Header Paint

[HawkeyeSpecial]

Was looking to reapint the header pipe (yes its a loud Kerker) and was wondering if there was a good paint out there somewhere. Heard some things about POR in a spray can but cant seem to find it anywhere. Any suggestions?
Also I seem to be having the same problem as some previous posts out there. Mainly the lack of response until 3k RPM's. Probably will tackle that next week. Until then I hold on tight when 3k kicks in. Thanks all for the help.

Go Hawks.

[ratbyk]

Low Power Below 3000

I have seen a lot of people complain of a lack of power below 3000 RPM. We must remember that these are fairly high reving engines. Below 3000 it will be nothing like the torque that a Harley puts out at lower RPM. A well tuned XS below 3000 will accelerate "SMOOTHLY" and "SMARTLY" but will not have any great excess of acceleration down there. You have to wait until the engine comes "up on the cam" After 3000 things start to happen and as RPM goes up so does the power and acceleration.
Around 3800-4200 you should pass into a" kick in the ass" range.
That should hold all the way to about 8000.
Because your bike won't kick you in the ass below 3000 does not mean there is anything wrong with it. Drop a gear and then GO!
Ken/Sooke

[Underdog]

I've found that Krylon Barbeque Paint works about as good as any of the high temp stuff & usually cheaper. That is if you don't mind flat black. Best results are if you sandblast first. That keeps it from peeling. You can expect it to turn gray up near the heads where it gets really hot.

[pathfinder]

VHT brand 1200 degree is what I use and it works very well. BBQ paint is only good to about 500 deg. Does not turn gray on the headers either. They have all kinds of colors.

[2fast]

I second the motion for the 1200 degree paint. It sets up harder, more durable, less color change over time. After I sprayed my header I took my high temp heat gun and shot it into the end of the megaphone for about a half hour to cure it. It's really supposed to be oven baked, but there were a couple of problems with that. Pipe size and wife's opinion of the procedure. Anyway, the heat gun worked great, and I imagine you could use a propane torch just as well.

[2fast]

I second the motion for the 1200 degree paint. It sets up harder, more durable, less color change over time. After I sprayed my header I took my high temp heat gun and shot it into the end of the megaphone for about a half hour to cure it. It's really supposed to be oven baked, but there were a couple of problems with that. Pipe size and wife's opinion of the procedure. Anyway, the heat gun worked great, and I imagine you could use a propane torch just as well.
I also agree with the comments on below 3K on the tach. It is underwhelming, but it makes up for it after that. Of course, I have only ridden one XS11, mine. It would be interesting to ride a different one some time for comparison.

[Boothman]

I use a brand called Plasti-kote. The variety is High temp, up to 1500 degrees and is designed for headers. Holds up great. Looks good over time. Only draw back... it will "chaulk" on your fingers if you touch it, but who else but me touches their headers?? Every XS owner with those tempermentel carbs, that's who. Also, my XS screams above 4500 RPM. Who wants to ride around below that? Rev it up and have some fun. This is my first XS but I love the ride. Very well balanced cruiser. Bought mine five months ago. It was in poor running condition. It had butchered carbs, a broken post mount. Broken pick up coil wires. Covered in rust. I spent two months looking for a reasonable bank of carbs, for replacement diaphrams and body for the broken mount. I was up till 3:00AM doing the rebuild, boy was work tough that day!! Now I can do wheelies in third gear!! I love this rocket!!



80 XS G Basic but fast

[Do Lee]

You can also try the Dupli-color High Heat with ceramic formulation for temps up to 1200 degrees F. I have used this product on my headers. Works great but you have to spray all your coats within an hour and then let it cure for at lease 5-7 days before installing it on your bike. They have about 6 colors in the high heat paint. They also have engine enamel with ceramic paint good for 500 degrees F that works great if you want to paint your engine. The ceramic is to help dissipate heat better to keep the engine temps cooler. They have at least 35-40 colors.