Cleaning those Gold Header Pipes

Dogdaze

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

I'm not sure you can re-chrome header pipes, they will always turn blue in any case as they tend to be single walled, as long as they are not rusted through I would just save my money and spend it on something else. While I know they look unsightly, there's really no way of avoiding it as the are in direct line of the front wheel, so whatever you ride through will end up on the header pipes and cook, even with a fenda extenda.
 

snakebitten

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

The OEM header pipes can get to looking real nasty because of riding in ALL weather. (It IS an ALL weather Beast!)

But before you spend your hard earned revenue on them, you might be surprised just how well they clean up with some elbow grease.
Underneath all that muck, might be lurking a shiny and healthy pipe! They aren't junk.

There are some threads on how to bring them back to luster. Give it a try.
 

2112

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

You wouldn't be able to chrome the pipes as the cat' is non-removable, no plating company would touch it. A good old polishing should get them looking good however.
 

yz454

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Steel wool , If that does not work for you , ceramic coat them, pick your color . Have done lots of pipes in ceramic .
 

Checkswrecks

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Steel wool can easily damage the coating on the pipes. On those very few occasions when I get serious about cleaning the bike, I use Easy Off oven cleaner on the pipes and wrap them with aluminum foil so it doesn't immediately evaporate.
 

Don in Lodi

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Stainless steel headers. There may be some random discoloring, they shouldn't have pitted anywhere. Elbow grease works. I used an acid, gloves, and a polish afterwards, in a well ventilated room to bring some used headers back to a decent shine. The previous owner couldn't identify what caused the staining.
 

Checkswrecks

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

yz454 said:
Are you serous , damage the coating .

Probably should have typed "scratch them up" or something similar.
The guy said he wants to make them look good, not just clean them up.
 

Llamaman

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Thanks for all that useful info, I`ll give a polish before trying anything more drastic.
I guess they are chromed mild steel from the factory?
Just ordered my Yoshimura can for the back of them
 

BarkSlayer

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Ceramic coating is your best bet here. Otherwise, you'll be right back to buffing, polishing and the like. Ceramic coating will not discolor and always washes up nicely after long trips in the rain. Figure on about $200 plus shipping for a set of Super Tenere headers. Most shops have a wide variety of colors to choose from, too.
 

snakebitten

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Llamaman said:
I guess they are chromed mild steel from the factory?
Pretty sure they are nice stainless steal. Not chromed.
That's why they can be cleaned up so well with a bit of work.

But me? Hmmm. I did clean them up a bit once, in the last 3 years. They did look purty
Until the next mud puddle.
 

2112

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Yep, 'stainless' steel, it comes in a fair few grades only a few of which are actually corrosion resistant (and cost a fortune - check out marine prices).
 

Don in Lodi

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

The stainless steel will clean up. Any mystery darkening of the metal can be lightened, but it will most likely never be shiny silver again, (lower grade stainless?). Once cleaned, a polish specific to stainless will give it a glimmer of reflectivity, but, you must wipe every last bit of residue off the system with denatured alcohol afterwards. After install, wipe every place you may have touched it with out protective gloves on. Otherwise everywhere you touched will discolor after the exhaust heats up. Once cleaned, heated and cooled a couple times, they should take on a real nice silvery gold patina. Even from the dealership, somebody will have handled your exhaust and not cleaned up after themselves. Both my old down pipes had a well defined five fingered hand print burned into them. From new, if you could catch the assembly guy before start up...
First rain, first creek, first mud, poof, all that work gone in a cloud of steam. :))
 

Maxified

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Don in Lodi said:
... you must wipe every last bit of residue off the system with denatured alcohol afterwards. After install, wipe every place you may have touched it with out protective gloves on. Otherwise everywhere you touched will discolor after the exhaust heats up. Once cleaned, heated and cooled a couple times, they should take on a real nice silvery gold patina. Even from the dealership, somebody will have handled your exhaust and not cleaned up after themselves. Both my old down pipes had a well defined five fingered hand print burned into them. From new, if you could catch the assembly guy before start up...
Good advice. Installed new Muzzy headers/exhaust on my FZ1 awhile back. I was so eager to hear the new sound... Didn't wipe the pipes down & was very disappointed to see my finger prints appear on my new pipes as things heated up. Lessons learned.
 

Don in Lodi

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

yz454 said:
All of my stainless bends and pipe for my s10l cost me about 200 dollars .
Did you fab up your own pipes? Cool. Got pix?
 

yz454

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

Yes completely different than stock or after market . It would be termed ass race only because of the need for more fuel and timing . Not a bolt for the average guy , plus a big intake change .
 

coastie

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Re: Header pipe corrosion

I got this coating last year in Colorado. It has worked perfectly at protecting my pipes!
 
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