[slappermouth]

I have noticed that some bikes have severely discolored pipes. Namely, the one closest to the header. But some bikes don't. It could be the same exact bike, but they have varying amounts of pipe discoloration.

I'm starting to see that no matter how much you wax, shine, clean your bike. This discoloration can really make an otherwise nice bike look like sh*t. I think it can make a new bike look really old.

Doing a search for it here, I see that sanding, blue away, and polishing can combat this. But in this day in age, wouldn't you think they'd have come up with a solution to this by now?

 

[ridesideways]

the solution is to have your header pipes ceramic-coated.  i paid around $120 to have both the header pipes and the intermediate pipe (+ all the brackets) ceramic-coated.  i did it 3 years ago and the pipes still look exactly the same as when i took them out of the shipping container.  ceramic coating can be silver, flat black, etc.  i think flat black looks the best.

not only does ceramic coating make the pipes look better, it helps them cool quicker too. my pipes are cold to the touch 5-10 minutes after turning the bike off.

here are some sites to check out:
http://www.performancecoatings.com/
http://www.jet-hot.com/

 

[camberthrust]

All pipes will discolor after a while. Exhaust gases are very hot and pipes I believe are stainless steel so heat will discolor them. Personally I don't think this is a problem. My bike has basically stock carbs (02SVS) and a TBR aluminum can and the header pipes are turning a beautiful light bronze color. It looks great and is completely normal. Thanks, Mike.

 

[ShaggyZ]

not only does ceramic coating make the pipes look better, it helps them cool quicker too.  my pipes are cold to the touch 5-10 minutes after turning the bike off.

Actually, that's not such a good thing. If the coating is allowing the pipes to cool that fast, then the exhaust gasses are cooling and that slows them down. Ultimately, it has minimal effect here; but that's the pseudo-science behind it.

Josh

 

[Lazy]

dont know about bike applications but a lot of guys in import cars ceramic coat their headers cuz it keeps the heat in the headers better but keeps things around the headers cooler some even say it helps performance but thats guys with turbos and the silliest things seem to give them more hp lol

 

[Marcos Santiago]

If the bike is running OK, the pipes will get that beautiful straw / golden color...
If it's running too hot, then may get blueish grey, and you should look into checking your air/fuel mix
So, as long as you get the golden color, leave the pipes alone! LOL


Any way to keep the header from changing color?
http://forum.svrider.com/index.php?topic=37507.0


Cleaning SS pipes
http://forum.svrider.com/index.php?topic=18149.0

;D

 

[andyauger]

Pseudo science indeed. Cooling the exhaust gas would make it shrink, hence enhancing its travel through the pipes. Ceramic coatings do what the other posters said. The ceramics hold the heat inside the pipe better so the outside stays cooler (important for vehicles with the exhausts in closed areas, like cars) and cools to safe temperatures faster. They will keep the pipes a uniform appearance.

If you think about the volume of gas flowing through the pipes the gas doesn't have enough time to change temperature, no matter what they're made of or coated with.