cleaning out caked pipes? an experiment in exhausts

[snowbeard]

Ok, I know the general opinion of cutting off the pipes and "loud pipes save lives" here, but I am a tinkerer and I want to know if my bike can sound better. not necessarily annoyingly loud, but more full, open. you know...

so I have decided to go the route of restorability. I purchased a second set of headers from a 650GL with the cans cut off (a miserable hack job if I've ever seen one!) and a couple slip ons from a '95 softail hardly.

so I will keep this thread going as I progress, but my first question is what would be the best way to clean out these headers!?!?? they have thick deposits of carbon from what I can only assume was a bike in extreme pain... more in the middle two.

maybe just run a hard metal bottle brush into them with no solvent? maybe carb cleaner? simple green? maybe a shipping strap, they're sharp and flexible?

I don't want to cause the same demise as their original engine, if that's what it was...

any thoughts?

[hwb120240]

Seems to me that a metal bottle brush should do a pretty good job. Then I might apply Berryman's B12 to a rag and work thru it a few times for final clean. Flush well!

[Thomas Kenny]

Take an old motorcycle bike chain, or plain chain. Run it back and forth through each header and pipe, it will break loose the big stuff, and patience and work the smaller stuff. Give it a try..... Tom

[snowbeard]

ok, so I wanted to post an update on my travails.

changed over the exhaust system to the hacked off ones, fired it up and oh my god did my face turn red. I hightailed it out of the neighborhood past the old man on the corner, feeling like I must be in a cartoon where every twist of the throttle is blasting small dogs into bushes and peoples toupees off!! gave it one rip on the bigger road, still 25mph and whadya know, there's a parked photo enforcement van!!! flash flash...

luckily I think I had caught something on my license plate and it was bent out horizontally from the bike, I doubt they got anything in their picture but a blast of smoke!!=D>

bent that right back down just in case...

so that's that, put the original pipes back on, and will try to make my modifications soon so I can try them again with at least some baffles and no megaphone effect.

but it certainly proved to me that I don't need the straight pipe thing, I make a big enough point of myself with a mtn bike on the back, or a big box, or etc etc, I don't need attention that badly. I'll just have to see what the next step brings about.

til next time!!
'beard

[Thomas Kenny]

WOW, lots of emotions in so short a time O Embarassment, Boldness, , luckiness, Humility and de-brief. Man when I thought about your words, I couldn't help but laugh HARD. Go forth and find a fix. Thanks for sharing
O O O Tom