shock, exhaust problems
 

hello

my 3AJ's rear shock has collapsed over the course of the last 3 - 4 weeks. this has not been a problem until recently, as i have been travelling at slow speeds around london. on the weekend i carried a passenger (mistake!), and i noticed that my bike was bottoming out on some bumps.

a secondary issue related to the shock collapsing is that my exhaust is now giving problems; the rear sub-frame has collapsed now to such a degree that my exhaust is too long to fit where it should. the centre attachment point doesn't line up with the bolt hole, and the part where the front piece of the exhaust joins the rear section is not lining up correctly either (the rear piece fits too far into the front piece). the result is that the join in the exhaust is not air-tight and it rattles.

and then yesterday i noticed smoke coming off the exhaust and the cylinder head, where oil had come into contact with these hot parts. i have had no oil leaks up until now; is it possible that my faulty exhaust has caused my cylinder head gasket to go? i have had the oil quite fill up until now, so i am wondering if the recent change in the exhaust system might have caused a problem in the top end of the engine.

anyone had anything similar to this? any help would be appreciated.

thanks
cabron