I am sort of wanting to wrap the exhaust pipe on one of my sr500's ( has a high pipe gets hot, really hot) and I think it looks cool. Anyway what are the pro's and cons of it? does it deteriorate the pipe? has anyone here done it? NO, I'm not going racing ( maybe a track day?) thanks, b bill
Abrasion is the biggest detriment. It will, otherwise, develop its own patina and last quite a while. Proper installation is the key... Remove the exhaust, clean it, wrap it with the wrap being wet, secure the ends with metal hose clamps, heavy gauge safety wire, anything that's heat resistant and will do the job. Remount the pipe and start the bike to dry the wrap. It will fit like a glove. I would start at the tail. The overlap in the wraps won't present an edge that faces forward. You can start the wrap the same way as wrapping bicycle handlebars, it's a clean application and a couple rounds of safety wire will keep it tight. When the wrap gets up to the head, a hose clamp isn't too unsightly. Wear gloves.
Have heard that it deteriorates the metal quicker both due to trapping excess heat in it as well as when/if it gets wet and accelerates oxidation. I think car folks do it because of the fact their exhaust pipes are generally heavier duty steel and when a good portion of header is insulated in the oven that is the engine bay it can really heat things up in there, so the wrap can isolate the heat away from other engine components under the hood. In the case of a bike your exhaust isn't quite as encased to the same degree. The metal that is used in bikes' exhausts is generally a much thinner gauge and not as durable over the long haul if subjected to wrapping that will accelerate its deterioration. Not to mention that if the pipes are titanium, wrapping them will accelerate the process even faster than steel. The only time I've ever seen pro (2-wheeled) race teams wrap any part of their exhausts was the section that the rider's boot was coming into contact with to keep it from melting the sole. Even then that was a few years back.....now they tend to use more elegant carbon fiber crafted parts.
If it matters this high pipe was crafted for me out of auto muffler pipe so it's fairly heavier gauge . I want to ride it a bit but don't want to slow cook my leg. bb
Good points, but... I think it getting wet is a non-issue...it will dry out quickly enough with the heat. Just keep it in mind when stopping from a wet ride. Degradation of the metal's integrity? More pipes crumble from rust/neglect than from accelerated use, and it's not like an SR500 is puttin' out 200hp worth of heat through a race-weight pipe. Pro-arguments... It won't rust if it dries out, the wrap adds a layer of sound insulation (no tinny ringing) and the heat reduction felt by the rider (seemingly his main concern) is noticeable. Cons... It will eventually get ratty (like a weathered canvas bag) and it will collect dirt. In Bill's application, the header section will receive abrasion from road debris kicked up by the front tire.
ThermoTec and DEI are the main brands. They both offer stainless wrap ties, as well. Either can likely be found at Auto-Zone, AdvanceAuto, et al. Of course, Amazon prolly has it, too.
Whatever brand they sell at Cycle Gear (as well as others I'd assume) comes in a carbon-ish color as well as off-white (and black too, I think). I liked it over the off-white because it doesn't show road crud and greasy hand prints FWIW, I wasn't thinking of any kind of performance value when I did my 500T, I just wanted to hide the ugly, heavy stock, high temp BBQ grill painted headers. It's been a while so I don't remember the brand, prolly ThermoTech as mentioned previously...but it wasn't cheap :/
Better put the dogs up when you go to wrap it or they might want to play tug of war with the wrap . I see you said track day above, now quit telling stories, you know you ain't gonna do it. But on the 1 in a 1000 chance you do decide to you know where to call for a ride to/from.
yeah I had that in mind too. but you know I got time on my hands and you know what they say about idle hands. I better hush up or darethea will find something for me to do. b bill
