Exhaust wrapping

[garyS-NJ]

That is neat work Mario. And GSCafe, can you provide more info on that silicone sealant?? I was thinking about high temp spraying over the wrap so as to seal it better. And yes, I already painted my pipe. Thanks both for bringing the thread back to point. I'm a tad surprised at the opinions as to what I should do especially when I feel it keeps me safe. A lot of folks that live and ride in the country would be afraid to ride in NYC or where I live.

[garyS-NJ]

And mario, not to take the post off point again but your motor looks good. I'm interested in the metal prep products and processes. Just bought por-15's ap-120.

[gordinho80]

PM me your cell, we'll text

[Grimly]

You can wrap stainless. Regular steel rots.

Stainless comes in various grades. Most of the stainless tube used for bike pipes will rot eventually ;I've got a set that are terminal and need replaced soon, but they've lasted >20 years, so I'm not complaining; there would have been two or three MS sets used up in that time. That said, I'd not care to risk accelerating the process by wrapping them.

[mmattockx]

Well I did the cleaning and prep and I'm on the fence now about wrapping. anyone ever take their wrapping off?

If you went as far as prepping for paint just finish the job and paint them. The big welds and everything else won't be very noticeable under flat black paint. I have never been a fan of header wrap, though, so I am biased. I don't mind the open muffler part, though, despite what others here will say.

And my open pipe alienates people ?

They do some here, there are those worried about offending the busybody neighbours and everyone else. I say do what you like, especially if you live outside one of the big (sh)ities where people mind their own business and let others do the same.

I dont like very vocal minorities or majorities. To each his own. Isn't that at the core of motorcycling? I live in a densely populated area and loud pipes may well disturb some drivers but it's those texting and blaring headphones drivers that I need to disturb to stay alive. Btw, most of the riders I know are on loud Harleys and their consensus is that hot rod sportbikers blazing on the highway is what gives bikers a bad name (& of course the media)

Well, loud pipes really don't save as many people as skilled riding does. Since you live in a densely populated area that is more sensitive types to offend in the end. As for the Harley guys, you will find that it's always somebody else's fault when things go sideways.

Don't be one of those-and puleez: Never use Harley as any kind of gold standard. It's more like a brownish tan turd.

While I disagree with your assessment of loud pipes, I like your description of H-D's and the standard they encompass.

...In this months Motorcyclist Magazine on page 8 there is an article discussing a new proposed California law

Note that this is Kommiefornia you are talking about. The insanity in that state should never be considered normal or allowed to spread. Maybe Trump could build the wall on their western border rather than down south and save the rest of North America a lot of heartache and aggravation.


Mark

[hillsy]

I think mine came out pretty tidy...

Whilst I can appreciate how much work goes into something like this - and yours is probably the tidiest one I've seen - it still looks goofy to me with the 4 pipes wrapped around so there are big areas where mud / dirt / crap can be thrown into and trapped.

I know it's impossible to wrap the individual pipes all the way to the collector but IMO it looks wrong like that.

[garyS-NJ]

good point on commiefornia. Eff them. Why is it that you can't rejet your bike or buy jets for mod in commiefornia and they have their own reglations for cars and bikes? And yes skilled riding saves lives, and so does good protective gear, and so does a good performing bike, and so does being noticed (like reflectors, horns, lights, and LOUD Frigging pipes). I'm on a few forums and there are always grouchy pants people that ride with quiet pipes but have very vocal opinions when mufflers come up. And their modified exhausts are always the perfect tone and sound level. but you don't here motorcyclists complaining about quiet mufflers, or what other people wear as protective gear, or their paintjobs or reflectors.... (BTW, I think the big round stock reflectors on my GS 1000 and 750 look goofy and they might come off just like the goofy signal lamps.. again, my ride, my taste). But you won't see me jumping on a thread and criticizing someone elses mufflers, pipes, paint, reflectors... And even though I have a bunch of jap bikes, you won't see me calling Harleys or their riders turds. let's just share the good (but of course we can talk about bad experiences like rust, and hot exhaust smells... Oh and I did already paint my pipes but again, the paint always gets dinged up and never stays on that well and rust always shows through. And my pipes being frankensteined from stock 4:2 use the old chromed bends coming off the head and they probably won't hold the paint well. And the welds do look ugly even under flat black paint..

