Changing exhaust wadding

So I got on with cleaning out my exhausts and changing the exhaust wadding, as my RG has to go through the noise testing at 7500rpm, and I was on the 102db limit last year. It is really surprising coz it really doesn't sound loud at all, compared to some of the four strokes, and even the TZ's sound louder, anyway. The plan was to remove the silencers and fill the pipes with a solution of caustic soda. This stuff is really dangerous as apparently you just don't feel it on your skin and it burns, so to be treated with the utmost respect. As the powder disolves in the water it reacts with it and creates heat, so you have to add the powder to the water and not the other way around, otherwise you risk it spitting.

I attached a thick rubber glove to one end of the pipe, and then filled a pipe with the caustic soda, the idea is to use the glove to squish the liquid up and down to help it remove the carbon deposits. Unfortunately it's pretty difficult to manipulate and of course I spilt some over the bench vise, and onto the aluminium on the pipe.... tshhhhhhhh as it reacts with the aluminium.... quick chuck some water on it. Pheww.... all OK.. no damage but this stuff really cleans the wood on the bench!

I had made up 5 litres which is pretty much the volume of each pipe. Initially I kept it in the pipe a couple of hours, and then emptied it back into my bowl. I decided to leave it in longer, as although it removes the carbon deposits that are flaky it really doesn't do anything for the stuff that is baked onto the pipe. I think I would need to rattle something around inside to facilitate the removal of the baked on stuff.

Anyway I used a metal brush on the my drill to remove the layer of rust on the outside of the pipes, and I don't know if I will spray paint them again or just leave them with liberal coating of WD40, to be honest the first time it rains the paint seems to come off, so don't know if I'll bother.

Repacking the silencers went pretty easily. The old stuff kinda cracks off as it had hardened presumabley because of the heat, and I just cut a new length and rolled it in to place, I then pushed the carbon sleeve on to the baffle with a screwing motion to keep the fibre in place.

Next on the list, is to do the forks on the RG, and I have also received my static ignition adjuster and a couple of spare rotary disks, as I noticed that they are loose on the end of the cranks, the castellations seem to wear a bit on the rotary disks... I am not going to change them yet, I'll wait and see.