Topic: Any trouble with black exhaust pipes?

[Ryan 550k]

So I mentioned to a buddy of mine that if I was to get a new exhaust I would like to get a black 4 into 1....and I'm not talking about tape.  He told me that a friend of his bought a black 4 into 1 and within a year the black coating started to peel off!

Anyone else have this prob?  I'm just contemplating purchasing an exhaust for my 550 down the line and looking at all my options.  I've recently noticed lots of black exhausts and wondered.

[cafe750]

It's just paint, unless you have it ceramic coated, the black coating isn't a forever deal. It does require a periodic repaint...

[A Grove]

I painted mine with a high-heat enamel found at walmart.  Duplicolor was the company.  Just make sure you prep the sureface REALLY well.  There was a thread on this literally a week ago with tons of great information, search for that.

[Ryan 550k]

Thanks A Grove!  I'll check it out!

[Queeg]

I painted mine with hitemp spraypaint. No problems yet but I havnt ridden mine much. Another option would be a hitemp powdercoat! I had this done on the stack on my pickup! No problems yet and it gets hot when I tow my trailer! Enough to melt plastic things to it perminantly!

[ProTeal55]

I bought a black MAC 4 into 1 for my old CB50 and the finish never came off.
Even after 4000 or so miles the black looked like it did when I first installed it.

Your best bet to have a good looking black coating is to take the system to a shop
that deals with ceramic coating.

[Geeto67]

If it is a mac 4 into 1 I have had problems with their finishes. Typically I repaint the black ones when I get it with high temp black paint and they tend to hold up, if I leave it in chrome or black from mac they usually rust. Then again I am not a fair weather rider, I ride in rain, shine, hail, sometimes snow.

[goon 1492]

If it is a mac 4 into 1 I have had problems with their finishes. Typically I repaint the black ones when I get it with high temp black paint and they tend to hold up, if I leave it in chrome or black from mac they usually rust. Then again I am not a fair weather rider, I ride in rain, shine, hail, sometimes snow.

Hail  Man that's like full contact riding, almost as much fun as people throwing open cans of clam chowder at your while crusing the highway.

Live to ride.

[Ryan 550k]

I hear that single walled exhaust VS. double walled can make a difference.  Meaning, double walled exhaust is going to hold up better to a coating then double walled.  I imagine that would be the case when dealing with paint but what about a ceramic coat or powder coat?

[mlinder]

Cermaic coat should be fine for a long time, Ryan. The good ceramic coating supposedly helps with scavenging.
The double walled exhausts tend to help with chrome bluing. Dunno really how double wall would help with HT paint.
Pretty hard to find double walled aftermarket pipes. Most of em are single walled. Usually only factory pipes are double walled (like stock pipes on the SOHC's.)

[Geeto67]

Cermaic coat should be fine for a long time, Ryan. The good ceramic coating supposedly helps with scavenging.
The double walled exhausts tend to help with chrome bluing. Dunno really how double wall would help with HT paint.
Pretty hard to find double walled aftermarket pipes. Most of em are single walled. Usually only factory pipes are double walled (like stock pipes on the SOHC's.)

the thicker the surface the less heat retained per molecule which means the finish lasts longer. Some double walled pipes have a small air gap between the layers which also helps in cooling the exhaust as radiant heat cools faster.

[mlinder]

The SOHC double walled, if I remember correctly, have an air space between the tubes.

And yes, the thicker the metal the easier on the finish, but shouldn't matter much with ceramic coating, and since I don't currently have any painted exhausts, dunno which paint works best or how long it stays on.
I've seen the Mac that r550 was talking about which had the paint turn to a baby#$%* brown in like a couple months, then she had a shop repaint it and it turned some other ugly color in another couple months. And she doesn't ride it that often, shes on her gs1150 a lot more.

[Ryan 550k]

Of course she is !  I forgot she had that.
I can just see her and Matt ridin along on there big bikes.

[crazypj]

If you ride in all weather either be prepared for some rust or re-paint every 8~10 months.
 I have never found any Hi temp pain that wears well on single skinned exhaust.
 (and I've tried a lot of them, some not even available to 'civilian' market, but it did last longest)
PJ