You may spit and polish all you need, however sure finishes in your bike will finally must be restored, and exhaust pipes are essentially the most outstanding instance. Along with hanging low on the bike and being uncovered to all of the particles and dirt on the pavement, additionally they need to cope with excessive temperatures and fixed warmth cycles. Repeated heating and cooling will tarnish the most effective finishes in the marketplace, and finally, you’ll must know the best way to restore your bike exhaust pipes.
Pipes are produced from stainless, delicate metal and even titanium, and inventory finishes might be all the pieces from chrome to shine, powder coat and paint. The purpose is that you just’ll must know just a few particulars about your pipes earlier than continuing, alongside together with your price range and talents. Whereas some jobs are finest left to the professionals, there are a number of methods to get high quality outcomes at dwelling.
Sharpening Stainless Metal Exhaust Pipes Stainless-steel has grow to be the brand new normal, and if a serious producer constructed your bike inside the final decade, there’s a superb probability it’s outfitted with a stainless-steel exhaust. Stainless pipes are sturdy and corrosion-resistant, however they will develop discoloration, tarnish and floor imperfections over time. On the intense aspect, refinishing stainless-steel is definitely achieved at dwelling with little greater than good old style elbow grease.
With the pipes faraway from the bike, wash them completely with heat water and a gentle degreaser to take away street grime, oil and particles. A stiff nylon or brass brush can scrub off cussed filth, making certain you don’t scratch the metallic floor.
Subsequent, it’s time to start out digging into the baked-in floor grime. Apply a devoted metallic cleaner or stainless-steel polish to the pipes. Merchandise like Autosol Steel Polish or Blue-Job Chrome Polish are wonderful for this goal. Use a microfiber material or a sprucing wheel attachment on a drill to work the polish into the floor, specializing in discolored areas.
For heavier oxidation and discoloration, you’ll must go to an abrasive to even out the end. 0000 metal wool and WD-40 is a confirmed strategy; others favor fine-grit Scotch Brite. You can even moist sand the affected areas, simply make sure you maintain the grit advantageous and the floor well-lubricated. Any time you’re utilizing an abrasive, be conscious of the pure ‘grain’ of the stainless, as you’ll wish to work within the route of the grain for finest outcomes.
With the floor contaminants and discoloration eliminated, it’s time for a closing polish to carry out the stainless-steel’s pure luster. Apply a closing coat of metallic polish utilizing a clear material or a buffing wheel and buff the pipes to a mirror-like end, making certain all residue is eliminated.
Sharpening Chrome Exhaust Pipes Chrome won’t get ya dwelling, however there are few stronger finishes recognized to man. The multi-step plating course of produces a sturdy, mirror-like floor that extends the lifetime of delicate metal exhaust by many years. In case your chrome is exhibiting some age, however remains to be considerably presentable, it’s value your whereas to maintain up with it.
As chrome ages, you’ll begin to discover advantageous specks of corrosion within the floor. In the event you don’t deal with it at that time, the corrosion will worsen till the chrome fails fully and rusts.
You may enhance the look of chrome exhaust pipes whereas they’re nonetheless on the bike, however you’ll get the most effective outcomes by eradicating them. Clear the pipes with heat water and a degreaser to take away floor contaminants. Then, use a chrome-specific cleaner or polish, equivalent to Moms, Blue Magic or Autosol, to revive the shine.
Previous-timers swear by 0000 metal wool, however you’ll wish to keep away from this, because it leaves iron within the pits of your chrome that can rust even faster. If in case you have dangerous pitting, get what you possibly can with the chrome polish, and take a look at your luck with the outdated aluminum foil trick.
In case your chrome has failed fully, it’s in all probability time to search for a chrome store or substitute pipes. Stripping chrome is tough, because the plating holds as much as many standard abrasives and most home-grade sandblasters. We’ve heard that chrome might be eliminated with a 40% focus of hydrochloric acid, however can’t communicate for the outcomes ourselves. So far as the abrasives go, been there, completed that.
