Best value exhaust pipes

MarcD

MarcD

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Planning to buy a pair of unbalanced roadster pipes for my ‘73 750.

I know this topic has been discussed, but variations in supply might make a current rehash worthwhile.

I’m in the US and considering the LE Harris pipes over Emgo; any opinions or other options?

Thanks
Marc in SF
 
Not sure about LE Harris pipes, but I'm happy with my Emgo's for both price and quality. Greg Marsh (marshg246) is a vendor and can get you a deal
 
Concours: Thanks for the link; DHL shipping from UK is surprisingly inexpensive at around $51. I emailed them about country of origin; have you had first hand experience with them?

Tom U: Good to know that a forum member is a vendor for Emgo. I've had mixed luck with Emgo products, but that means some of the products were good, yes? Have you had your pipes for a while? My experience with asian-built products suggests that quality control is paramount; suppliers sometimes get product from multiple sources, and not all are equal.
 
MarcD said:
Concours: Thanks for the link; DHL shipping from UK is surprisingly inexpensive at around $51. I emailed them about country of origin; have you had first hand experience with them?

Tom U: Good to know that a forum member is a vendor for Emgo. I've had mixed luck with Emgo products, but that means some of the products were good, yes? Have you had your pipes for a while? My experience with asian-built products suggests that quality control is paramount; suppliers sometimes get product from multiple sources, and not all are equal.
Click to expand...
Yes.
Best value exhaust pipes
 
MarcD said:
Planning to buy a pair of unbalanced roadster pipes for my ‘73 750.

I know this topic has been discussed, but variations in supply might make a current rehash worthwhile.

I’m in the US and considering the LE Harris pipes over Emgo; any opinions or other options?

Thanks
Marc in SF
Click to expand...
Hey Marc,

do you have engine 220627? I sold this one in San Jose in 1987.Best value exhaust pipes
 
Last edited:
Since my name was brought up I'll give my full impression/information. I am a dealer for JRC Engineering, Wassel, AN, Tri-Spark, AMAL, and several others. EMGO only sells in large batches, and I am not a dealer for EMGO. I get my EMGO products from three places: Wassel, JRC Engineering, and Amazon.

EMGO products range from crap to excellent. The EMGO Roaster tanks are superior and IMHO, way better than originals. Other than Viking Exhaust, EMGO unbalanced Roadster exhaust pipes are superior to any others I've found. EMGO Roadster side covers are excellent, but the oil tank cover does not have the standoffs. EMGO peashooters are excellent as well, but they are VERY loud. Most EMGO electrical parts are crap as are fenders. The handlebars are at least as good as originals.

Similarly, Wassel products range between crap and excellent. When I receive something from them that is crap, I trash it. They are today's Genuine Lucas - IMHO only a fool buys LUCAS-like products today. Same for Girling and Hepolite.

I could not be happier that AN exists, stays well stocked, will answer questions/help, and generally supports the community. I get most Norton parts, except those above, from AN and I bought out the Old Britts AN stock.

All that said, I have no EMGO pipes or peashooters for sale right now and I've quit adding stock since I have $92k worth right now and no one is buying.
 
Well i stand corrected. Regardless, Greg is a great go to for parts in the US. He bought out much of what Old Britts had left and does little advertising and has minimal web presence which may be the reason for his inventory, but can be reached on the forum and has a wealth of knowledge. If you need something he'd be the first person i'd contact

And FWIW, i have only had my EMGO pipes for a short while. They seem like they are a good value (quality vs. price)
 
Mine is 235xxx; as best I can tell, it was originally a Hi-Rider 750…has a drum front brake and the little headlight, although the seat, tank and handlebars are long gone
 
For what it is worth, I have AN peashooter silencers (ones with the embossed Norton logo on the aft end) and single downpipes on my 74. 10k miles on them no issues other than I had to use washers to get a neutral load when securing them. I don't think it as much poor bending of the pipes as the heads are not all exactly the same.
 
I have purchased 2 sets of Les Harris pipes for my 74 850 and both sets on the left side did not fit properly at all.Finally went to an Emgo set and right out of the box fit perfectly.Very satisfied
Mike
 
The EMGO unbalanced pipes I've used have fitted far better than the UK sourced balanced pipes I managed to wrestle onto my last Mk2A 850
 
Last week I finally received a pair of unbalanced 750 pipes from Andover Norton, for an 850 MK2a I've built for a friend. The delay was down to them using a new manufacturer. The quality of the pipe work, welding, & plating is some of the best I have seen in well over forty years. The fit is also good, the left pipe just needed a bit of tweeking, but I have never found any exhaust pipes that just fit perfectly, due as much as anything to the variations from bike to bike.

