Rust on Exhaust Pipes

[RonW]

How would you prevent the headers from rusting to begin with? It's mainly on the front surface of the headers where the wind hits the pipes straight on. The engine guards are about the same position on the bike and the engine guards don't have any rust at all, so it's the heat from the exhaust....if you own a Valk, you probably know what I'm talking about. Feels like it's pitted. (Pic enlarges)

[Westsider]

better get on it with some turtlewax chrome polish ..

[RonW]

Tomorrow, then. There's a lot of salt living near to the ocean. Salt has to end up on the streets, year round.

[X Ring]

Then you need to wash your Valk every time you come home from a ride.

Marty

[The Anvil]

Then you need to wash your Valk every time you come home from a ride.

Marty

+1 salt is bad news. Even if you just hose it off with clean water after a ride it will help. Not as good as a full wash but better than leaving salt on there.

My Valk was an Alabama coast bike before coming to NH. I'll have to take some pics of the pitting on some of the aluminum parts that the salt air caused.

[hubcapsc]

I think they need to be kept clean, or they'll rust up and that's all she wrote...

I don't wash my bike every time I turn around, but when I do wash it, I often spend
5 or so minutes on my back getting the headers real clean with a Dobie pad and whatever
kind of cleaner goo (usually Joe's Juice) I have handy...



My pipes were brand new three years ago/30K ago, and the headers still clean
up real shiny...

-Mike

[John U.]

If the crud resists a Dobie pad get some bronze wool at your local hardware store or marine supply store where it will no doubt be more expensive. The bronze wool will cut through the grime but won't scratch the chrome.

[rodeo1]

neither will fine steel wool.

[Ricky-D]

Using any kind of abrasive on chrome will leave marks.

It doesn't matter if it is a cleaner or a pad, rub the chrome with it; and you'll dull the chrome.

The marks may be infinitesimal at first, but over time doing the same practice will surely reveal where you've been rubbing.

Thinking that repairs can be made to chrome now showing corrosion and/or bluing (that has been neglected) over a long period of time, is fallacy.  You cannot polish chrome!

For rust the best treatment is naval jelly (phosphoric acid) and no rubbing.

Bad chrome can be painted with silver look paint that has some high temperature characteristics. Tape to the smallest area needing treatment and cover with paint.  Very good for the crash bars. Stops rust!

***

[Mr Steve]

Having been there...a few times...I think your pipes are toast.  You might be able to clean them up a little with something like Coke and tinfoil followed by Zephyr Pro40 (don't use Neverdull on chrome, far too abrasive, Zephyr cleans it up nicer anyway), but the fact is the chrome has been compromised and once that happens, it's over.  You can certainly fight it for a while (a long while if you want to clean weekly), but you've already lost.

I have kept track of every dollar I have spent on my bike for material parts in an Excel spreadsheet.  A lot of the money I put into it was simply replacing chrome.  I'm on my second Cobra lightbar, fourth set of driving lights, my third set of floorboards, my third kick shifter, not even sure how many Kury pegs, fourth exhaust, fourth set of tranny covers, second set of rims...and the list goes on.  All just to keep an outdoor bike (now in a garage, but 10 years outdoors...in New England) looking new.

[hubcapsc]

I think my headers still look like this after I clean them with a Dobie pad...
but I never looked at them under a microscope   ...



My triple-tips are starting to look pretty sad, though... maybe naval jelly or some
of that Bronze wool is in order...

I used naval jelly on some nasty expansion chambers once before I painted them.
It seemed like pretty serious stuff...

-Mike

[Mr Steve]

I think my headers still look like this after I clean them with a Dobie pad...
but I never looked at them under a microscope   ...



My triple-tips are starting to look pretty sad, though... maybe naval jelly or some
of that Bronze wool is in order...

I used naval jelly on some nasty expansion chambers once before I painted them.
It seemed like pretty serious stuff...

-Mike

What did you use to paint your pipes behind the shield?  I tried a VHT clearcoat paint, supposedly for exhaust manifolds and headers, but it burnt...yellowed.  That silver seems to be holding up (unless you just did it), what brand?

[hubcapsc]

What did you use to paint your pipes behind the shield? 

That's a picture of my brand spanking new $220 eBay pipes  right before I
put them on.

