, rear cylinder exhaust bracket cracked at the bend. It did not move out of position like yours did. I had it welded. Did not end up with a leak.again, nice find and good luck!
thanks so much for all of the information to everyone who has replied!!
i will try loosening the flange studs at the head today and see if it's possible to rotate the pipe back into alignment. i could just be wrong since i haven't tried yet.
@mchad thanks a lot with the call out about the flange near the front muffler that supports the whole system. i kept thinking that there should be a rear exhaust bracket but for the life of me, i can't see where it would attach to the rear muffler --> transmission for stability. you are probably right that these pipes are not stock.would you happen to have any idea what size bolt i should get to mount the muffler tot he bar with? i'm sure i can just measure the bolt size with my wrench on the front muffler, but just thought i'd ask.
the exhaust gasket probably is deformed but if it runs after supporting the muffler after getting this back onto the chrome mount bar -- it'll at least be rideable and i can get it into a dealer or get the gasket to do the replacement.
@architect it's funny you said the same thing as someone else when i told them my bolt fell off. "it's a harley, get used to it." glad it's just a small/minor problem instead of something that is much more devastating.
@durham_man beautiful bike!! i love the tank paint job!! i just bought this bike in LA from someone who purchased the bike in georgia and then trailered it back to LA. as far as i know, there hasn't been any engine work done and it should be all stock although i guess these pipes are not from the info i just got from @mchad. everything else is just cosmetic. i know the engine was recently redone with new gaskets/etc. this is my first harley ever, but i've always wanted the FXR if i was going to get one and i'm finally on the train (and addicted!) it's got 32k miles on it, pretty much super clean all over except for a little chip on the tank also i'm not a fan of the rubber gauge console -- might switch that out someday soon. other than that, HD's have totally lived up to the reputation and my favorite part is that whenever i ride it, it feels like what a motorcycle should feel like in my mind.
thanks again for all the help everyone!! i'll give an update later today.
No way we could tell the bolt size unfortunately. However if I had to guess I'd guess 5/16x18. If you get the head size, they're pretty standard.
so i removed the exhaust today. i definitely have an idea of what bolt/nut/washer i need for the chrome mounting bar now. i took off the washer/nut/bolt from the front muffler for reference so will just get 2 new pairs tomorrow and loctite them!
however, when i was seeing if i could align the exhaust back to regular, i noticed that it wasn't a perfect fit between the engine and the exhaust flange. i attached a photo. i realized that it's slightly off center which makes sense to me because the engine is obviously angled but if i get it to align straight with the front muffler, only one end of the flange is flush against the engine head and the bottom half of the flange is nowhere close to being flush.
should i get a mallet and hammer it?? is this just how it's designed and as long as it's stuck, i shouldn't worry? sorry for all the questions. super thankful for all the guidance and help so far!!
i think once i get the bolts back onto the muffler/chrome bar, it will definitely stay in place. if this sounds like something that i shouldn't fix myself without significant HD experience, i'm just going to schedule something at my local harley shop and let them take care of it!
I have never had that problem but I think your flange is pinched. Maybe some lube and a little tap. On install it goes flange then clip and your gasket goes into cylinder recess.
Get yourself a factory manual. You can also goggle any job you are doing and find something on utube. You can also goggle it on the forum, and ask direct.
Those flanges should be free to move. It probably got jammed when the pipe dropped. It should come free. Tap the high side lightly and see if that frees it.
And I would definitly use a lock washer on The muffler bolt. The muffler probably doesn't get very hot, but loctite is not reliable when exposed to heat.
Those flanges should be free to move. It probably got jammed when the pipe dropped. It should come free. Tap the high side lightly and see if that frees it.
And I would definitly use a lock washer on The muffler bolt. The muffler probably doesn't get very hot, but loctite is not reliable when exposed to heat.
first off: i want to say thank you to everything that offered me suggestions in this thread. you were all right on the money.
i went into an HD specialty store today and they provided me with a flatlock bolt, some crush washers and nuts and also provided me with some spare gaskets and the nuts that go on the manifold studs. cleaned out the old gasket, replaced it, tapped the flange that was stuck on the exhaust it and slid right down and i was able to reposition it. did as you all suggested to hand tighten those first and then got everything lined up and loctite blue'd the bolts on the muffler.
i'm back in business!!!!
letting it set for 24 hours and i have a long day of riding ahead of me tomorrow and i'm super glad it wasn't a big issue. it's not completely straight right now, but i'll get back to it again later to straighten it out, but i'm so glad it's fixed!!!
@durham man: thanks for the suggestion to look at some videos on youtube. i don't know why i didn't think of that to begin with. i bought my manual yesterday!!!
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also i'm not a fan of the rubber gauge console -- might switch that out someday soon. other than that, HD's have totally lived up to the reputation and my favorite part is that whenever i ride it, it feels like what a motorcycle should feel like in my mind. 
