 Header shinin'
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OP
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Ok finally getting tired of looking at what's left of the blue on my headers. Had pretty decent success rubbing it out with a variety of compounds several years ago but still have some spots I can't reach too well, including the lower bend. Thinking of pulling the pipes off and hitting them with a buffing wheel to take care what remains. Anything in particular I should look out for?
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: May 2010
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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You might want to get new copper, head to pipe ring gaskets coming in the mail? So you can go right back together, when they are all shined up.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Aug 2007
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,721 Likes: 5 |
You have blue all the way at the lower bend? You might be a tad lean.  These double wall pipes should not be that hot down there. Also get some high temp black RTV for when you slide the silencers back on.
Always remember to be yourself. Unless you suck. Then pretend to be someone else.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Learned Hand
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OP
Learned Hand
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The rings are on the way Ryk.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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OP
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Yeah Dave the bends were blue when I got the bike. Since then the AI is gone and I'm running UNI pods, SS long slashes and 150 mains so I think I have to be pretty close to dialed in. Those bends are like waaay blue though.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,416
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
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Quote:
Thinking of pulling the pipes off and hitting them with a buffing wheel to take care what remains. Anything in particular I should look out for?
Absolutely! Don't overdo it. The chrome on the headers is extremely thin and easy to go through. Don't ask me how I know... Take it really easy with the buffing wheel.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,485
Learned Hand
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OP
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Thanks for the warning piper. Would you suggest a slower RPM with the buffer then?
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,721 Likes: 5
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,721 Likes: 5 |
Always remember to be yourself. Unless you suck. Then pretend to be someone else.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,485
Learned Hand
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OP
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I know by hand is probably the best way but as much as I hate to admit it, as I progress through the 'golden years' the arthritis in my elbow and hands prevent a great deal of rubbing. Sucks getting old, but it's certainly better than the alternative.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,721 Likes: 5
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,721 Likes: 5 |
the Blue Buster comes with a spongy thing to chuck up in a drill and make quick work of it, and you can vary the speed on your drill easier than a buffer
Always remember to be yourself. Unless you suck. Then pretend to be someone else.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: May 2010
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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If the manufacturers would use 316 ELC Stainless (304 alloys are bottom barrel) for exhaust components, there would be no more yellow hues and blue carbide precipitation. It would be, clean them when they're dirty and shine them when they dull. For the prices they charge us, the profit would still be there, just a little bit less. And chromed mild steel is planned obsolescence, nothing more.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
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"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Quote:
For the prices they charge us, the profit would still be there, just a little bit less.
These kinds of statements always crack me up. 
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: May 2010
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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Quote:
Quote:
For the prices they charge us, the profit would still be there, just a little bit less.
These kinds of statements always crack me up.
Care to elaborate?
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Building a motorcycle is a complicated thing. People always think it would be simple/cheap to change one little thing yet they have no perspective on what the whole development/manufacturing process costs. It's a forest-for-the-trees scenario. You think it would take very little profit away, or alternatively, not drive the price up much, just to make one little change. But you don't know that. You don't have the whole story, the entire perspective on what goes into a bike for production. These bikes are built to a price point, and while you'd like to see stainless header pipes, and someone else would like to see a metal front fender or a metal dash or better quality chrome, most of it is "good enough" and meets the price point. Then there's corporate accounting, operating costs, overhead, amortizing R&D costs, etc., etc. Elaborate enough?  Ooooh, I just remembered the "Butterfly Effect." Remember that book or movie? One little change, stepping on a bug, ripples through time and changes everything in the present. Who knows what changing one little detail would change. Okay, I'm tired. I admit it. I'm going to bed. 
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 755
3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
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Posts: 755 |
Blue Buster is good . Got some sent over here to do mine.As I could'nt get it over here. Gets a bit messy using a drill but worth it. atb geoff
2003 black and silver T.B.A A1 removed,Specialty Spares long slashed Pipes .
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5,720
Check Pants
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Check Pants
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5,720 |
Quote:
Building a motorcycle is a complicated thing. People always think it would be simple/cheap to change one little thing yet they have no perspective on what the whole development/manufacturing process costs. It's a forest-for-the-trees scenario. You think it would take very little profit away, or alternatively, not drive the price up much, just to make one little change. But you don't know that. You don't have the whole story, the entire perspective on what goes into a bike for production. These bikes are built to a price point, and while you'd like to see stainless header pipes, and someone else would like to see a metal front fender or a metal dash or better quality chrome, most of it is "good enough" and meets the price point. Then there's corporate accounting, operating costs, overhead, amortizing R&D costs, etc., etc.
Elaborate enough?
Ooooh, I just remembered the "Butterfly Effect." Remember that book or movie? One little change, stepping on a bug, ripples through time and changes everything in the present. Who knows what changing one little detail would change.
Okay, I'm tired. I admit it. I'm going to bed.
