update: after 2 and a half hours of struggling with rusty nuts and bolts in -5C, losing tools, and calling in my roommate to help hold some stuff I finally got the front pipe on ... the yamaha dealer I had previously gone to gave me the wrong size of exhaust gasket for the rear pipe so I couldn't put it on tonight. Getting that front pipe on was a challenge that's for sure sheeeesh
edit - update #2: took a trip to the yamaha dealer today and got the right gasket, the rear pipe went on in under 5 minutes it was so easy and straight forward. I think it's a little too cold to get started right now so I couldn't get it running to sample the new sound
here's it completed