Martyn.
 
MarcD said:
Mine is 235xxx; as best I can tell, it was originally a Hi-Rider 750…has a drum front brake and the little headlight, although the seat, tank and handlebars are long gone
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Ah the elusive 235xxx series. No one really knows what these are as the last ‘73 750 is reported as 230935 build Oct ’73. Quite a few of the 235xxx pop up though.
 
ILLF8ED said:
Ah the elusive 235xxx series. No one really knows what these are as the last ‘73 750 is reported as 230935 build Oct ’73. Quite a few of the 235xxx pop up though.
Click to expand...

Much information has come to light over recent years with many '235' series bikes having been reported and enough to establish that the first approximately 500 235xxx series were mainly 750 Hi-Riders and drum-braked 750 Roadsters built in early 1973 before the "last 750" 230935 recorded (perhaps dispatched, not "built"?) in "October 1973", so the '235' 750 series appears to have been built out of sequence and shouldn't be considered later than '230'.
 
L.A.B. said:
Much information has come to light over recent years with many '235' series bikes having been reported and enough to establish that the first approximately 500 235xxx series were mainly 750 Hi-Riders and drum-braked 750 Roadsters built in early 1973 before the "last 750" 230935 recorded (perhaps dispatched, not "built"?) in "October 1973", so the '235' 750 series appears to have been built out of sequence and shouldn't be considered later than '230'.
Click to expand...
The limited info I have on 235xxx mostly came from AN and implies that they were built sporadically. The earliest date (build date?) I have is 1/73 and the latest is 4/74. In only have one 230xxx and I don't have a build date for it.

It could be that they were special orders or bikes that failed testing and were later added back to the line.

I don't have any 2xxxxx numbers higher than 235xxx numbers but that DOES NOT mean that L.A.B. is wrong - just means that I haven't found or been given any.

I have none between 221504 and 230615 so it would be easy to believe that 750s stopped being produced thousands before 230xxx and the 230xxx and 235xxx ranges were all special, but again - me not having the info proves little to nothing.

That sort of thing is why I stated the survey - the more info I have, especially in serial number gaps, the more we will understand. Also, sending me a scan of any dispatch record you have greatly adds to the info. It's well known that they were recorded differently over the years, and I believe that that engine and/or Certification Label stamping was done differently over time.
 
marshg246 said:
The limited info I have on 235xxx mostly came from AN and implies that they were built sporadically. The earliest date (build date?) I have is 1/73 and the latest is 4/74.
Click to expand...

The "4/74" example, however, is a 2355xx 850 and almost certainly manufactured some months after the batch of 750 235xxx series and nothing to suggest the 235 750s were not all built in the early months of '73. Although some 235 750s were "Registered" later in '73 (with UK plates) there is no indication of their actual build date.

marshg246 said:
In only have one 230xxx and I don't have a build date for it.
Click to expand...
marshg246 said:
I have none between 221504 and 230615 so it would be easy to believe that 750s stopped being produced thousands before 230xxx and the 230xxx and 235xxx ranges were all special, but again - me not having the info proves little to nothing.
Click to expand...

There's certainly a large gap in the serial numbers between the '22' series and '230' series, as there is between the '21' and '22' series.

According to Norton Service Release N3/39 (Replacement centre stand kit), '22' series production had reached 221644 and '230' had reached 230685 by or about March '73, the Service Release date.

The '230' 750s supposedly had '850' geometry frames (and ANG yokes) '230' probably identified them as such, therefore, it's not impossible to think that batches of 22, 230 and even 235 series bikes could have been built in or around the same production period and the difference in serial number was due to specification and not the date of manufacture.

Edit: The 235xxx series of course also includes a few 750 short-stroke engines.
 
L.A.B. said:
The "4/74" example, however, is a 2355xx 850 and almost certainly manufactured some months after the batch of 750 235xxx series and nothing to suggest the 235 750s were not all built in the early months of '73. Although some 235 750s were "Registered" later in '73 (with UK plates) there is no indication of their actual build date.
Click to expand...
Wow! I never noticed that some 235xxx where 850s!

23553x ----- N/A ----- From AccessNorton - ?/74 850 (Roadster)
235565 Apr 74 N/A ----- From AccessNorton - 4/74 850 (Roadster)
235576 ----- N/A ----- From AccessNorton - 750 Short stroke engine
235638 ----- N/A ----- From AccessNorton - ?/74 850 (Roadster 2A)
235713 ----- N/A ----- From AccessNorton - 750 Short stroke engine (72/73 750 crankcase?)

Also interesting is that I have 300xxx 850s with dates before the one you caught which in a way verifies your statement about 235xxx being built out of sequence.
 

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