Great point John, it would be just as valid in the sixties, when the only Stain. Stl. exhausts you might see would be from the fence at race track pits. Then, around 1970, Abarth and Ansa started making aftermarket alloy exhaust components available for sports cars. That trend finally made it to the MC market. And who could downplay that? Eventually, someone will pioneer the availability of higher end alloys and the rest will follow to keep up. I have in my possession a set of brand new Arrow 2into 2 headers for a Thrux, with silencers they retail for $1199, should I believe that if even only the header pipes and not the cones were made of non-bluing 316 Extra Low Carbon alloy, they couldn't charge 125% of the extra cost of materials and sell them at $1299 instead? Sorry, I missed seeing your movie, was it good?
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
You know, I said The Butterfly Effect but I was thinking Timeline. Very similar ideas though. Both were okay, not great. I seem to recall reading a short story decades ago that was more like Timeline, where tourist travel back to prehistoric times and accidentally kill a bug and that's enough to screw up the future (present). I can't remember the title but I'm left with the impression that the story I read is better than both movies. Nope, Timeline isn't it either. Dang, what was the movie with the dinosaurs? EDIT: Okay, A Sound of Thunder is the short story... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sound_of_Thunder and it was what was made into the movie Sound of Thunder I was thinking of. You know, Ben Kingsley was in a lot of mediocre movies after Ghandi... 
Last edited by FriarJohn; 02/06/2012 5:34 PM.
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Learned Hand
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OP
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Blue Buster sounds like the ticket. Ordered the kit last night.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,212
Oil Expert
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Oil Expert
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i don't know i kind of like the coloring on the pipes, maybe becasue mine are just a tad of blue and a weeeee bit of yellow...... but it adds some character, i mean there headers right?
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Before I started rubbing they looked like a big old bruise coming out of the heads and just about down to the first bend down. Kinda past character. Started mellow-yellowing after that, but the second bend is full-o-color. Rubbed a lot off and just want to finish the job now.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Oil Expert
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y ai suppose if its all the ay down the bend plus and really dark. i watched a video of that, looks like taking the headers off is the best way though cause that stuff splatters all over the place even with a slow speed 2000rpm drill.
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Header shinin'
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Pretty much what I was thinking....
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Sep 2006
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Adjunct
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Adjunct
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Not that anyone asked, but my headers started crapping out 6 months after I bought the bike and started rusting eventually. Last month I sent them off to jet-hot and had them ceramic coated. They don't look new, cause the coating isn't going to hide any pitting, but they look a hell of a lot better than they did. The job only cost me around $250 including shipping. Which is a lot less than new head pipes would have cost.
Send lawyers, guns and money, cause the sh*t has hit the fan!
-W. Zevon
2020 Bud Ekins T100
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Re: Header shinin'
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Seems quite a few folks like the ceramic option.
"Despite all the amputation, you could dance to a rock 'n roll station..."
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Oil Expert
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i like the ceramic option but the only downside is they are harder to clean and scratch very easy.
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Sep 2006
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Adjunct
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Adjunct
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I agree, but in my case I had only three options. Live with what I had, buy new from Triumph or ceramic coating. I did alot of searching on the internet and couldn't find an aftermarket head pipe. I'll just treat them gently and see how it goes.
Send lawyers, guns and money, cause the sh*t has hit the fan!
-W. Zevon
2020 Bud Ekins T100
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: May 2010
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Check Pants
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Check Pants
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Quote:
I agree, but in my case I had only three options. Live with what I had, buy new from Triumph or ceramic coating. I did alot of searching on the internet and couldn't find an aftermarket head pipe. I'll just treat them gently and see how it goes.
You left out wrapping them with exhaust tape as an option?
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jul 2011
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Oil Expert
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yup i am thinking about wrapping a bit of my exhaust where i have some scarring on the chrome, i have seen some it done partial on headers and pipes and can look very retro cool if done right, bloody stuff is usually only in 50ft rools though.
2007 Speedmaster and miss it!
2013 T-Bird Storm and Luvin it!
Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary
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Re: Header shinin'
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
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Quote:
yup i am thinking about wrapping a bit of my exhaust where i have some scarring on the chrome, i have seen some it done partial on headers and pipes and can look very retro cool if done right, bloody stuff is usually only in 50ft rools though.
Yep and you need more than 25 ft if you dont want any gaps in your wrap. I bearly had enough. You know my thinking I could just use 1/2 per pipe. Well in the areas I missed ,, I just sprayed them all grill black!. Covered the little pcs of chrome I missed. OH btw I did mine with them on the bike. PITA, but didnt wanna mess around with the removal. WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!! Here is a cool thing to do after your wrap starts fraying in the bend from weather and crap hitting them. I took a roll of 2 in wide fiberglass (stuff you would use on cars) and folded it in half for a 1 in. and then wraped over the old wrap. Folded edge on the up facing the block. looks very tight and cool.
Mal: "Y'all see the man hanging out of the spaceship with the really big gun?{ref, Jayne} Man's lookin' to kill some folk. So really, it's his will y'all should worry about thwarting."
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