Swinging arm Model 7 exhaust from Armours

Hi Les,I have armours exhausts on my m7,the 55 model with the alloy head.the right hand pipe was a good fit,all i had to do was cut it to length,the left hand was a problem,it was throwing the silencer down and to the left.the problem is the last bend on the pipe is bent outward whereas it should be inwards and up.A visit to an exhaust pipe benders sorted it,I hope this helps.As far as another manufacture I dont know,but it would be good to know if there is one.

Used Armours for a B44 pipe, did not fit and Armours refused to accept it was their problem but suggested it was the bike. Seems to be a common issue with Armours, I will never buy from them again.

I have a memory of reading that they don't make in this country now but are a retail operation, This would make things difficult if problems.

On my B44 the pipe was a high level one, it was 2 inches short, which meant BSA made 2 inch short B44's according to Armours. I heard all the pipe bending is out sourced but within UK in Dorset.

I ordered a featherbed Inter pipe from them. It was completely the wrong shape, the front curve was way too rounded and it did not follow the frame. With it in the exhaust port ( at completely the wrong angle) it hit the crankcase and was never going to fit. I sent pictures and they then sent me a second pipe which they said was different. It was and still did not fit. They then sent a third which was no better. I asked for a refund, they arranged collection and I got a refund for the first pipe as I didn't pay for the others. I struggled to get hold of them and resorted to email but they tried but in the end none of the pipes would have ever fitted without major work. I think they were non featherbed and was concerned how they could have three different pipes for one bike.

The silencer was excellent and the 20 year old pipes on my dommie still look like new so the quality is there if they fit.

They are a small family business and did their very best to try and correct the issues but it took time.

I ordered an unplated pipe from the NOC spares and it just dropped on and looks correct so had that plated.

It must be difficult to get it right every time.

Mark

Feked, in the New Forest area, do exhaust pipes for the Model 7. The shape looks better than those from Armours. Years ago, there was a rumour that Armours Chief Pipe Bender was called Stevie Wonder.

Twice I made the mistake of purchasing exhaust pipes from Armours for my 650. First a set of swept backs, when it was in cafe race style and much later another new set when it was put back in standard trim. In both cases each pipe did not fit properly. Amours offered to rebend the swept back pipes for me but still got it wrong and cracked the Chrome finish. Their attitude was the classic take it as it is or leave it.

I solved the bad fit problem by fitting each in turn to the engine, heating a section to cherry red and then using a pole stuck up the open to bend it to the correct position. The attached photo shows one of the blued pipes. It is possible to polish this out but it is not easy to do.

hi Les,dont hold your breath waiting for a reply,when i first rang them i was told nobody else has complained,thinking it was a one off they sent me another,at my expense,and guess what, same again,taking the last kink out of the pipe does work,does not damage the chrome and is visible only to the prying eye,the brake pedal hides a lot,one thing though,i had to put a more severe kink in the brake pedal arm to clear the pipe,not much,it still looks right.

Previously les_howard wrote:

I have phoned Feked today to ask them if their exhaust systems are made by Armours. They say they are NOT!. I explained that I did not want to buy pipes that are from the same manufacturing source simply to repeat the alignment problem but he assured me they are made elsewhere. This is potentially good news as we now have a choice. Whether they are betteror not, only buyers of the Feked items would know. Unfortunately for me they are out of stock and they say they could be several months before they get in some more. Now I am stuck without any pipes at all... They were collected last week with a delivery back to Armours on Monday of this week...but as expected....no contact back from them (today is Friday) and I am unable to get through to them on the phone...why oh why did I throw out the old ones?....Les

Sorry Les, Feked ones don't fit either, both a friend and I purchased a set for our '54 M7 and neither fit, next weekend we will be taking a gas torch to my nicely chromed set, as I am half a world away it is not worth returning them.

Al

Hi, I am having the same problem now, 4 years after this thread started for my '52 plunger framed model 7. The left hand pipe supplied by Armours fits nicely at the front where it swings around the front of the chaincase but it exits pointing downwards resulting in the silencer bracket being about 3 1/2" low. On a positive note however, I have to say Armours have been very good at communicating with me trying to resolve the problem - which is still ongoing.

Is there still no supplier around that can sell a left hand pipe that fits 'straight out of the box' ?

Derek

I will be in the market for a new set of Siamese for the 99. Interesting what David Cooper said about the fit.  How about some info on the ex rose detail and  any  kick up under the g/box?.Might be worth taking the bike to Armours?.The website does not give any usefull pictures of how the system might look on the bike.