Header modification

[reddirtrider]

Here's a pic of the bracket. It needs a lot more work, but I wanted to get a pic of it to send. I'll clean it up, cut it back a bit so it doesn't show so much, and then paint it. Notice that I left the Yoshi tag on the meg chrome. I'm going to use satin black ceramic paint on the header and hopefully that chrome tage will set it off nice.

[reddirtrider]

Here's one of the dent I had to put in the #1 tube for clearance on the oil cooler bolt.

[reddirtrider]

One last shot of the clearance on the lower shock mount. I'm still waiting on the shock bushing for the Ducati shock so hence ut's not bolted up properly in case you noticed.

BTW, I believe this was a pre-'83 GS750 header, so it will fit an '83 it jsut need some mods. Next up is ceramic coating and I'll post some pics then.

I love Yoshi megs - they are so clean and it sounds great too.

[reddirtrider]

Here's a pic of the meg end after laying on the ceramic coating. This is before any baking. The instructions say 750 for 1 hour, but I don't have an oven that will do that, so I'll try 500. The head pipe portion will be baked on with the exhaust heat, which the instructions say is ok.

The instructions also say to use a touch-up gun or airbrush, but it was a disaster when I tried to use the airbrush. So, I stipped it off using acetone and got out the hvlp gun and shot it. I'm happy with the results. I'm sure a professional shop would do better, but Hot Jet quoted me $250 and the ceramic coating was only $50 for this job.

The wife even let me put it on the bed - now that's a clean motorcycle part! I left the badge chrome. The contrast looks good.

[reddirtrider]

Here's a shot of the entire meg section.

I'll post more pics later once it's baked, then a final one on the bike.

[reddirtrider]

The wife is going to kill me.

[Steve]

The wife is going to kill me.

Just please have her post the funeral notice.

And also let us know who gets the pipe (and the bike) in your will.

.

[reddirtrider]

Just please have her post the funeral notice.

And also let us know who gets the pipe (and the bike) in your will.

.

Will who?

Ok, no pics right now as I want to get the stainless bolts for the header first so it looks real purdy. I do have some notes for those interested in the ceramic coating.

This was a used header when I started and had quite a bit of rust, pitting, a flat spot on the bottom of the collectors (a well known Yoshi contact point), and some minor scapes. That said here's some important info if you want to use ceramic coating.

1) Ignore the instructions on using a touch up gun and especially an air brush. I used a hvlp gun and laid it on just enough to cover. You don't need it thick (and they recommend you don't).

2) The instructions tell you to bake it on at 750 for 1 hour. I baked it at 500 for 1 hour and the results wer impressive. The paint seemed to flow and produced a nice hard, smooth surface with an even color.

3) Speaking of color, I used the satin black and it's outstanding. I can't say enough how nice this color looks on this bike.

4) I sanded through the chrome plating in a few areas that had deep scratches and pitting. I wanted to even the surface out and get as smooth of a finish as possible. Unfortunately, you can see these areas as the ceramic coating has a slightly different shade over them. It's noticable in direct sunlight and furtunately on the bottom and out of the line of sight on most of the header. This bike is going to be an everyday rider, but if you wanted a show quality finish you need to strip the entire pipe to a uniform finish.

5) You can paint over chrome, provided you prepare the surface properly. I sanded and then sandblasted it 2 times to get a nice rough surface. Then wipe it down with acetone and a tack cloth and you're ready to spray.

Ok, pics will follow in a couple of days. I'm pretty busy with work and running to a store that stocks stainless bolts is a bit of a hump for us.

[reddirtrider]

OK, I've found some time to take a few pics and close this thread off. I still don't have the stainless bolts, so jsut use your imagination.

The first pic is of the meg showing the badge. It's a little fuzzy and the camera isn't idea for close up images. I also set the resolution as low as possible so I could post these pics.

Notice the bracket that was fabbed. I didn't take the time to make it real smooth and purdy cuz' this is a daily driver and it's not easy to see. The coating laid out real nice from the oven and the color is IMHO perfect. It's a satin black with a hint of charcoal.

[reddirtrider]

This is a close up of the down tubes. Again, the bolts are all there and use you imagination on the stainless. I have some touch up work on the frame that needs to be done too.

I did the 1100 frame in powder coat and just shot this one. Next time it's powder coat all the way. So much more durable.

[reddirtrider]

View from the front. Yea, the work area is pretty messy.

[reddirtrider]

View from the side. I like the way the pipe flows with the lines of the bike. It's also short and ends before the rear caliphers, which I also like. The only thing I would chage, if I had the time, money, and expertise would be to rebend the downtubs a bit so they moved forward about an inch.

So, this is the end of the pics and hopefully it was informative. I highly recommend the coating, you just need to understand how to apply it.

I'd start a thread on painting the tank and panels but nvr2old has posted the definitive thread on that topic. I can only add the mistakes I've made and am trying to correct today so I can spray the base, pearl, add decals, and then clear.

[Odinist]

Wow, looks great man!

[reddirtrider]

Wow, looks great man!

Thanks. I didn't keep track of the time spent working through the process and correcting mistakes, which is probably good since it would be depressing.

I have the original pipe sitting on the garage floor and I'm tempted to blast it and shoot it with the ceramic coating as it's in far better shape than the Yoshi when I started (the bike has only 10k miles). The only issue is it wouldn't be black chrome, so it wouldn't be bone stock.