I Keep melting my boot on my Exhaust! Any Suggestions?

[Allan Y]

I Keep melting my boot on my Exhaust! Any Suggestions?

I did some research to see if I could find some chrome exhaust shield that I could clamp on.  I could not find anything that looked like it would work.  I am about to the point of getting black exhaust wrap and metal zip ties and wrapping 6 to 8 inches of pipe on both sides were my boots could contact.  Has anyone had this problem and if so how did you remedy the issue.
Thanks

[Ricky-D]

?????

Keep you boots off the exhaust pipes.

***

Or keep cleaning!

[Bighead]

I have once or twice hit my boot on there and had to get it off but doesn't seem to be a problem all the time I am able to keep boot clear of pipe and I wear a 13 so I don't understand why you are having this problem.

[KG]

I've only had my bike about a month and am still learning about it but I have not burned my boot yet even with a couple of 2 hour slow speed practicing turns and u turns in a parking lot.

is it only on one side? is the bike hard to start? have you had any carb work done? any exhaust pipes discolored at the engine?  Does it happen more at low speeds or during or after higher speeds runs?

I'm still learning about these engines but if it's only on one side you may be running lean on that side.

if you have a temp gun you may check each exhuast pipe and see if there is a big temp difference between cylinders or you may want to pull the plugs and check them.


Take what I said with a grain of salt as someone with more knowledge about these engines may say it's something different or it's normal.

[Hoser]

?????

Keep you boots off the exhaust pipes.

***

Or keep cleaning!

Well, I gotta go with Ricky on this one.  Hoser 

[saddlesore]

You could get this bike and burn your boot and leg at the same time.

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[Allan Y]

Well after I noticed I had melted my boot the first time I have made a conchies effort to keep my boots clear of the pipes but when I am just enjoying the ride I find my heals naturally make it back to the pipes.  So since it seams this will continue to be issue for me any thoughts on about a shield or wrap idea? ???

[Westsider]

Try some floorboards, ??? ???

[Challenger]

Maybe a wire stand-off similar to the one on the brake pedal could be bolted onto the foot peg mount. I have cobra floor boards, so have never experienced that problem.

[flcjr]

I do it all the time when putting the kickstand down not as much as I used too I learned it sucks to clean off. 0000 steel wool and some effort takes it off.

[Paxton]

Obviously, you have a burning desire to ride your Valk... Save your boots. Wear Flip Flops!

RIDE SAFE

[sandy]

Go to Smart n Final and get Carbon Off. Works great on boot stuff.

[R J]

Go barefoot, it won't take ya long to learn to keep your feet off the pipe.

[Russell Rice]

from the looks of the picture, it looks like you have after market exhaust pipes .The seam in the shield looks like it is way closer to the side stand than stock pipes. A picture taken back more might help us I.D the exhaust and maybe give us a better chance at helping you fix your problem.

[Gavin_Sons]

Maybe a better pair of boots. I have never melted my boot on the exhaust, dont know if I have ever touched it or not. Maybe my boots are heat resistant and keeps them from melting? I usually wear my red wings when I ride.

[Jess from VA]

A lot of the time, what your picture shows is not so much riding with your heel on the pipe (if you keep your boot heel just hooked over the peg, it can't touch the pipe).... but putting your boot down on the road at stops, too close to the pipe.  I have short legs, and this is where I mark my pipes, at stops.  And I have a tendency at long lights to put it in neutral, and hook my boot behind my floorboard to stop the bike from rolling back on a slight decline, even with my heel-toe shifters.

Various Harley parts makers have long sold heel cups/guards (usually to add to their floorboards) to keep boots off pipes, but those would probably have to be modded to fit up on a Valk with pegs or floorboards.

Whatever it is, your burns show the boot touching hot pipes for a long time.... cut it out.  LOL

[Allan Y]

from the looks of the picture, it looks like you have after market exhaust pipes .The seam in the shield looks like it is way closer to the side stand than stock pipes. A picture taken back more might help us I.D the exhaust and maybe give us a better chance at helping you fix your problem.

It is after marker Exhaust.  They are Jardine.

[Allan Y]

Maybe a better pair of boots. I have never melted my boot on the exhaust, dont know if I have ever touched it or not. Maybe my boots are heat resistant and keeps them from melting? I usually wear my red wings when I ride.

Most of the time I am wearing my military boots as I am riding to or from work.  Even when I am not riding to or from work it still seams like I am wearing a pair that was issued to me at some point.

[Allan Y]

Try some floorboards, ??? ???

