Header Wrap

[Hak]

Ok here's a question for you guys.. Why do so many people hate on header wrap???? I personally think it looks pretty slick, but more importantly I think it has a great many benefits. I've seen articles showing how containing the head inside any headers will improve the efficiency of flow, and obviously it will protect people from accidental burns from touching scorching hot pipes. But Mostly, especially with these air cooled bikes, I would think that wrapping up the pipes would cause a great deal of heat that would be blown directly at your blocks cooling fins (and subsequently into your airbox) out the back of the bike and off of you on a hot summer day! I would be curious to see cylinder head temperatures of two bikes riding side by side one with wrapped pipes and one without. I'm sure we all know the performance benefit of a cooler engine. I know they can cause pipes to rot out, but with proper coating before the wrap could probably deter that for quite some time.

That being said, those who do partake in the mummification of exhaust components, what is your favorite brand? I'm still uncertain if I will wrap mine lol

[crazy steve]

Except in certain circumstances, header wrap has more faults than virtues. If you're running a turbo, it's good thing as the more heat you get to the turbo the better. Or if you need to protect a close-by part or area from heat.

Most of the downsides are well known, but one that's rarely mentioned is if you can manage to keep corrosion from destroying the pipe, the contained heat will sooner or later cause cracking from heat fatigue. This can be mitigated somewhat by thermally coating the pipe on the inside of the pipe, but if you do this the need for wrap is mostly eliminated.

I'd be curious also to see testing of two identical bikes, one with, one without, but I suspect the difference in head temps would be minimal at best. While the wrap manufacturers are always touting 'performance gains', the decided non-use of it on most race vehicles would indicate that real-world performance just isn't there....

[Hak]

I come from a car background and I see header wrap everywhere. The cracking is a very well known problem lol and mainly to very intricate tubular manifold designs. But especially with engine bays getting tighter and tighter it makes a pretty serious difference in engine bay temperatures

[fredintoon]

Ok here's a question for you guys.. Why do so many people hate on header wrap???? - - -

Hi Hak,
unless you are running a turbo, header wrap on a street bike is just a fashion statement.
And, like a miniskirt & tight blouse on a middle-aged fat woman, it just don't look good.

[IanDMacDonald]

I also come from a racing background in the dirt and pavement, and the only peeps I see using header wrap are amateurs/young racers. Also, keep in-mind our OEM exhaust is double-walled, so the effect the header wrap would have would probs be minimal. And, I'm really confused.as to how bandaged pipes looks cool.

[Schming]

IMHO header wrap is appropriate on a rat bike.

[Hak]

I also come from a racing background in the dirt and pavement, and the only peeps I see using header wrap are amateurs/young racers. Also, keep in-mind our OEM exhaust is double-walled, so the effect the header wrap would have would probs be minimal. And, I'm really confused.as to how bandaged pipes looks cool.

This is a good point. But I'm sure the pipes still get pretty hot while driving!

I do agree with you guys that it is mostly a fashion statement, and I'm sure the performance gained is minimal. My personal tastes I will always prefer a matte/gloss finish to a polished or chrome, I feel like shiny parts hide a lot of the depth of an item. That being said I think a header wrap really compliments the look of a matte/gloss finished engine/bike. I'm big on textures and unique finishes. To me there's nothing worse than chrome on chrome on chrome (which adds specifically 0 performance gains), but I would never be so rude as many are who dislike wrapped pipes! haha. But of course everyone has their own taste!

[IanDMacDonald]

Well, when I have Mac 4-2 turnouts on my bike, the PO had painted the headers black, and it ruined the look of the bike with everything else chrome. Right now I'm trying to find a happy medium of black and chrome. I hope to post results in another month or so.

[TomB]

Hak

Can I offer a little advice, I'm sure you know this already but we've seen it so many times before here, lots of people buy an XS11 with the intention of modding it and ask all sorts of questions about how they can modify, thats great and the lads here are very knowledgeable and helpful.

My advice is always get the bike running well FIRST before even starting to modify, you may find what you do to get the bike to run well will have a bearing on what mods you ultimately do to the bike.

just my 2p

[IanDMacDonald]

Tom- I cannot agree with you more! It makes you feel good knowing that when you pull a running bike apart for mods, paint, etc., all it takes is to put it right back in and it'll run the same way.

[Hak]

Oh absolutely. This question was asked in more of a philosophical standpoint. I just feel as though the hatred for pipe wrap is a bit undeserved! There are plenty of things that I think look hideous on a bike, but I would never say anything about it above humbly stating my opinion if I was asked. People get very aggressive in their hatred of the wrap and I just can't understand it haha. Especially considering that there is -some- performance to be gained from them, although little :P

And Ian I've never myself found a happy medium between black and chrome. I had a lot of polished parts under the hood of my last car which had majority of things black and the only thing I noticed is that the more things I had painted black the more I liked the look of my engine bay! I hope you find the look you're going for, I'll be waiting for the pics!

[Yahman]

I don't understand it either. It's like it's a controversial political topic. I too like the look of header wrap. I can also understand why somebody wouldn't. For some reason though the subject seems to bring out the worst in people. No, I wouldn't wrap a stock header. However not everyone has stock pipes on their bike, and it can be an economical way of making an ugly set of pipes look better.

I personally like "Lava Wrap", it's much nicer to work with and lasts longer than fiberglass wrap.

I built a bike a couple of years ago for a friend and we had the header powder coated black. The shop didn't do it right and the coating soon started to peal off. We decided to warp the pipes as it was the least cost to fix the problem. The ridicule was so bad that he removed the wrap and painted the header. They look good at a distance but up close you can see all of the pitting left after the rust was removed. The wrap covered that and added another element to the look of the bike.

With wrap.


Without wrap.


It all comes down to your taste and what you like. I don't care what others think about the way my bike looks, it only has to please me.

Ride safe,
Larry

[IanDMacDonald]

Yahman- Your bike is beautiful (without the wrap, lol). To me, when I see the wrap, it looks like you bought the pipes and never took the wrapping off. I see it as the equivalent of buying a car and not removing the bumper wrap.

[Yahman]

I get that. I like the way the bike looks with or without the wrap, it just adds a different element of contrast to the over all look. It offset's all of the black and shiny stuff. I don't think it belongs on most bikes, but I believe it can compliment some bikes very well. Everyone has their own style and opinions, that's great, it makes the world more interesting. It's just that as Hak pointed out, the willingness to criticize wrap seems to be elevated is all. I personally hate the look of big fairings but this is the first time I have said it in public.

Ride safe,
Larry

[IanDMacDonald]

Don't worry, Nate has to constantly defend his ugly fairing, lol.