Slap, I agree - that little turn down that sticks out the end of the silencer sure ruins the whole look.  I imagine they did that because of the spate of complaints that the stock silencer melts turn indicator housings.

Nice job.


Steve

Yes, I did do the 15 minute reset, but I may not have done it right.  Looking into it now.

Yes, the Wings unit comes with two db inserts with a spark arrestor.  The larger one is the one most guys are running.

Steve

While I was very impressed with the shipping of my Wings exhaust - ordered on the 9th and received on the 11th - I received no installation instructions.  But, when I opened everything up, it couldn't have seemed any easier; despite a number of posts I had read regarding difficulties with the mounting bracket.

First, I removed the heat shield, and loosened the collar that secures the silencer to the header.  Next, seeing no need to remove the plastic, I just undid the one obvious bolt and lifted the flap to get at the silencer mounting assy. Then, having read about the bracket, I resisted the urge to remove the single bracket mounting bolt, but instead removed both bolts that hold the mount to the bike, and removed the old silencer with the mount still attached.

Next, I removed and set aside the bushing from the header section (not used with the Wings), loosely installed the transition piece to the Wings silencer (leaving both of the collars somewhat loose, also), and slid the new silencer into place on the bike.  Then I decided to toss the magic juice that ships with the silencer, and mixed a slightly dilute solution of dish soap, and smeared it on the back half of the stainless part of the Wings.  Then, I removed the silencer mount from the old silencer, smeared the new bracket rubber lining with the soapy solution, and carefully wrapped it around the end of the stainless section of Wings.  Using a 12" channel lock, I carefully squeezed the bracket ends together just enough to start the bracket bolt in the threaded part of the bracket.

Then, making sure Wings is free of dirt and grit, but still lubricated, I simply slid the bracket down the silencer until the two mounting bolts lined up with their respective holes and secured the mount to the bike.

Almost done, since everything was left somewhat loose, I did the final alignment of the Wings, tightened both collars, and secured the bracket bolt.

Finally, I did a complete wash down and drying of Wings to remove any fingerprints, grime, all of the soap solution, and anything else that may leave a mark when Wings first gets to operating temp; and replace the heat shield and plastic panel bolt.

Done!

Not saying this is the easiest way for a one-person install, but it worked for me; and, it seems to help avoid some of the struggles I read others were having when dealing with the bracket.

Hope this helps.

Steve

James, thx very much.

Just wanted to offer my experience so far with a new $120 hitch mounted steel carrier I just installed on my truck.

There are many such devices on the market, but most of the less expensive ones get pretty bad reviews, especially the aluminum.  Indeed, there are some very nice aluminum carriers out there, but they cost considerably more than the one I got.

For added insurance I recommend also getting the anti tilt bracket.  There are a few of these, but I suggest the one with 16 bolts that wrap around the truck hitch and the tongue on the device.

I got mine through Amazon - TMS T-NS-MRC001 500-Pound Heavy Duty Motorcycle Carrier.

Here are some pics:

http://imgur.com/Vta1msU

http://imgur.com/nriBSS2

http://imgur.com/JLJ6ufr

http://i.imgur.com/QK85vZB.jpg

Hope this helps.

Steve

I just sold my 2005 fe 650, and I held onto my Warp9 sm wheels.  Will they work on my 2015 690?? 

Thanks.

Steve

Slap, I finally got the bike licensed.

The DMV verification process was quite entertaining - part drama, part comedy, and part suspense.  I think there was only one guy who really knew his stuff, but he was using my bike as an opportunity to train a couple others, one of which was trying really hard to make things work, and the other who seemed determined to fail the bike.  Then there was the guy more senior to all three who immediately declared the 690 a dirt bike only that probably wasn't meant for the street.

Fortunately, that one guy who had an understanding of bikes and the verification procedure returned to help educate the trainees, clearly much to the dissatisfaction of the power tripper who wanted to check that FAIL box.  And, he deftly dealt with the more senior guy so as not to embarass him in front of several of his staff.

But, three hours later, and after all the cluster ....er....play was over, I got the approval, and left with registration and plate in hand.

One suggestion to others facing this daunting task, consider taking the bike to an outlying town near hills and trails and close to the California border. Once, I was considering bringing in a Husaberg from Oregon, and while driving through the town of Mt. Shasta, we stopped for gas and noticed we had lost the license plate off our bike trailer.  Fortunately, they had a DMV office (not all towns do), so we drove over to get a new license. 

There was NOBODY in line, yes you read that right, and it took like five minutes to do the paperwork and get our new license.  We explained the purpose of our trip to the lady helping us, and she told us to stop in on our way back and she will do the verification for us.  She said that being close to the border, and in an area with a lot of dirt and dual purpose bikes, they do a lot of this and they know exactly what to look for on the bikes.  Either way, Ca legal or not, she said it takes about 15 minutes to do the walk around and the paperwork.

Anyway, Slap I want to thank you again.

Steve

Hey guys, just picked up my 2015 690 Enduro, but I can't get the seat off.  I pulled the release loop way harder than one should, almost to the point of breaking.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Steve