Don Smith style exhausts for TES/TFS

[Ian]

I have seen a few TFS and TES machines - some works bike - with this kind of exhaust.

Did Don Smith make these/have them made, or were they commercially available back then? Or did Greeves make them?

Thanks

[tony]

Looks the same that was fitted to the TFS Trail - Peco Silencer

[IanCordes]

The TES used a Servais silencer. The company is still in existence. The one in your photo is not actually a standard one. The pipe run is different to the Greeves factory offering. I have one, as it happens.

[Ian]

Thanks but I'm not after the standard one, I'm interested in finding out specifically about the one in the photo (and others like it as fitted to some works bikes).

[IanCordes]

The only difference is the curve of the downpipe. Apart from that they are the same.

[justalad]

Hi
The Don Smith exhausts were manufactured for Don Smith to sell as an perceived upgrade from his East London shop.
The DS exhaust, as such, is completely unavailable today
The competition shop at Greeves fitted DS exhausts to some works bikes again as a perceived upgrade.
The DS exhaust may well have utilised a Servais or Peco silencer.
The TFS Trail exhaust would probably have been manufactured for or by Greeves for that particular model,
again using what looks like a Servais or Peco silencer.
On the DS exhausts it looks like the pipe bending varied from batch to batch.
Is this information useful to you.
Regards
paul

[IanCordes]

Here is a variation on that pipe; see attached

[Ian]

Paul/Ian - very useful information, thanks a lot. I had a feeling the story went something like that. As such presumably these days they are fairly rare on the secondhand market?

[IanCordes]

Ian. Tbh I didn't realise that what I have is a Don Smith aftermarket pipe; if that is what it is. My thought was that it was a factory variation of the square downpipe version. My picture is of a 1963 ISDT bike, the one in the NMM. There is also a picture of it in the Carrick/Walker Greeves book. My pipe is just like that one. It couldn't have been used on works bikes for long, as by 1964 they were using the Challenger-type for the ISDT.

I can't really see it gave a power advantage over the TES mk2 type, basically the same system, but with a square section downpipe. It is quite heavy, most of which being the silencer.

Ian C.

[justalad]

Hi again
DS exhausts - very rare now on the S/H market and would now require attention to the chrome and probably repacking.
For the ISDT bikes, or for a very limited numbers, Greeves could and probably did make or have made want they wanted in exhaust pipes.
An advantage of the DS exhausts was that Don managed to get a very tight bend as the pipe left the cylinder to get the
exhaust on the LHS. This eliminated the underslung pipe to the RHS of, say the TE or TFS, which could be vulnerable to damage.
Greeves copied the tight bend to the LHS for the production Anglian.

DS marketed his exhausts with his usual gusto and bluster, claiming an extra xx hp etc, etc most of which would be, shall we say, an over exaggeration.
However, I have to say they were well made, with good chrome but were as noisey as most at that time.
Regards
paul

[Colin Sparrow]

I think I've got one on my TFS - and yes it is ruddy noisy and you can't get into it to repack it.

[John Wakefield]

Greeves never put much thought into exhaust systems back then, just used what ever was available, modified Villiers systems on early Scottish and these stubby car derived 'silencers' on later TES TFS etc, Later ACU ruling on noise changed all that with modern trials bikes fitted with properly designed quite systems

[Rob]

Regarding the ISDT bike in the Birmingham museum, I beleve that is the bike my pal and GRA member Chris Brown rode to India before it ended up where it did. I seem to recall him saying the local fuzz were always moaning about the noise he made on it!

[John Gresty]

My machine had a silencer like that except that it wasn't chromed. Very heavy, very noisy and it rattled. Replaced the complete exhaust system with a custom made set up. I took my bike to Andy Bacon (ABCON) who made a system to suit.