Help - mystery exhaust problem

Hey folks,
I was riding my 81 XJ650 Maxim the other night real late. I came around a corner and bam, ran over some metal crap that looks like it fell off a truck exhaust. Whatever it was stood up and smashed the bottom of my exhaust system, a set of 4-into-1 MAC headers and a short EMGO end can. Immediately I heard the burble burble of an exhaust with a big hole.
When I got home I couldn't find a hole, just a dent the size of a quarter and about 1/2 inch deep. A couple of header bolts also got somewhat stripped when the entire exhaust system was displaced upon impact.
I took off the exhaust and torqued it back down and I can't figure out where the hole is. I checked the header pipes carefully, along with the end can and no holes. The exhaust header gasket rings are somewhat mashed but the bike sounds like it's got a hole the size of my fist in the exhaust and barely starts.
Any ideas?
thx,
baz

 

Bummer! My first guess would be that one of your header pipes is tweaked so that it's not sealing properly.

Regarding the hard starting, do you think your pipe collapsed enough internally that it's having not flowing enough to breathe?

Just a thought...

 

What I would do is when you start your bike cold feel around where the exhaust is connected together and feel for a leak that way. Start at the engine first and work your way back. Just be careful that you don't burn yourself!

 

thanks you guys. I'll check out those ideas. It's got to be somewhere down there.