Micron Exhaust Pictures - Oval Race Highmount w/ Carbon Exhaust Can
Sound Clips of standard exhaust (not highmount)
Here's a shot of the whole exhaust & Woodcraft rearsets (1" back, 1.25" up vs. stock position) on the bike:
I'm having clearance issues for foot placement on the rearsets due to the rearward position of the rearset (1" further back than stock) and the new midpipe for the highmount exhaust.
Here's an example shot of how my shoe contacts the pipe without having the peg in the center of my shoe.
Placing the ball of my foot on the peg for track/aggressive street riding puts the heel area right on the midpipe above the heatshield (my boots would be even worse). I would have to really raise my heel to clear the pipe and it feels pretty awkward right now.
I have about 52mm of space between the heat shield on the midpipe and the rear edge of the rearset.
There's approximately 12mm of space between the midpipe & the heatshield. The heatshield is attached by two two threaded steel bungs for the screws.
Other pictures of the mounting brackets & overall assembly.
The rear footpeg could be used, but I think the hot pipe would bother a passenger. There's some slight flex associated with the entire footpeg assembly since a stainless plate mounts to the subframe instead of the traditional boxed setup for the factory mount.
Updates on fitment issues & working with Micron directly:
Short timeline:
I've had this exhaust since mid Nov 05.
Ordered it from parts411.com on Nov 7th, they sent me the wrong highmount (got the 01-03 F4i version instead of 04-05 version). I finally got the replacement highmount pipe & parts, installed it and then the footpeg clearance issues. Ordered the std midpipe, the part is defective. Now ordering a second std midpipe. Received the second midpipe, part isn't exactly made to fit this header. Made the P.O.S. work.
12/16/05
I called Micron and spoke with someone about my issues. They were absolutely
no help whatsoever. The way that the guy talked made me wonder if he even knows
what a highmount exhaust & rearsets look like. I did ask if they'd received
any calls about this in the past and he answered with complete silence. Do any
of these bike parts companies have any expertise whatsoever? I think that it's a
small percentage that know their stuff.
I ordered a standard midpipe since that will relocate the highmount to the stock
exhaust location for now. The pipe was $100. This gives me some time to seek an
alternative option for the highmount.
Per a suggestion from hozhead on sportbikes.net (thanks!), I may get a small
2-3" piece of exhaust pipe and simply use another exhaust clamp to move the
highmount midpipe back for more clearance. That should work fine as long as the
pipe diameter is very close to what I specify.
12/21/05
I received the standard midpipe from Micron and attempted to swap the highmount to the std mount. The new pipe that I received from Micron has a slight fold on the outside of the tubing resulting in a raised/rounded edge on the interior. The end result is that the pipe will not slide far enough onto the header flange to seal properly.
I called Micron about the midpipe fold. After much deliberation and telling
them: "the highmount pipe slips on with one hand, the new midpipe won't go
on using two hands and twisting it"; they kept asking, "did you take
the stock gasket off?" Now how in the hell can the highmount midpipe slip
on easily and the gasket still be in place?? Use some common sense!
Unfortunately, the burden of proof for a product issue is on the consumer here.
I emailed digital pictures of the slight fold in the tubing, but then they
simply said that they didn't feel the indention was enough to cause an issue.
I spent $450 on an exhaust and the company is not willing to help me out
virtually at all. They finally agreed to RMA the new midpipe, but I had to pay
for a second one so that it could be shipped asap.
Bottom line, I am not impressed with Micron and wish that I had purchased
another exhaust altogether.
12/29/05
I should have received the new midpipe by now, so I called Micron yet again. Spoke with the same person and they quickly remembered me. They never shipped the new midpipe. Somehow the discussion we had regarding me getting the new midpipe ASAP went in one ear and out the other. I clearly remember asking the Micron rep if they still had my credit card info used on the original midpipe order, to which they replied yes, so I asked that they simply charge me again & ship another midpipe. With the RMA, I would return the original pipe for a refund.
If I wasn't impressed with Micron before, I am even less impressed with them now. Two words for Micron customer service " piss poor"!
First and foremost when dealing with customers, do what you say that you are going to do. This has been a complete fiasco and Micron doesn't seem to care whatsoever.
I have been questioned regarding these quality issues as if I were a complete hassle and I hope that this timeline will help others in making a future decision about an exhaust purchase for their bike.
12/31/05
I received the second new midpipe. This midpipe doesn't have any folds in the tubing like the first, but it still doesn't want to slip onto the header flange very well. Instead of continuing to fight with Micron, I simply used a small board and a rubber mallet to push the midpipe fully onto the header flange. The midpipe internal diameter is really too small, although the highmount pipe goes on easily. Probably some production/quality issue with Micron since one pipe model works and another is a bitch to install.
Here's a few shots of the header flange (notice no factory gasket), highmount pipe easily slipped on, and the new midpipe that won't go on without a serious attitude adjuster (rubber mallet).
Being forced to beat a midpipe into place is not my idea of a high quality part.
The exhaust is fully installed, although I did use a couple extra washers between the mounting tabs for the exhaust can clamp. The oval clamp was a bit too tight on that carbon can for my tastes, so the extra washers allow a slight offset in relieves the excessive compression on the exhaust can.
I also ground down the corner of the oval exhaust can clamp to add more clearance between the clamp and the rear footpeg bracket.
Sound Clips (.AVI format taken using a Canon digital camera) (~ 3 meg files each)
Installed pictures - standard midpipe vs highmount
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