Trouble EPCO Commando Pipes

[miller7346]

I purchased a pair of EPCO Commando pipes on ebay last March for my 2004 Black Bonnie. They were put on ebay by Stainless Ride out of Miami. They look great and sound great, but after about 1,500 miles on them, I noticed some pitting and discoloration around the bend in neck of the connect points. I read online some other people had this happen. When I unpacked them out of really nice cloth bags, they had Ecquador stamped on them. I also read that EPCO had them "finished" and packaged there. I realize they were advertised on ebay as "seconds" but noted that it would be hard to notice any irregularities when you examine them- and I didn't. They were about 35% cheaper than new ones.
Has any Triumph Talk members had any similar problems and if so, is there anything I can do to stop the problem from getting worse (other than waiting till holes develop in them!)?
Ronnie M

 

[CarlS]

I have never used EPCO pipes; so I can't help you with this one.

 

[Dschief]

I have had 2 sets of the exact same ebay Epco's for around 2 years, one set on the Thruxton and one on the Bonnie. Other than the dime size imperfection they advertised, I have had zero issues with them.

 

[miller7346]

Thanks for the reassurance. I read somewhere that I may not have had the connector brackets tight enough. I had come back from putting about 500 miles on the interstate when I noticed. Maybe, that was the cause. I tightened them up -and they took a full 1 and 1/2 turn so I'll note if they pit anymore.
Ronnie M

 

[Dschief]

Did you use any hi-temp sealer on the joints? I use Permatex Copper sealant on all exhaust pipe joints, and I never have any problems with leaks, and it keeps corrosion between the two dissimilar metals to a minimum, making them easier to pull apart when the need arises.

 

[miller7346]

I did. I think it could have been that the clamps were a bit loose and vibration of hours on the interstate might have been the culprit. Thanks for the comment.
Ronnie M