This is why you don't wrap your pipes!

[JP50515]

Ok, first it ruined the chrome, then it heat fractured the right pipe...and now this. Started the XS up for the first time out of hibernation this weekend. Went through the spring tune up, and got out on the road for about an hour...This is what I discovered upon taking a break...which immediately changed my destination back to home.

Look at the pipe without wrap in that spot (it has the lower half wrapped)...just a wee bit of a difference.


Anyway, looks cool...ain't worth a burnt valve tho...kinda surprised I wasn't shooting fireballs out the back! ha

 

[ThePirate]

When wrapping pipes , its important to consider the little things : wrapping pipes does not make them bulletproof, thin walled pipes of mild steel and god forbid galvanized exhaust pipe dont take heat cycles very well and become very brittle over time . Wrapping pipes keeps the exhaust flow hotter longer through insulating...during this time scavenging is said to be increased...people often forget about heat soak and what it does to thin walled exhaust and crappy piping...btw i thought the only real reason to wrap exhaust was so people couldn't copy my priceless artistic jackson pollack welding style! Dunno im all smoked out and i've been painting a buddy's condo all night so this might not make sense or be in english

 

[hard_y_rd]

Ok, first it ruined the chrome, then it heat fractured the right pipe...and now this. Started the XS up for the first time out of hibernation this weekend. Went through the spring tune up, and got out on the road for about an hour...This is what I discovered upon taking a break...which immediately changed my destination back to home.

Look at the pipe without wrap in that spot (it has the lower half wrapped)...just a wee bit of a difference.


Anyway, looks cool...ain't worth a burnt valve tho...kinda surprised I wasn't shooting fireballs out the back! ha

Did you burn a valve? What kind of pipes do you have? I was going to wrap mine but not to sure. I have double walled headers.

 

[DogBunny]

i thought the only real reason to wrap exhaust was so people couldn't copy my priceless artistic jackson pollack welding style!

The only reason to wrap pipes IMO is if they look bad, either because they are stock and old and beginning to rust and pit, or if they are poorly fabbed and welded. In either case, it doesn't matter if the wrap kills them, they were dying anyway.

 

[69mach351]

The only reason to wrap pipes IMO is if they look bad, either because they are stock and old and beginning to rust and pit, or if they are poorly fabbed and welded. In either case, it doesn't matter if the wrap kills them, they were dying anyway.

That tends to be my thoughts on it as well. If they are on the downward slide, no harm no foul. I have noticed that a lot of the companies that put them on new pipes, show bikes, etc., don't wrap the entire pipe, just the mid section.

 

[weaselbeak]

I was always under the impression that wrapped pipes should be stainless only. On my engine swapped 3800 Fiero, I have a crossover pipe that has to be wrapped because of a cable close by. Without the pipe being stainless, it's good for maybe 3 years and I don't drive it all that much.

 

[JP50515]

My pipes were the the original double walled stainless headers off my 77'. Within 6 months the chrome was gone, within a year heat fractured and snapped off the right pipe, and now the left one is a torture device out of the saw movies.

I did not burn a valve, but I can't imagine running one side so hot was good for it at all.


I'm going to be taking it off. My bike has become a major rat bike anyway so I'll just live up to it lol.

 

[ANLAF]

Double-skin pipes or else there will be trouble. For a start cheapo pipes turn blue, others warp and split. I wrap mine only to hide the rust and poor welding. I've got some old stock rusty pipes coming for bike 2, so more wrapping to hide the rust. There's no need to hide decent pipes - part of the bike.

ANLAF

 

[member3480]

Wrapping pipes put more heat back into motor just as they do for RACE MOTORS. I have been wrapping car headers and motorcycle pipes for over 30 yrs. YES if you have older pipes this can happen over time. YES if you buy thin walled pipes over time again it could happen. But from what I am understanding from you is these are the original 30 + year old pipes and how many miles were on these pipes. I wrap for the extra heat and the nice look. So its a DO I WANT TO DO IT OR NOT THING. How many guys are out there with new pipes not wrapped that are blued half the way down the pipe is that a good look. Your dealing with older parts that have been heated up and cooled down over and over and shit happens.

 

[Fndirtygreaser]

I guess I will keep painting my rusty pipes.

 

[ANLAF]

Painting is a good way to hide the imperfections, but I remember now why the wrap is so important - both pipes run along the right side and sizzled away the right leg of my good hiking trousers on the first ride. I put the wrap on before it got my leg on the next ride - perfect! warm, yes; burn, no; keeps right leg warm, yes. Lots of exposed pipe at rear to do something with heat dissipation (strictly speaking it is energy dissipation).

ANLAF

 

[JP50515]

DaddyG. You've got a good point. The bike only had 9,000 miles on the engine though, and was mint when I bought it...sadly. I knew the wrap would create more heat, I did not realize it would essentially be annealing my exhaust pipes each ride!

 

[DIRTY DOG]

paint the pipes with hi heat coating befor wrapping it helps keep the rust down
did not do the first time pipes lasted 1 year did the 2nd time and there still going good
about 3 years now

 

[ANLAF]

Hi heat coating sounds a good idea, Dirty Dog. I'll be doing that.

ANLAF

 

[weekendrider]

Given the concern of heat fatigue, would ceramic coating do the same(overheat)?

 

[cmyoch]

Funny that I see this post just as I was considering a heat wrap on my other bike. I'm fitting a different muffler on the exhaust headers on my GL1000 "Naked Goldwing". I'm debating wrapping just the joint area between the header and the muffler for rigidity instead of the entire header for this very reason. Leaving most of the header exposed to cool shouldn't have a negative effect on the integrity of the metal, correct?

 

[ANLAF]

cmyoch, I've never had trouble with overheating wrapped headers, so with a section of the header exposed I can't see any problem there.

ANLAF

 

[cmyoch]

This is going to be more of a temporary thing anyway. If I like the way it's set up and sounds, I'll probably take them somewhere to be permanently welded. If it takes me a year or so to do it, I don't want any surprises when I unwrap them.

 

[RatyXS]

Im gona agree with DADDYG. It keeps the heat in, does help in scavenging exhaust. It can also destroy cheap exhaust or exhaust that is old, beat, because of the heat staying in. But in most cases even a junk system that is new will last for some time. The big thing that will kill the pipes with the wrap is getting them wet, sitting. No matter how good the chrome is over time pipes will still turn blue, even jet hot changes colors to an extant. Seen it many times on cars.. Also a valve wouldn't get burnt from that hole. With out a pipe bolted to the head yes, but not from that

 

[JP50515]

It's not the hole that concerned, me it. It was that one pipe was running red hot, while the other (unwrapped pipe) wasn't. I can't imagine that kind of difference in heat between cylinders is a good thing for the engine. Just glad I realized what was happening in time to prevent an issue. (knock on wood)

Those wraps definitely got soaked in the rain a few times...not much to do about it anymore besides replace em when they truly die on me.