Engine coatings.

[pgg]

After another harsh winter of riding thru rain, hail, slush, gales, frosts, ice, rocks, salt air, sand, grit, potholes, earthquakes, close calls, skids, road rage, mud, floods and landslides, (been lucky this winter - the volcanoes didn't blow) - the poor old XS11's motor's starting to look pretty shabby again.

http://homepages.inspire.net.nz/~patrick/pipes.jpg

The shoddy hi-temp black engine paint I've tight-fistedly been skimping and trying to save pennies with simply blows off in the wind. And the shonky garish red exhaust paint peels and fades to Gay pink. (not thet there's anything wrong with that)

Yeah right. Time for something more substantial. After digging thru the net, I've decided to give this HPC outfit a whirl.

http://www.hpcoatings.com/motorcycle.htm

Costs $150 to do a set of headers, includes an acid bath for preparation. It should at least be an improvement to durability anyways.

[Ken Talbot]

Yikes! I'm not sure which is nastier, that alternator cover or those pipes. I believe some of the list members have had pretty good luck recently with a particular brand of black BBQ paint for headers, but I can't remember the name of the product. Perhaps someone can join in and enlighten us....

[btdtdan]

Last week I tried some of the VHT 1200 deg black on my (used to be chrome) headers. So far looks good, has not greyed out. I found it at the local O'Riley auto parts store. After I sprayed them I cured the paint with a heat gun for 30 minutes on(in) each tube. My oven is not big enough to do it in the house.
Dan

[pggg]

The pipes turned up after a couple of weeks. Looked like a thick black paint coating. Putting back on the headers got scraped and scratched hard. Beneath the thin paint coating stuff? looked to be aluminium stuff. The inside was powder coated with something. After a year they still look brand shiny new. Done done nothing except squirt mud off with a hose. Very rarely. Too late the steel was pitted. No smooth. Guaranteed for ever they reckon. We'll see.

[tommystinson]

I'll be running with Jet-Hot on some of my stuff in the near future. They have a pretty good reputation.

[Buckb]

coatings

I agree, Jet Hot has a good product and reputation, cost is somewhat excessive. Can get entire set done here in Georgia for around $125-150. Powder coating is the way to go if you cant afford to rechrome. The sterling silver powder coat shines almost like chrome and holds up well to 1500 degrees. Good luck, Buck

[MAXIMAN]

Chrome works good! Seriously...had the headers on Zilla re-chromed for $100. So far so good.

However I painted the under exhaust on JEHU recently with Dupli-Color ceramic high heat paint. It's good for 1200 degrees...way hotter than any exhaust will get.

[lsippell]

I painted my engine with House of Kolor engine paint and have to say it's the best engine paint I'v ever used in my 30+ years of messing with these things. I also painted my exhaust with Hirsh Auto Hi Temp Exhaust & Manifold Paint called Space Age Black. http://www.hirschauto.com/
I use to always use a product called Gunkote that gave a nice flat/satin finish but it never was very durable as far as scratches and such (it would withstand 1000hr. of salt spray though).
The Space Age Black is almost a gloss finish and so far seems durable (since it cured) I bought the pint and sprayed it out of one of my trim guns but if I ever do it again, I'll by the 16 oz. spray can and save a few bucks.

Louis

[gaffer77]

pgg pipes look wierd man!! look mutant or radioactive or something !!! deffinately different and nothing wrong in that!!!