Sorry if I'm a little proud of them, but this is what I had before:



-Mike

[Mr Steve]

I thought that new pipes were a slight copper color behind the shield.  Perhaps that's because I've only seen "new" take-offs that probably ran for 3k mi.    Congrats on new pipes, nice snag.

[hubcapsc]

I thought that new pipes were a slight copper color behind the shield.  Perhaps that's because I've only seen "new" take-offs that probably ran for 3k mi.    Congrats on new pipes, nice snag.

I got them probably over three years ago... that (and the condition of my other pipes  ) is what made
me think I needed to jump in and say that they'll probably only stay decent if we  get down there and
get the grunge off with some regularity... like I said, they still clean up real good... 30K or so and lots
of rain and grunge...



-Mike

[Disco]

The primary abrasive in Bon Ami is the mineral feldspar.  With a wet soft cloth or sponge, it will gently take the rust and help shine what's left.  It will not prevent further deterioration, but is a good first step and gentler than most everything else.  http://bonami.3nerds.com/index.php/products/overview/

[ricoman]

Don't think it's the wind-more like the sand (maybe some salt in your case) that comes off the road.
Engine guards seem, to me, to have heavier chrome and they are a much thicker walled material than the header pipes.
Can't believe "you cannot polish chrome", Ricky. Had I known that I wouldn't have been doing it successfully for many many years on a few bikes, a few cars, and various chromed items from faucets to boat parts. Good info to have.

[X Ring]

Don't think it's the wind-more like the sand (maybe some salt in your case) that comes off the road.
Engine guards seem, to me, to have heavier chrome and they are a much thicker walled material than the header pipes.
Can't believe "you cannot polish chrome", Ricky. Had I known that I wouldn't have been doing it successfully for many many years on a few bikes, a few cars, and various chromed items from faucets to boat parts. Good info to have.

There you go ricoman.  Ignance is bliss!   

Marty

[ricoman]

Don't think it's the wind-more like the sand (maybe some salt in your case) that comes off the road.
Engine guards seem, to me, to have heavier chrome and they are a much thicker walled material than the header pipes.
Can't believe "you cannot polish chrome", Ricky. Had I known that I wouldn't have been doing it successfully for many many years on a few bikes, a few cars, and various chromed items from faucets to boat parts. Good info to have.

There you go ricoman.  Ignance is bliss!   

Marty

stoopid ain't all bad!

[The Anvil]

Technically you can polish chrome, even damaged chrome but the thing is, eventually you will wear through. Cheap chrome tends to be really thin and for all practical purposes can't really be restored.

[Farther]

The primary abrasive in Bon Ami is the mineral feldspar.  With a wet soft cloth or sponge, it will gently take the rust and help shine what's left.  It will not prevent further deterioration, but is a good first step and gentler than most everything else.  http://bonami.3nerds.com/index.php/products/overview/

+1, Bon Ami is what works for me!  http://bonami.3nerds.com/index.php/products/powder_cleanser/

[Thunderbolt]

will shine those up.  Just be sure and keep um polished afterward.

[simon]

Have your headers ceramic coated then just clean them with water and a rag after a ride. Simon

[bigdog99]

i got some Colenel Brassy's from the dealer and was surprised how much it took off. then waxed them good.

[RonW]

I want to note that the rust (below) is in it's early stages. But it seems like the chrome on the headers went from shinny to noticeable rust in a week. What makes things deceptive is that the factory chrome on the nearby engine guards and the timing cover are all the while in pristine condition. Our story begins....the only water faucet in our building's basement garage is located behind a parking stall rented out to another tenant in the building, so if his car is parked in the stall, we can't wash our vehicles. There was a year period that went by that whenever I wanted to hose down my bike, the car was in the stall. So using a water bucket to give the bike a sponge bath, I rarely reached down to wash off the headers, and I guess, that allowed the rust to sneak in. There's a moral to the story. Furthermore, I've seen photos of Valks with rusted headers in its advances stages and it don't look pretty at all. Not to mention that brand new mufflers cost $679.64, a piece.

[hubcapsc]

Not to mention that brand new mufflers cost $679.64, a piece.

I hope it is not time to give up on yours yet, but desirable mufflers can still be had
on eBay, and probably here in the classifieds, for less than $500...

