Hey all, found a solution to the discolored headpipe problem with our bikes................HIDE IT! I went with 1200 degree satin finish black exhaust paint @ 3 coats. Here are some pics, the exhaust shroud is what color the whole headpipe was (used from a 300) and I put the stock shroud back on thats all purdy and new still.

 

That looks pretty sharp, man - I like.

 

Looks good sitting still, however the KLX is so fast it blew the paint off the headpipe! Actually the paint started smoking when I started the bike, and sizzled all the way to work, then flaked off. On the muffler can it appears to be ok but the headpipe none of it really stuck. I used brake cleaner on the muffler as it had some mud on it but the headpipe looked clean so I hit it with steel wool and wiped it clean with a rag after. I skipped the brake cleaner as I had some JB Quick weld on it re attaching the shroud mounts and didn't know how the brake cleaner would interact with the still wet jb weld.

Looks like I'll have to wire brush it and clean it and try again. The can didn't say anything about how long the paint was supposed to cure before being used just that to recoat every 10 minutes and not to apply any more paint after an hour, and if you do want to add another coat beyond the hour mark you have to wait a week for it to fully cure. It also says that for maximum hardness to bake it at 450 degrees for 1.5 hrs..........I find this amusing because the paint came off when the pipe was around 300 degrees.

 

That was going to be my next question - how long to let it cure. I wonder if heating rapidly from the header itself might not be so great due to uneven heating which might be why they recommend to bake it. Shouldn't be too hard to bake, though, just toss it in your oven and crank it up If you can get that finish to cure properly, I think that is a great looking finish.

 

It seems to have stuck well on the muffler end up to where it meets the headpipe. It does have some water spots on it now but thats to be expected considering partly cloudy this morning turned into a mild drizzle. The headpipe now is nearly naked. This may end up being a winter paint job as there is no way the bike sits for a week at a time. M-F its my daily commuter unless there are t-storms forecast.

 

If you threw the pipe back on after the paint was dry to the touch I could see why. Probably needs like 24 hours to cure and a week for the Full cure. Does it say at what point in the paint cycle you heat it. after painting or after drying. Ultimetly the pipe may be too much for the paint.


I wanted to ask you a question about your exahust but will post a fresh thread.


LV

 

I let the pipe dry Saturday night, all day yesterday and drove it today. The back of the can doesn't say when to heat it other than it can be handled in 3 hrs. Our pipe does not exceed 1200 degrees so I'm pretty sure its not the problem. I've measured it with an IR temp gun and the highest I got was just over 400.