Muffler connector/steel wool

[Neeja]

Putting the bike back together with the new engine in it, and the rear exhaust stub won't tighten up. Seems that the muffler connector, as ronayers calls it, is now missing, probably rolling around under my bed after cleaning up the pipes in my bedroom while they were off the bike.

Can this be replaced with steel wool wrapped around the header stub and clamped over? That's basically what it looked like already, and I can't be bothered waiting for the official part to come through *lazy*

[Sid Squid]

It's not steel wool, it's a fibre sleeve gasket constructed upon a a steel mesh support. And it sounds very much like your original one was loose and all the fibres had blown away.

Use the standard part - if you don't you will need to make up the thickness of said sleeve with whatever you use to improvise, this evidenced by your inabilty to tighten the pipes together - the outer pipe is several millimetres larger than the inner.
I have seen several attempts to bodge this - none lasted.