I was shocked to receive my $220 eBay set and find that they seemed to never have
had a molecule of exhaust gas run through them... but they also didn't have covers,
which, I guess, is why they hardly got any bids...

-Mike

[X Ring]

Furthermore, I've seen photos of Valks with rusted headers in its advances stages and it don't look pretty at all.

Did those Valks have stock exhausts or aftermarket?  Some aftermarket exhausts, like the Cobras, have single wall headers and rust quickly.  That's why you see headers that have been ceramic coated or painted.

Marty

[RonW]

hubcapsc....there are indeed deals to be had on Ebay, but the cost of shipping to Hawaii is another thing all together for bulky items, and I have to tack that on. "Somebody" outbidded us on Ebay for Valk pipes with the silver coating on the copper section behind the chrome headers. Couple of years back, was it? I quit after the bidding was at $200 and never went back anticipating incorrectly that the price would only soar to $400. $220? Hmmmm....wonder if it's the same one.

X Ring....stock pipes. The PLAN is to check around on how much it costs to chrome the entire pipes with just polishing off (buffing) the headers. That'll give me a double coating on the headers. It's probably possible to re-chrome the headers only, but chrome, even un-buffed chrome, on the rest of the copper components would sure look nice.

[Disco]

Have your headers ceramic coated then just clean them with water and a rag after a ride.

I got the oem headers on my set of glasspack mods black ceramic coated.  I'm not entirely satisfied - could be the provider, not the product - but they look better than the ratty chrome they started off as and they haven't gotten any worse.

[The Anvil]

Furthermore, I've seen photos of Valks with rusted headers in its advances stages and it don't look pretty at all.

Did those Valks have stock exhausts or aftermarket?  Some aftermarket exhausts, like the Cobras, have single wall headers and rust quickly.  That's why you see headers that have been ceramic coated or painted.

Marty

Really? Mine have been on for four years and show not a hint of rust.

[RonW]

I got the oem headers on my set of glasspack mods black ceramic coated.  I'm not entirely satisfied - could be the provider, not the product ....

Due to today's EPA regulations, most if not all of today's chemical products are toned down versions or formulas of what they once were, chrome, paints, etc. Another example, Clark Foam use to be the sole producer of foam blanks used to make surfboards because nobody else could afford the cost of disposing of the by products, but Clark Foam themselves finally had to close up shop as the cost of disposal and processing procedures esculated, as such, the foam (different formula), subsituted in today's surfboards isn't on par with the older stuff.

[RonW]

Really? Mine have been on for four years and show not a hint of rust.

Oh, brother. Thanks, the same, though.

[hubcapsc]

hubcapsc....there are indeed deals to be had on Ebay, but the cost of shipping to Hawaii

D'OH... you have Waikiki by your avatar... it might be hard to find Valkyrie mufflers there, but I
bet there's plenty there to offset that... 

"Somebody" outbidded us on Ebay for Valk pipes with the silver coating on the copper section behind the chrome headers. Couple of years back, was it? I quit after the bidding was at $200 and never went back anticipating incorrectly that the price would only soar to $400. $220? Hmmmm....wonder if it's the same one.



-Mike

[Hawkeye]

I've often wondered how the chrome on a Ford work truck bumper doesn't require daily petting with expensive formulas and yet none of mine have ever rusted.  I had a 1948 Ford 2 door Club Coupe Super Deluxe back in the 80s - not a speck of rust.  Can't say that for all the "chrome" on motorcycles.  My guess is the bike chrome is simply poor quality and not laid up very well and does not have nickle and copper below. Every Kury piece on my bike is rusted to pieces.  For my money, there won't be any more chrome crap - just a lot of sand blasting and powder coating. 

[X Ring]

One thing everyone needs to remember is chromed headers are subjected to heat of several hundred degrees and things like bumpers are not.  Also, a lot of Kury stuff is chromed aluminum.  There aren't layers of copper and nickel between the two.  Other manufacturers are just as bad.

Marty

[redflash]

pics sometime, but my headers are completely rusted over. 75,000 miles in 5 yrs, Kury stuff is bubbling under the chrome and the chrome is flaking off. I ride, don't do a lot of cleaning and polishing. Stock valve covers look great though!