Advice on Black Exhuast Cleanup

[Guest]

Happy Independence Day. I woke up early this morning and peruse CraigsList under Suzuki. I found a stock 1983 GS1100E-ES exhaust listed. I called the fellow and it was still available. I hopped in the car, hit the ATM and 3 hours later I arrived back home with a complete 1983 gs1100E stock exhaust. It's in perfect physical condition, no dings or scratches, but the black finish needs help. Since I never had the stock exhaust with my bike I don't have any experience with restoring the original black finish. Any suggestions with this would help. If it can't be rehabbed, a refinish with what? Thanks.

[Nessism]

Stock finish is some sort of black chrome. No reasonable way to replicate it. Your best bet is to get some common chrome cleaner and go to town. Takes some serious rubbing, and some of the black may come off with the grunge, but you can make a significant improvement if you put your elbow grease behind the project. Failing that, getting the pipes ceramic coated would be cool (and expensive). Failing that, black spray paint after roughing up the stock finish. That would be last resort though in my view.

Good luck and thanks for keeping your bike quiet.

[stiksave]

Tried some 3M Fine Cut Polishing Compound, looks do-able. Now, should I decide not to use them, what are they worth?

[BigD_83]

Caswell makes a product for redoing black chrome:

http://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/chrome-plating-kits/black-krome-plating-kits.html

I have no experience with the product, and have no idea how easy it is to use, but I keep running across examples of things redone with it. I suspect you'd have to prep the pipes in some way before applying it, should cutting and polishing not work.

[Nessism]

Caswell makes a product for redoing black chrome:

http://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/chrome-plating-kits/black-krome-plating-kits.html

I have no experience with the product, and have no idea how easy it is to use, but I keep running across examples of things redone with it. I suspect you'd have to prep the pipes in some way before applying it, should cutting and polishing not work.

That kit won't work to plate an exhaust system. Maybe the heat shields though.

The exhaust system isn't worth that much. Between $100 - $200, depending on condition.

[BigD_83]

That kit won't work to plate an exhaust system. Maybe the heat shields though.

Too bad. At one point I thought I had seen a header done with it.

I do like your idea of (black) ceramic though, Ed. That would look very nice.