A lot of the time, what your picture shows is not so much riding with your heel on the pipe (if you keep your boot heel just hooked over the peg, it can't touch the pipe).... but putting your boot down on the road at stops, too close to the pipe.  I have short legs, and this is where I mark my pipes, at stops.  And I have a tendency at long lights to put it in neutral, and hook my boot behind my floorboard to stop the bike from rolling back on a slight decline, even with my heel-toe shifters.

Various Harley parts makers have long sold heel cups/guards (usually to add to their floorboards) to keep boots off pipes, but those would probably have to be modded to fit up on a Valk with pegs or floorboards.

Whatever it is, your burns show the boot touching hot pipes for a long time.... cut it out.  LOL

I like the guard Idea but not sure I want to switch to floor boards

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Not stock,  kind of look like Goldwing pipes

[Quicksilver]

How about adding a small plate to the boot soles where it makes contact?

[Jess from VA]

You could probably get a one inch piece of thin flatstock to fit between the peg mount bolt(s), but it would have to extend far enough back to serve as a heel guard.

A piece of steel on your inside boot heels might do it. (shoe repair)

Or wrap the spot your heel touches with a piece of split galvanized duct pipe and two long SS radiator screw clamps.  (That will look nice  ) The galvanized cover will also get marks, but you won't care.

[Allan Y]

How about adding a small plate to the boot soles where it makes contact?

I think I will stay away from modifying my boots.  I wear several different pair.

You could probably get a one inch piece of thin flatstock to fit between the peg mount bolt(s), but it would have to extend far enough back to serve as a heel guard.

A piece of steel on your inside boot heels might do it. (shoe repair)

Or wrap the spot your heel touches with a piece of split galvanized duct pipe and two long SS radiator screw clamps.  (That will look nice  ) The galvanized cover will also get marks, but you won't care.

I might look in to the thin flatstock idea.  With the right bending and shaping it could possibly do the trick.

[Jess from VA]

Flat stock, like in the 2d picture in my earlier post.

A guard bar is going to require a bracket/weld.

[.]

I have stock pipes and my boot marks mine in about the same place. I have ordered some floorboards to try out, not because of the boot mark but because I like floorboards, but I don't know how well they'll work or if I'll even like them because of the peg position. The floorboards I had on my ACE were great but that bike has a much more feet forward position and my legs are so long I may wind up riding on the balls of my feet.

That's why I got highway pegs. I still burn the pipes but it makes riding a lot more comfortable once I pick my feet up.

[BF]

I wonder if a heel/toe shifter might help you keep your boot off of your pipes?

There's sometimes a knock-off Rattlebars heel toe shifter on eBay......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Valkyrie-1997-2003-Original-RATTLEBARS-Heel-Toe-Shifter-/291092090742?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c670cf76&vxp=mtr

[Paxton]

Have you considered replacing yours with an OME or other exhaust system?
Yours are the same Jardines that came with my Standard. They are welded in place just like mine are.
Can't separate them from the OME headers.

Mine are still there inside the truck stack pipes that I installed over them.
I recall truck stacks were $175 at my front door. Now she roarrrrrrrrrs...
like a 5.0 Mustang.

It appears as if the turn out pipe(s) in yours is too far out. Mine never touched my boots
before nor after the Truck Stacks' installation.

RIDE SAFE

[valknomad]

I've experienced the same problem.   I think a guy could easily fabricate something.  There are several nearby bolts to attach a bracket, that would hang down to the exhaust area where the boot heel rubs.   ex:  3/4" Flat Stock formed just enough to touch the boot. 

[R J]

Much easier to put a heel/toe shifter on it.

I got one on mine and I quit marking up the pipes.

I can't for the life of me remember who made it.   They are discontinued now, but every once in awhile they pop up on evil-Bay, or sometimes a VRCC member puts one in the Classified.   

Help me out here on who made them.   Thanks.

I have one of the 1st batch that was built.    It has been used and abused on a very regular basis.   Even still has the nuts for spacers.    I've thought about getting regular spacers, but I decided it worked to good, so I am leaving it alone.

[John Schmidt]

Go barefoot, it won't take ya long to learn to keep your feet off the pipe.

RJ you dog, ya beat me to it. That was the first thing that came to mind. Evil minds, etc.   

To clean off boot marks, I wouldn't suggest 4-0 steel wool. It will eventually mess up the chrome surface. I use something my wife said was named after me; Goof-Off. That, and a rag, takes off the marks almost instantly.

