Here's a better view of the 'access' - so even with the engine out of the frame there still wouldn't be a straight path or enough space.
it's the slippage i was thinking of - I wouldn't use that ball-end Andy, find a way to get the full surface area somehow.
surface area is surface area.. are those the exhaust clamps with a gap behind them? I think you will be fine. You can't run the engine now can you? A bit of local heat would help in between dousing, you know this of course.
I took your advice and managed to undo both bolts. I'd previously bought an articulated allen key socket which also didn't fit until I decided to cut the key length down to a stub. It then just about fitted and a little bit of pressure with a breaker bar cracked 'em loose - hurrah! If the truth be known the bolts weren't in very tight at all and as can be seen the threads in the head are clean as a whistle and any seizure was due to the serrated washers.
After two weeks of doing nothing on the bike, too cold for me, I spent some time yesterday in the garage giving it a spring clean and decided to see if I could disassemble the exhaust. The link pipes and cans came off real easy but I'm having trouble with the rear header pipe union. Underneath the engine there is a twist of pipes providing the outlets to the cans and the header pipe to the front cylinder. This is one complete unit with another stub for this rear header union. As can be seen from the photo the union isn't on square and it also contains one of those soft silver exhaust gasket thingumy jobs which probably doesn't help. I've tried some release fluid & err... gentle persuasion but it's having none of it. I'm sure it would release if I could only get the complete caboodle off the bike but it's shaped like a letter C lying on it's back and 'hooked' at each end by the oil cooler and the engine casing/swingarm resp. In situ access is too limited and there is too much movement to apply (decent) force. I've had one thought and that is to knock the bike off the abba stand move the oil cooler and see if I can rotate the complete exhaust around the rhs of the bike to allow it to be lifted up to bring the rear header down & under the swingarm and out.
Well we have more success and more pictures of a 20 year old exhaust that's had a hard life. Move the oil cooler enough to move the front header to the side. Now down & more to the side. Up & to the side. And finally out & separated... hurrah!!
