Dry wrapped pipes!

So after a bit of research I too a stab at wrapping my pipes without doing the usual soaking the wrap first method and using high temp silicone spray to seal them after.

I turned out fairly well. A lot less smoke than I've had before and they looks pretty good so far so thought I'd share:

 

Nice good job I have done before but never came up as neat as that

 

Your bike looks good!!!

 

Looks real nice ; much better than the usual "off-white wrap

 

Nice looking bike! I did the same dry wrap with my 650 Maxim and it turned out pretty good, somehow the chrome on the mufflers was near mint yet the chrome on the headers was completely shot.

 

Hi,

That looks Great!!! Could you post some more details on this project? Where did you use the Silicone spray? Where did you get the wraps?

Thanks

 

Thanks.

It's really not that hard - not much to it. First thing to remember is it's fiberglass so you need to wear gloves and long sleeves and clothes you don't mind either burning or throwing out after lol. Also don't touch your eyes

You need more than you think you will - I got away with the 50' but I wish I'd had more. You really need to cut a looooong length and wrap and pull it through.

As with anything preparation is key.

1) mask off the engine so only the pipe are visible - do this before you start so you can go straight to spray once you get the wrap on tight - they'll be less chance of un-wrap.
2) sharp scissors and a bucket for scraps - no one needs random bits of fiberglass on the floor.
3) The fibers get everywhere so either wear coveralls what I said above and have a shop vac handy. Not a bad idea to wear a paper mask at least for the times when you close wrapping and pulling.
4) You will need a painting mask for the spray. Read the label. good ventilation etc.

Here's the wrap and the spray

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KVYH66U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MY3ML8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I loosed the header mounting brackets and I started from the headers on the inside pipes first and I didn't use tie, I just kinda jammed it under the header mounting brackets and then after about an inch or two of wrap I tightened them up..then just wrap tight as you can and keep wrapping and pulling - doing about a 1/2 inch over lap. At the corners you just make it as tight as you can and kinda pinch it on the inside. It's not that hard, just common sense really. At the end you do like a loop and back in and make it look flush and then use one of the metal zip-ties to lock it in place.

Don't worry if there's a little stick up on the outside of the pipe at this point.. a little is ok.

Do all 4 pipes and then use the spray liberally while wearing an old glove you can spray and kinda grip/mold any parts that are sticking up on the corners flatter -- but just test your method here with a finger, you don't want to spray and grip too hard or too long cos it will stick to the glove. Once you get it looking good. let it dry and do as many coats as you think you can till it looks good.

Now once the last coat dries go for a ride long enough for them to stop smoking - it will be smelly and smokey till they cure.... at least 20 mins.

 

Ribo,

That is one righteous post, thank you!!! Have you heard anything about the wraps causing the pipes to over heat or to cause problems with gaskets or anything like that? I was going to make a post getting input from the forum but will wait to hear what you have to say.

Thank you,

Phillip

 

Ribo,

This is email that I just received, what do you think?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip-

Thank you for your email to Riders Domain!

I have reached out to one of our tech people and had him review your question.



This is his response.

Full system: He can wrap his exhaust, but from what I’ve read I wouldn’t do it. It’s going to heat his headers to pretty high temps and could damage the headers since they will no longer be able to be cooled by moving air and torch his exhaust gaskets. As far as performance goes he could see a little improvement but to me the downsides outweigh the benefits In this particular case by a landslide.. If I was drag racing would be one of the few times I would consider wrapping the exhaust.







Rebecca Ward | Customer Service Lead
PHONE: 800-721-8253 EXT 5208
LOCATION: 131 N. Bartlett St. Medford, OR

 

I'll let others weigh in here cos I'm far from an expert in this forum. There are many others more qualified than I to direct you in the right path here. However, I will say this. I've not seen any indication of any issues in the six months I've had these pipes wrapped nor on the two other bikes, I've had with header wraps.

From what I've read there are issues when running header wraps on bikes that are raced or ran hard for extended periods of time but that's really not what we're doing here with these vintage machines right? I use the bike for commuting when the weather is nice, the occasional event and some extended 2-3 hour rides here and there on weekends. I'm not running it at max RPM on a 50-degree knee down hellfire shit feast round Daytona very often so I suspect I'm within the OEM margins of heat tolerance. On the filp side, I have definitely noticed an increase in power after warm up due to the thermodynamic exhaust effect.

 

Ribo,

Thank you!! I also try to stay away from the Hellfire Shit Feasts as a general rule.

Phillip

 

Do they serve nachos?

 

Turns out that they do, but its the liquid cheese and not the melted cheese, Plus no Guac. So F**k that.

 

That would explain hellfire s#!+s...

 

Would it be easier to wrap the pipes if you disassembled the exhaust first?

 

yes it would...would it be easier not to have to disassemble the exhaust first - yes... hmm