Exhaust Finish

[vtryorks]

Guys,

I'm in the middle of restoring a set of pipes to tip top condition. There is an obvious tint to the pipes, a kind of coppery tone, especially on the header pipe itself.

Is this some kind of special coating? I dont want to go ahead and polish through it if its designed to protect the pipes from corrosion. I wasnt really sure as this is my first project in anything mechanical!

The pipes are from a 2005 VTR.

Cheers fellas!

[simo]

Yes, thats the normal look. I use WD40 and a scotch bright scrubber pad to keep them right.

[vtryorks]

Mine seem to have very mild corrosion, I dont think it will polish out without removing that colouring. I tried polishing a section I do not require and it came up like a mirror. This is good, but I'm worried I'm doing damage to the factory finish/coating.

So is it ok to have them mirror finish too?

Cheers AM.

[AMCQ46]

header pipes are a very low grade stainless steel, so you wont damage any coating when you clean them up. The copper tint is just heat discoloration.

as simo pointed out, a bit of elbow grease should make a big change. might be worth starting with a brass wire brush 1st, or for the lazy get a brass wire wheel and use the drill

[Miztaziggy]

Mine are like that, they started like your original pipes and covered in rust.

I used some emery cloth to strip them. Took quite a while, but was worth it. When I had finished, they were nice and shiny clean steel, now after use, they have got that slight orange tint from the heat.

[tony.mon]

Mine have a lovely protective layer of mud on them, so I hid them in a bellypan and don't look down when riding.

[vtryorks]

Mine have a lovely protective layer of mud on them, so I hid them in a bellypan and don't look down when riding.

haha

Thanks guys, thats what I needed to know. I'll get buffing.

[darkember]

Autosol works a treat on the headers