I don't believe the problem is one of undue stress on the exhaust nuts, but that the standard nuts are steel screwed into an alloy head, the alloy expands much more than steel when subjected to heat and the rings come loose. I have fitted three sets of bronze nuts from Norvil without the locking rings and have had no problem with loosening whatsoever. I note that there are also alloy nuts available which will obviously also have the same expansion properties as the head but I have not tried these.

I just did a new exhaust and used the funny looking rings with tabs to bend and hold the exhaust nuts. Had to give them a try as I never have before, have always done the safety wire thing.

Crap........

No matter how you bend them, they just won't be snug enough to avoid musical accompaniment as you go up through the gears. Sounds like a bunch of Buddist Monks on Holy Day. The Jingle Jangle of the rings as they rattle around is just not my style, there's enough noise on the bike as it is, and no one needs another reason to worry that it might be getting ready to send a piston to the moon..strange noises just aren't conducive towards a relaxing assault on the bug population of our wonderful country roads.
New exhaust has a total different tone too , from the old one, somehow quieter, and I swear the horsepower has been reduced. But worst of all.... my wife couldn't hear me coming, five minutes before I got home last night like she always does, and she didn't even have time to run out and open the courtyard door and the door to the barn for me before I got there. If it wasn't Mother's Day....I'd surely be tempted to say something about it, but I will probably take the chicken way out and just put the old rusty exhaust back on. Better sound, better power, happier wife, and last but not least.......better door service....

Shame though...the new one looks so....nice.

NorBSA is quite correct! shaking and non shaking don't play well together.. I have seen the results........

Captain & Norbsa you are both right, and the standard set up does just that because the shaking of the engine is carried to the exhaust and all the leverage happens at the exhaust nut, I know the exhaust is rubber mounted to the frame but this is inadequate due to the length & inertia of the exhaust.

My mod locks the downpipes to the gearbox cradle which is part of the vibrating power unit so there is no attempt by the exhaust to move relative to the head

Believe me it works & it is 10 years since I did it

I do not have a digital camera as I am stone age but the support bar passes under the power unit about 1 inch back from the drain plug on the primary chaincase. It must not touch the frame. It is a little tight to get the correct position & I had the bike standing on its wheels ie not on the centre stand when I fitted it so isolastics were in their normal working position. It also passes very close to prop stand, but with careful positioning it can be made to clear everything, & bolt to engine / gbox plates using 2 m8 nuts & bolts. The precise design doesnt matter as long as it locks the downpipes to the power unit and avoids contact with the main frame

Captain & Norbsa you are both right, and the standard set up does just that because the shaking of the engine is carried to the exhaust and all the leverage happens at the exhaust nut, I know the exhaust is rubber mounted to the frame but this is inadequate due to the length & inertia of the exhaust.

My mod locks the downpipes to the gearbox cradle which is part of the vibrating power unit so there is no attempt by the exhaust to move relative to the head

Believe me it works & it is 10 years since I did it

I do not have a digital camera as I am stone age but the support bar passes under the power unit about 1 inch back from the drain plug on the primary chaincase. It must not touch the frame. It is a little tight to get the correct position & I had the bike standing on its wheels ie not on the centre stand when I fitted it so isolastics were in their normal working position. It also passes very close to prop stand, but with careful positioning it can be made to clear everything, & bolt to engine / gbox plates using 2 m8 nuts & bolts. The precise design doesnt matter as long as it locks the downpipes to the power unit and avoids contact with the main frame