[kaufen]

Personally, I do not care for loud pipes, but try not to preach about them. Yes, I have a Goldwing (whisper-quiet), but I also have a 4-into-1 header on my 850.

[roeme]

good point on commiefornia. Eff them. Why is it that you can't rejet your bike or buy jets for mod in commiefornia and they have their own reglations for cars and bikes? And yes skilled riding saves lives, and so does good protective gear, and so does a good performing bike, and so does being noticed (like reflectors, horns, lights, and LOUD Frigging pipes). I'm on a few forums and there are always grouchy pants people that ride with quiet pipes but have very vocal opinions when mufflers come up. And their modified exhausts are always the perfect tone and sound level. but you don't here motorcyclists complaining about quiet mufflers, or what other people wear as protective gear, or their paintjobs or reflectors.... (BTW, I think the big round stock reflectors on my GS 1000 and 750 look goofy and they might come off just like the goofy signal lamps.. again, my ride, my taste). But you won't see me jumping on a thread and criticizing someone elses mufflers, pipes, paint, reflectors... And even though I have a bunch of jap bikes, you won't see me calling Harleys or their riders turds. let's just share the good (but of course we can talk about bad experiences like rust, and hot exhaust smells... Oh and I did already paint my pipes but again, the paint always gets dinged up and never stays on that well and rust always shows through. And my pipes being frankensteined from stock 4:2 use the old chromed bends coming off the head and they probably won't hold the paint well. And the welds do look ugly even under flat black paint..

Don't get your panties in a twist, and try to breathe sometimes.

The point of loud pipes has been discussed to death in here. Nobody in here is against a nice full sound, which may be louder than average. That being said, parrotting "Loud pipes save lives" shows nothing else than a lack of understanding physics, contemporary vehicle construction and decency towards other humans. Furthermore, running without a muffler destroys a lot of goodwill for the rest of us riders. I live next to an intersection, and I do like full, grumbling and roaring engine sounds - but it simply becomes annoying and tiring after while.

But back to the original topic: Nice work. I'm curious to see how it looks after getting some miles.

[garyS-NJ]

The post was about exhaust wrapping. If I cared more about what other's think about loud pipes, I might do a survey. But I've been riding for 36 years on the street in a busy urban area and know full well that if someone hears me, they might see me (yes, I know pipes direct sound backwards but you stand in front of me and tell me if you hear my bike, there's this thing in physics called echo. ). And I've been on enough forums to see there's a lot of people who are vocal about what other people should do when it comes to their loud exhaust. Yes because it gives riders a bad name and they don't want me tarnishing the riding community. So I'll just apologize and hope that I am not alienated from here. the post was about exhaust wrapping. can we have a safe place to discuss without attack or criticism? It goes back to that "if you don't have something nice to say..."

[Wingsconsin]

Living near Milwaukee allows me a distinct perspective on "loud pipes" -
The HD group here is large and involved. Many have louder than OEM pipes.
Some of them sound really nice (and my GS is a bit louder than OEM too)
Some are just incredibly loud - especially when they accelerate.

NOW - the loud pipes are more a problem when you have a CBR Gixxer Race bike running the RPMs up to 10,0000 as they leave the parking lot...

Loud pipes attract attention - there is no doubt about that...but that doesn't make it necessarily wrong.

[GS1150Pilot]

http://canadamotoguide.com/2016/07/29/the-truth-about-loud-pipes/

[wymple]

I'm not any kind of an activist either way, but I live in the country on a smooth, paved highway, and all summer long there is the incessant drone of very loud Harley packs swinging by. It does get annoying. Even a single bike can be. They can even mess with just hearing the damn TV. A little moderation would be nice. I'm a biker, and can only imagine how much it ****es my elderly neighbors off, as their house is much closer to the road than mine.

[garyS-NJ]

I do empathize with people who have to be bothered by loud bikes. Big Harleys with open pipes are rough. But so are planes, trucks, busses, and trains. But I've been hit twice and where I live my noise might save my life.

[storm 64]

My motorcycles are pretty quiet. So,what I have done is wire my horns to my ignition switch. Turn the key on and my horns are blaring away. Everyone stops and looks at me...☺
I also found riding in my pink bunny outfit helps to get noticed too! I haven't had one person pull out in front of me with my horns blaring wearing my pink bunny outfit ☺ Give it a try...