Shoot, for $45 call a tow truck and have it carted over. You're going to spend as much or more on headpipes or running around to find some flex.

As for the "warped valves" old wives' tale, I refer to a big Wisconsin 12 hp 1-cylinder we used to run the grain augur on the farm. The muffler blew off and after dark you could see the exhaust valve at yellow heat, straight in the open exhaust port. That engine ran like that for years with hundreds of on-off cycles. As the guy who had to start it with a hand crank, I can say for sure that the exhaust valve wasn't bothered by the abuse.

R.