next thing on my mental to-do list is to ensure the exhaust won't rust away. last year i had the bike sometimes outside over night and in the rain, and it already suffered a bit. nothing serious, but i also don't want it to get worse.
after seeing so many well documented builds and restorations here, i started to make a habit of keeping a camera handy. so here's some pictures.
a few brown specks on the muffler
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OHT78UUEV9VBiBMv8_6mVxYTwJd8hJqvvu2qj6gTwYJ5Fe2zoqohf9uYuU21Kkz7Xc2LHyAL5s9WGXNQnsp2XIC9iDn0F5vwon9Y0tA66_9Updj6MxXMkBj5dd3K0PE38iFeobDqI9venL5Y-QWm2LW2BCOiOGdRX1Zj5HsQbCb7UGx-cc-SyDy7tskhiVpmfjd-jBNbO9SNPc3ToSGdzF0MuN3sA3PuufpgeHHYE3RgyEFWrHN93ggShdPz7ZaLkZq3ZFo8kDJk090uUwDhjAODoTq9FGEkpOGC14X1wkSaRbvaQcbl3Ba1W7KcPoNcDBjt2y_vQ2n_Lo0-f4FV-NtoI7R5SWPxKCFyt4lCX0Y6ADhSc4Zd0Vpo_BFG5SNYvXBVQSJEvB8ZzM95176KW0dtbXsUrReY1TamEvuLGMp1kqv19Tg58iqIat4PHBKuwe-89rufeaYrMxAniTcahP6nUiCbH1hHM6SzUEyFeRSSizmMfGZFiqJxvDhINlwBazsxjJJL0xn5d4Kippgam0-07zNMhaYwUvScwjpM3yZwoLBneCKvc-pQrE0089tDfNQt=w600-h450-no)
and i think where the pipes go in the collector box can be a weak spot for gathering humidity
![](http://i.minus.com/id2Iguofa8FJG.jpg)
anyway, off with the thing!
here you see how it's gotten a bit dull, especially on the backside.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gUje4RSzs24oLiK_GVrNOkV_0KbxACogBTuQXbi4HwVOm5o4rjMAze7PKruo8gNeFWkE2sdOJ4ZH-UxS7H66cUC7kyXP_8Fw1tDYjkQmtNsuUM4EwAQABWRK2IqWy3CuIPgFZ580n14lapuMdcX2d62O_E6QDLNqlgI0r_XLbJe5Ut_uN8X6L719mam9WdKtqUt0VCJY8lcWqvPkaziPtWAWriq31NDnIR4O22mPpMeGQb5vRvhyl9tBdzP-1Sk_CPy1jGf4WdLOQbhyOoGR1_n5KvsOyPFVHjSCe02sSm2pcuIRLn7xCHnhEVTYITCShMQP9RgJmXloh-zD1GDWAELNmd_bWiU0cL5gCC0zI2xGaE_fiQ8_cd7ZUNc_O68L6pKZwuhIeGD7C2FMBrw2jXU4JuEVuS3krR5rL-FoAmlYbyiuZ78ZziER8pl1x67C5u4CbRdkrDnlBmGihAXApHLmhi8ztxpceVqBVD4ztfbPUtrxj55ijKX2Jc4z1-M7eBq32fiCF8XYKJOUlzGhU6J6FkO4FYv8ZoVFA4SzZpcH5SZJjuZ6Jdr45miacneedOmH=w600-h450-no)
after washing off some road dust it's time to remove some of the surface rust. i'll use my trusted method of rubbing with cola and aluminium foil.
before cola:
![](http://i.minus.com/igP6xQ9bckezF.jpg)
after cola:
![](http://i.minus.com/idMxmXa4Mdi1Z.jpg)
i hope you appreciate that i'm not wasting my cash on expensive brand cola for this exercise!
after this treatment i apply chrome polish. and now i coat it with tectyl. don't know if you have that stuff in the US: it leaves a clear coat of industrial wax that penetrates into crevices. hardly noticeable but a very good, long lasting protection. (also a #$%* to get off if you ever want to remove it)
![](http://i.minus.com/i2HAqi3AspfJ6.jpg)
at the moment i'm waiting for the first coat to harden, the spray on a second layer.