feels like we only go backwards.

so, almost a week wasted, exhaust brackets milled, filed to shape, wet and dry paper to finish and polished, bolt them up and throw them in the scrap bin to weigh in for decent, used stock. can't use them, they are just so wrong. bollock's. time for a re-think. the ducati crankcases have a 10mm hollow through the casting, not used for anything on the 'supersport' series bikes, [perhaps for something on the 'monster's?'] it's ideal to hang a couple of bracket's off to carry the weight of the exhaust header's, set too and fab up a couple of brackets out of scrap stainless, carefully mark up the position and make up a jig to suit. cut off the link pipes from the aftermarket damaged remus ducati performance cans and offer them up. mark the positions up for the correct angle and discover the aftermarket carbon cans are the wrong diameter, double bollocks. i phone nige at nrp exhausts, deep in enemy territory in s'nottinghamshire. he can sort me out today, friday the thirteenth, i mean, what could possibly go wrong? i'm at work extra early door's, shift done and home for 1100hrs, collect the mashings and off to sunny bilsthorpe. meet 'reg' the dog, he's a big boy, nine month's old and a staffy cross with what looks like a pit-bull, while we play, throw the old slipper / chase the lead / wrestle / rag his lead nige patiently sticks our exhaust system together, a proper craftsman, he occasionally flip's up his welding mask to tell us about his various race-bike projects and bollock reg for barking, the milky, early spring sunshine providing light but no warmth to these old bones. nige tig's on a couple of clip's to carry the springs that will tension the carbon cans and provide the 'factory' look, might go 'belt and braces' and add some lock-wiring too between the spring mountings for the full-on tt race bike look. the original exhaust system is manufacured from a very low grade stainless steel, still non-magnetic, but subject to corrosion. at first i thought they were just badly rusted mild steel, a quick check with the magnet revealed there true identity so i hit them with a brass cup brush to remove the worst of the oxidisation and finished them with some 'lions-tongue' rough grade cloth backed paper. hmm, that looks ok, a quick rub over with scotchbrite and i've got the perfect finish, not too shiny just 'right' you know what i mean? i'll post some photo's up of the finished item, these are just 'work-in-progress' shots for now......