Cliff.... That sucks and that one really needs to come back a long way! I have to ask the obvious; you don’t have an extra exhaust gasket packed under the spigot? I had one that was just as bad and here’s what I did..... obviously, you shouldn’t need to do this, but if you feel the urge:
1. Is the pipe sliding all the way down the “spigot” (the part bolted to the head)? If not, carefully cut that amount off the spigot so the pipe can move rearwards. It will never be seen.
2. If that’s not enough, use a ratchet strap to pull it back until the bolt slides in. Surprisingly, after a few heat cycles, the pipe maintains the shape.
Dramatic options. Use at your own peril!
P.S. the six Busso pipes on my Benelli SEI were much worse. I actually had to wrap them in leather (sample swatches from a furniture vendor, I rescued from their trash) and “work” them on a friend’s hydraulic pipe bender! Took two days and drove me nuts!