[Gryphon Rider]

Those of you who mark your pipes with your heels, did you or do you do a lot of of dirt or sport bike riding before starting to ride cruisers?  People who ride dirt or sport are more likely to put the balls of their feet on the pegs than to put the arches of their feet on the pegs like most cruiser riders do.  On a dirt or sport bike, this prevents the toes from being the first point of contact with the ground in a hard lean, as they would be with the pegs under the arches of the feet and the toes pointing down.  On a cruiser this isn't necessary because the foot position is either flat or toes-up.  This would be why your ball-of-the-foot-on-the-peg foot position which puts your heels well back of the peg feels more natural to you.  It might be time to consciously adjust your foot position forward until THAT feels natural.

[MarkT]

My 5 inch stacks don't get very hot.  In fact they are totally cool.  Literally.  There's a big airspace between the outer surface and the hot innards.  So cool in fact you can put your bare hand on them - I have used mine as handwarmers at stop lights when I forgot my gloves and it turned cold.  No boot melting - or other plastics.  Not cheap but lotsa folks figure they are worth it.

[BF]

Much easier to put a heel/toe shifter on it.

I got one on mine and I quit marking up the pipes.

I can't for the life of me remember who made it.   They are discontinued now, but every once in awhile they pop up on evil-Bay, or sometimes a VRCC member puts one in the Classified.   

Help me out here on who made them.   Thanks.

I have one of the 1st batch that was built.    It has been used and abused on a very regular basis.   Even still has the nuts for spacers.    I've thought about getting regular spacers, but I decided it worked to good, so I am leaving it alone.

Are you referring to the Rattlebars shifter?  

There's one on eBay now.  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Valkyrie-1997-2003-Original-RATTLEBARS-Heel-Toe-Shifter-/291100266330?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c6ed8f5a

[R J]

Much easier to put a heel/toe shifter on it.

I got one on mine and I quit marking up the pipes.

I can't for the life of me remember who made it.   They are discontinued now, but every once in awhile they pop up on evil-Bay, or sometimes a VRCC member puts one in the Classified.   

Help me out here on who made them.   Thanks.

I have one of the 1st batch that was built.    It has been used and abused on a very regular basis.   Even still has the nuts for spacers.    I've thought about getting regular spacers, but I decided it worked to good, so I am leaving it alone.

Are you referring to the Rattlebars shifter?  

There's one on eBay now.  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Valkyrie-1997-2003-Original-RATTLEBARS-Heel-Toe-Shifter-/291100266330?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c6ed8f5a

Yupper, that be the one.

I thought mine had more pieces than that on it.     Probably my dang worthless memory drive.    It seems to be going bad and I can't find another one that will hold all the data this one does.     

[Jess from VA]

I regularly mark my pipes, and have heel toe shifters.  I do it when putting my foot down at stops.  Not the heel, the upper boot.

[BF]

Mine seems to get marked up whenever I go to put the kickstand down.  I'm not conscious of it, but that's where the shoe markes are. 

[RiderGroups]

You could always ride with no shoes. 

Double bonus...no rubber to melt to the pipe and an instant reminder that your heel is on the pipe again.   

I Keep melting my boot on my Exhaust! Any Suggestions?

I did some research to see if I could find some chrome exhaust shield that I could clamp on.  I could not find anything that looked like it would work.  I am about to the point of getting black exhaust wrap and metal zip ties and wrapping 6 to 8 inches of pipe on both sides were my boots could contact.  Has anyone had this problem and if so how did you remedy the issue.
Thanks

[Allan Y]

Have you considered replacing yours with an OME or other exhaust system?
Yours are the same Jardines that came with my Standard. They are welded in place just like mine are.
Can't separate them from the OME headers.

Mine are still there inside the truck stack pipes that I installed over them.
I recall truck stacks were $175 at my front door. Now she roarrrrrrrrrs...
like a 5.0 Mustang.

It appears as if the turn out pipe(s) in yours is too far out. Mine never touched my boots
before nor after the Truck Stacks' installation.

RIDE SAFE

Paxton
Were did you order your stacks from?  That is something I might consider.

[Bighead]

Not Paxton but here is a good source.
http://store.airflo.com/af40-436hs.html
But this will not solve your problem.

[Jess from VA]

Here you go.  

If you can't keep your heel off the pipes, a motorcycle flat track racing hot shoe will prevent all further pipe goop from the boots.  (and you can use it with any boots)







The downside is that since it's designed to slide at 90mph on the dirt, it's nice and smooth on the bottom so you have to be very very careful at stops on the pavement.       (or rough up the bottom)