i remember them always being a PITA when I did it. altho, there is a way to put them in that they slide right into place, but i can never remember how to do it. I think if you rotate the header so that the pipes arent parallel to one another and sorta "roll" the header into place if i remember right. hard to explain, i know. if i remember right the left side pipe (the one that bolts on the shifter side of the motor) goes in lower than the right pipe and then as you push it into position in front of the motor, you rotate the head pipe until the pipes are even height and it slides in. like i said, i can never remember it for some reason. hope that helped.
and no, aftermarket pipes are not better. my big gun head pipe was ever worse because the bends were longer than the stocker.
~Beefy~
-2001 400EX: 450R shocks, Renthal bars, AC Racing nerfs, MSR AOF Clutch Lever, K&N with Outerwears , CCP Steering Stabilizer, Old school Big Gun Exhaust, PRM Desert Grab Bar, Rock bumper, Ricochet Swing arm, Skid plate, Pro Grips, Emgo Hand guards, Primary Drive sprockets, GBC Shredder Tires, LSR Parking Brake Delete, N-Style Graphics and GripperSeat
-1998 Polaris Trail Blazer 250 (Dad's): Fox Shocks, ProTaper bars, Badlands 2000lb winch