heat wrapping headers

[timebombprod]

was wondering if theres any effect from heatwrapping ur exhaust headers that would change how ur bike acts, i feel like it doesnt but i guess im just making sure. since MAC exhaust finish quality isnt good im gonna heatwrap the headers and leave the muffler alone but get a black exhaust so it looks better.

[Steve]

It will act OK at first, but when the trapped moisture rusts out the metal in the pipes, the wrapping doesn't do a very good job of channeling the exhaust from the head to the muffler.

Not the mention that the whole time the wrap is on there, the bike looks like crap, but that's mainly a personal opinion.

.

[timebombprod]

It will act OK at first, but when the trapped moisture rusts out the metal in the pipes, the wrapping doesn't do a very good job of channeling the exhaust from the head to the muffler.

Not the mention that the whole time the wrap is on there, the bike looks like crap, but that's mainly a personal opinion.

.

i saw a comment about that and then somebody said it needs to be coated with high temp silicone spray its called "1-Shot slinger DEI Hi-Temp Silicone Coating" im gonna research more to see if u can keep the moisture out, i think the heat wrap will look better than burnt black headers lol

[Rob S.]

Not the mention that the whole time the wrap is on there, the bike looks like crap, but that's mainly a personal opinion.
.

Exactly. Even if it looks okay the first day, that wrap is going to unravel. And the color? Same as rust.

[steve murdoch]

Unless they have changed their info even MAC does not recommend wrapping their exhaust.
I would contact them directly about your wrap and jetting concerns.

http://www.macperformance.com/

[LAB3]

Do you have access to an oven big enough to fit the exhaust in? I've seen black stove pipe paint hold up well when it's baked between coats. Shoot a light coat on and let each coat dry so you don't trap fumes inside. Set the oven to it's highest temperature and bake each coat about 20-30 minutes, be sure to crack it open a bit every few minutes to let the fumes escape. Lightly sand between each coat to give the next coat something to bite into. Four or five coats should do it and will look better and last longer than applying it cold.

[roeme]

Most modern exhaust pipes don't care, as they're stainless steel. Had to re-wrap the ones on my Guzzi, pipes were absolutely fine, a bit discolored at most, but that's it. First wrap was on there for ~9'000km and has seen both pouring rain in Switzerland and scorching hot days in Italy, second wrap had an easier life, third one is still on. They don't unravel on their own, it was always caused by my own stupidity (falling over...ugh, don't ask).

Old pipes however do not appreciate wrap, from what I've read on the web so far.

People say there's a slight performance benefit (not sure what to think of that, and wether it's measurable at all...). The engine _will_ run hotter in any case.

[Gorminrider]

When I see wrapped pipes I expect the pipes are rusted away underneath, whether they are or aren't . the Bike has lost a lot of value in my eyes.

Might be ok as a temporary fix to hold on a funky patch over a hole though.

[timebombprod]

Do you have access to an oven big enough to fit the exhaust in? I've seen black stove pipe paint hold up well when it's baked between coats. Shoot a light coat on and let each coat dry so you don't trap fumes inside. Set the oven to it's highest temperature and bake each coat about 20-30 minutes, be sure to crack it open a bit every few minutes to let the fumes escape. Lightly sand between each coat to give the next coat something to bite into. Four or five coats should do it and will look better and last longer than applying it cold.

my mom would kill me lmao

[Rijko]

Heat wrapping on racing motorbikes used to be a thing in the old days, it creates increased airflow to lower the operating temperature in the head and gain some performance.
Mostly done on aircooled and very high-performance bikes.

It is still done in high-performance cars, where it can lower the underhood temps quite a bit.

For more or less standard bikes i would guess it will not gain that much,
but people do it more to create the classic racer look or just to stand out.

Plenty of info on that on the web, it's a much discussed subject.
For instance https://exhaustsystemsguide.com/exhaust-wrap/

[Spyder]

When You get your new header. Give it a light sanding, and shoot it with Flameproof Header Paint. It is really good stuff. 2+ coats and don't worry about it for a couple years. It is very easy to remove the header, and repaint them every couple few years. If you start to discolor them because of excessive heat, you are likely running too lean...

[winmag4582001]

FWIW
I bought a 82 1100 that had been sitting outside for a while, the V&H header was in ugly shape. Gave it a couple coats of header paint and wrapped it with titanium color header wrap. Looks 100x better. All the headers I’ve installed on cars over the years have always gotten wrapped, moves the heat out from under the hood. I’ve never seen or heard of anyone having a performance issue after wrapping.
I purchased a 80 1000E this summer and put on a new V$H 4-1 chrome header. Chrome has gotten pretty weak. In a year or two I’ll probably be wrapping it.