Reply With QuoteWell, we are one step up from Henry Ford - any colour as long as it is black or silver...:D
So black it is!
Never grind welds!
Well, we are one step up from Henry Ford - any colour as long as it is black or silver...:D
So black it is!
Black or Silver both would look good anyway. You will be amazed how much less heat there is when the coatings are done,.
Locally theres a shop that offers it in Satin finish or gloss, and a number of colors but they dont do as many colors as they used to. this local shop www.finishlinecoatings.com warrantees the coating for life and found that some colors faded or changed over time, I know a lady who had her harley pipes done in purple, but they dont want to do the job a second time because the colors changed. So they keep it simple with i think 6 colors, Ill post soon as i have seveal sets of pipes im taking in for my winter projects.
Locally theres not many chrome shops anymore, and chromers dont like to rechrome used exhaust parts as even cleaned they contaminate their tanks, so its rare to find anyone who will chrome a used exhaust. but i have some old race pipes for classic bikes and very hard to find sets of them so the ceramic coatings are a good option not to mention the performance improvements.
Back from ceramic coaters!
Looks like a work of art! :D
Got new exhaust gaskets and ready to install on Saturday and riding from next week.
Just in time, s weather is steadily improving!
that looks really good!!!!!:D It sounds like it wasnt too painfull at all, looks like satin Black in the pix,
Ive installed a number of ceramic pipes on bikes but not yet on a Buell, you know what might be helpful is after install is take some temp readings, many multi meters have a pyro meter function, and while i understand you are not in the US, theres cheap chinese temp readers (Aim and point) at Harbor freight stores here,,, would be great to get some readings.
perhaps define specific spots and compare with others. the most scientific would be before and afters with the same bike and same equipment but that ship has sailed in your case. I have 2 sets of pipes im doing but the bikes are already apart. just an idea,, perhaps someone else will take it and run with it.
regardless im sure you will notice a huge decrease in radiant heat comng off the pipes. Looking good! ;)
I think the easiest test will be if my inner thigh goes from medium-well to rare! :p
Thanx for the advice! I will post some pics once installed.
Installed!
Way more effort than taking it off! Def no award for best thought out design!
But I have done and hopefully don't need to do it soon.
Looks good, im sure you are happy to have it back together. nice job. So post soon a ride report and heat issues and how well its working.
Rode bike to church this morning and a few kms down road it started misfiring and then halfway there check engine light.
After church I dropped suspension and fan to check O2 sensor and it was so lose, I undid it with my hand!
Some more loctite, elbow grease and back in place!
okay, typical project where it needs fiddling. However loctitie wont work in this case. Even the highest grade of loctite (red) will stop working at 200deg F, and in fact, if a fastener is stuck and wont come loose, thats the best remedy is heat it up to over 200Deg F to break the bonds of the loctite. So for exhaust apps, loctite isnt a valid player.
It IS typical to see a part loosen after heat cycles, my suggestion is frequent tightening and perhaps consider Stainless steel safety wire. There are many websites detailing how to use safety wire and is standard procedure in aviation applications. You dont HAVE to have the nifty safety wire pliers to use it but it sure helps.
the loosening is common in exhaust apps, let me describe what i found REALLy works well for performance headers on hotrods. I cannot claim credit as i developed it after reading several tips in car magazines in the 1980s (Car craft)
so Header gaskets on cars fail all the time, So they use a fiber material and its almost like fibers and clay so the procedure is soak them in water remove or loosen the headers clean the surfaces, while still wet insert the gasket and install the bolts, and tighten up very snug, not too tight and be careful not to strip or snap off a bolt, if in doubt run a bottoming tap in any holes, after assy start the vehicle and warm it up, check for leaks and snug up bolts are required. shut down let cool, repeat several times. each time tightening the bolts. after repeated heat cycles the gaskets should have "Cured" in place and the moving around is done. snug down once more SECURELY, not excessively tight, but SECURE. then use .032" thou Stainless aviation grade safety wire and safety wire the bolts in a TIGHTENING pattern.
End of problems with header gaskets, so the same thing applies to your O2 sensor, Im not an expert at computers and sensors for this ECU and EFI stuff, but im confident that header leaks will damage a O2 sensor so be careful.
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