Ceramic Coating Exhaust Pipes In the event you’re in search of the final word answer for a high-performing end on exhaust pipes, it’s time to pony up for ceramic. We’re not speaking concerning the detailing add-ons automotive dealerships attempt to promote you on, however as an alternative, a high-temperature coating that specialist outlets apply consisting of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and different inorganic compounds. It’s accessible in a great deal of colours and makes for a sturdy and uniform end that’s second to none.
Along with offering wonderful resistance to corrosion, ceramic-coating an exhaust has the additional benefit of wonderful thermal insulation. The perfect of those coatings can face up to temperatures over 1,600 levels F, and better of all, it retains the warmth contained in the exhaust. Whereas pipe wrap and different textile merchandise have been lengthy a go-to for lowering radiant warmth from exhausts, ceramic coating can stop the pipe from absorbing the warmth within the first place and enhance exhaust effectivity.
For all the advantages of ceramic, the most important draw back is that you could ship your pipes out to get the most effective the coating has to supply. There are ‘at dwelling’ ceramic choices, however if you happen to do some digging you’ll discover that these merchandise lead to a end that appears rather a lot like a matte rattle-can job. Actual-deal ceramic additionally requires baking, and you could not be capable of get coated exhaust pipes in your house oven (for one purpose or one other).
The excellent news is that skilled ceramic coatings have gone down in worth. Swaintech might be the most effective ceramic store we all know of, however we tried an organization known as Race Coatings for the pipes pictured right here. It’s not the most effective ceramic job I’ve seen, nevertheless it was actually low-cost at $335—shipped to Bike EXIF HQ.
Cerakoting Exhaust Pipes In the event you’re hip with the most recent high-performance coatings accessible, then you definately’ve doubtless heard of Cerakote. They describe it as a ‘ceramic-based end,’ and it’s all the fad within the gun world and is making inroads within the bicycle, automotive and bike industries. Accessible in each conceivable shade, with wonderful resistance to corrosion, chemical substances and warmth, Cerakote is a wonderful possibility to contemplate.
Whereas their catalog is huge, I believe the 2 most necessary concerns for refinishing exhaust are temperature score and remedy kind. Cerakote has a pair dozen shades that can face up to 1,800 levels F, however simply 12 are air-cured, so bake curing isn’t out of the query if you happen to’re set on one shade.
One other necessary factor to notice is that these merchandise require a decent-size air compressor and an HVLP gun with a 0.8 tip to use. Cerakote has specialised exhaust starter kits that can have you ever spraying for round $180, however mainly, if you already know your approach round an HVLP gun, you possibly can Cerakote.
After a sandblast and thorough degreasing, we sprayed this set of classic two-stroke twin pipes with C-7600 Glacier Black for beneath $80. However phrase to smart, this end may be very skinny and scratches simply, so deal with with care.
Excessive-Temp Spray Paint for Exhaust Everybody’s first exhaust venture begins with good intentions, dangerous prep and a rattle can, and the outcomes might be underwhelming. Spray paint is the cornerstone of fine bikes gone dangerous, nevertheless it’s attainable to get an honest end that can final a number of years if you happen to’re sensible about it.
Many get slowed down with the deserves of 1 spray can versus one other when they need to be specializing in their prep work. Get your pipes as shut to reveal metallic as you possibly can, and a sand-blasting cupboard will enormously scale back the quantity of elbow grease you’ll must spend money on the method. In the event you can’t entry one, a wire wheel is probably going your subsequent most suitable choice.
While you’re all the way down to good metal and spiffed up with acetone, then you can begin stressing which spray bomb is finest. Don’t even consider using one thing like engine enamel, as finishes like these are solely good to about 500 levels F. Paint authorized to temperatures north of 1,500 levels F will provide you with your finest probability at success. I’ve had good luck with VHT Flameproof and John Deere muffler paint, however I’ve heard guys swear up and down that Krylon grill paint is nearly as good as any of them.
