Exhaust paint ?

[arnie]

Hi all, I took the front pipes off the VTR and gave them a really good clean up, then etch primed them and painted them black with what I thought would be ok some BBQ heat resistant paint. This lasted about 2 mins ... , has anyone else done their front pipes black and if so what paint did you use ... Cheers Arnie..

[Wicky]

As you've discovered etchprimer isn't resistant to hi temps- Try the barbie paint straight on the exhaust once you you've stripped in back to metal, and prepared the surface but while initially it'll look okay it will gradually go crap - Alternatively have you thought of Ceramic coating...

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7328835_ceram ... haust.html

http://www.zircotec.com/casestudy/supermono_bike/37/9

http://www.blackperformance.co.uk/ceram ... torcycles/

Local to you
Plasma Coatings Limited
Unit 3, Whitecross Road Industrial Park Tideswell, North Derbyshire, Derbyshire SK17 8P

[benny hedges]

stove enamel from firwood paints in bolton - you won't get a better high temp coating.
works best if you sandblast the chrome first though to give it a good key.

they sell it in either spraycans or brush tins, and the brush stuff can be thinned for spraygun application

[alec]

Hi Arnie,
instead of coating them why not clean them up and hide them with these mate they are similar to mine and finish the bike nice.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-VTR1000-BLA ... 41580b31ac

and they will be cheaper than ceramic coating them bonus is they come in black which will go with your bike
or use benny's option then these

[sirch345]

Nah you don't want to do that get polishing:-
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... ase#p49654

Chris.

[alec]

Nah you don't want to do that get polishing:-
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... ase#p49654

Chris.

good idea but what do they look like now Chris

[arnie]

Ironically this is what they were like after I had cleaned them up before painted them !!!....

[tony.mon]

Just ride it.
You can't see the cans or pipes from on top.

Out of sight, out of mind....

[arnie]

Fair shout mate ....

[Fazermike]

stove enamel from firwood paints in bolton - you won't get a better high temp coating.
works best if you sandblast the chrome first though to give it a good key.

they sell it in either spraycans or brush tins, and the brush stuff can be thinned for spraygun application

Thought they were stainless steel?

[sirch345]

Nah you don't want to do that get polishing:-
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... ase#p49654

Chris.

good idea but what do they look like now Chris

Alec, not bad IMHO, but I'm no longer a wet weather rider , well unless I get caught out that is I wipe them down with WD40 sprayed onto a cloth from time to time, I think this helps to keep them looking reasonable. If I have had any dark marks appear I just rub them out with some wet and dry. Then polish that bit back up again. That part soon turns the same goldie colour as the rest. I'm now addicted to the smell of WD40 burning off the pipes

Thought they were stainless steel?

F/Mike, they are stainless steel, just not the best quality,

Chris.

[bazza696]

I will post once I have wrapped the exhaust in my titanium heat wrap.

[Fazermike]

I would love to polish my header pipes with my polishing kit but I'm doubtful if i can get the front header pipe off with out shearing off the exhaust studs they are very corroded!
I gave them a tweek last week and it doesn't look good! But they may have been the original ones fitted 14 years ago!!

[tony.mon]

It's not so bad.
They might come undone ok, but if not, as you say, the stud will probably shear.
If so, and there's enough left to grip, try to undo with a good pair of molegrips.

Otherwise, pull the head off and stick the bit of stud in a vice, rotate the head and it will come out. (you'd need one or two new studs).

If flush or below surface, try a broken stud extractor, but don't snap this off as well....

Otherwise, drill it out and retap the thread, or if you can't save enough thread, either liquid metal, or my own preference, drill oversize, tap to the next English size up and just use a bolt to hold the clamp plate on.
You could saw the head off the bolt once fitted and hey presto you have a new stud fitted, or just continue to use the bolt.
Obviously it's not ideal to use a steel bolt in an ally casting too often, but how often are you going to take the exhausts off?

[benny hedges]

i usually find if you give them a few sharp taps downwards with a nut screwed over the threads, it will break the rust seal.
if they do start moving, go like 1/2 turn out, 1.4 turn back etc etc to avoid damaging the dry thread otherwise you could unwind it with the stud.