Cleaning Black Exhaust
#1
Cleaning Black Exhaust
Like many other Harley owners I am having an issue with oil venting on my 2015 Wide Glide...
The oil has made a nice splatter on the upper rear black heat shield... (see photo)
Besides replacing that shield is there anyway to clean it?
Can these shields be painted or no?
Is there a part number for that shield?
Thank you in advance
The oil has made a nice splatter on the upper rear black heat shield... (see photo)
Besides replacing that shield is there anyway to clean it?
Can these shields be painted or no?
Is there a part number for that shield?
Thank you in advance
#2
The following users liked this post:
motoman172 (01-03-2017)
#3
The following users liked this post:
motoman172 (07-20-2017)
#4
#5
I'd just contacted V&H about my black pipes a few hours ago before reading this. I've got the black big radius too. The instruction manual and the V&H website doesn't have crap about care and cleaning.
I was riding two nights back and got mud splatters all over including on my front pipe. No biggie I think. This morning I was cleaning my bike and VERY gently got the mud wet and wiped it off very carefully. I then noticed that the area where I'd removed the mud off the pipes was lighter than the surrounding areas. FCK.
So waiting for a reply back. I'll post here after I find out something.
If I was going to redo them I'd use black 'stove pipe' paint like I use on my wood burning stove. The stove pipe gets way hotter than any exhaust pipe and holds up well. And the color is very very close the my V&H pipes.
I was riding two nights back and got mud splatters all over including on my front pipe. No biggie I think. This morning I was cleaning my bike and VERY gently got the mud wet and wiped it off very carefully. I then noticed that the area where I'd removed the mud off the pipes was lighter than the surrounding areas. FCK.
So waiting for a reply back. I'll post here after I find out something.
If I was going to redo them I'd use black 'stove pipe' paint like I use on my wood burning stove. The stove pipe gets way hotter than any exhaust pipe and holds up well. And the color is very very close the my V&H pipes.
The following users liked this post:
motoman172 (07-20-2017)
#6
I'd contacted V&H about this but it was like pulling teeth to get any answers. After 6 back and forth emails I didn't get much in the way of answers. I think they'd rather sell you a new exhaust shield. Bet it costs buku. Here's what they did say:
1. We use over the counter automotive cleaner to bring out the finish, but it will not help for discoloration. We also sell replacement heat shields if you want to get a new one. Please contact our customer support to place an order at 562-921-5388.
2. I then asked what exactly do they use for the finish. The guy sent me a pic which I couldn't tell what the hell it was. F'em.
3. I then asked about refinishing them and what the pipes were painted with (hi temp, ceramic, or powder coat). The reply was: We use a ceramic coat finish on all our black exhaust.
OK - so not much help there. Other things I found on the net had to do with just redoing the pipes:
(using VHT ceramic) However some other things I read says that type of paint just fades out pretty quick
Another post here on hdforums recommends the stove, or BBQ, paint. I use that on my wood stove. Tough stuff. If I was going to redo things I'd use that and not the other 'new crap'. See this post:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/powde...k-exhaust.html
And another post from another forum said use the stove (bbq) paint:
http://www.harleytechtalk.com/index.php?topic=7028.0
Myself - for the discoloration I'd try some very mild rubbing compound where it looks crappy. Wouldn't over do it though. Supposedly the ceramic coat V&H uses is about 2 mm so so light rub shouldn't hurt it. But you just never know.
For my pipes - since it's not too bad I'll leave it alone for now. I might try some light rubbing compound this next weekend just for kicks - in an area that isn't noticeable.
One last thing - according to the internet the ceramic coat is pretty tough and will stand up to some types of solvents. I imagine that would also have to do with just how good a job was done putting it on and how good the coat material is.
1. We use over the counter automotive cleaner to bring out the finish, but it will not help for discoloration. We also sell replacement heat shields if you want to get a new one. Please contact our customer support to place an order at 562-921-5388.
2. I then asked what exactly do they use for the finish. The guy sent me a pic which I couldn't tell what the hell it was. F'em.
3. I then asked about refinishing them and what the pipes were painted with (hi temp, ceramic, or powder coat). The reply was: We use a ceramic coat finish on all our black exhaust.
OK - so not much help there. Other things I found on the net had to do with just redoing the pipes:
Another post here on hdforums recommends the stove, or BBQ, paint. I use that on my wood stove. Tough stuff. If I was going to redo things I'd use that and not the other 'new crap'. See this post:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/powde...k-exhaust.html
And another post from another forum said use the stove (bbq) paint:
http://www.harleytechtalk.com/index.php?topic=7028.0
Myself - for the discoloration I'd try some very mild rubbing compound where it looks crappy. Wouldn't over do it though. Supposedly the ceramic coat V&H uses is about 2 mm so so light rub shouldn't hurt it. But you just never know.
For my pipes - since it's not too bad I'll leave it alone for now. I might try some light rubbing compound this next weekend just for kicks - in an area that isn't noticeable.
One last thing - according to the internet the ceramic coat is pretty tough and will stand up to some types of solvents. I imagine that would also have to do with just how good a job was done putting it on and how good the coat material is.
Last edited by scuzzy; 07-03-2017 at 02:38 PM.
The following users liked this post:
motoman172 (07-20-2017)
#7
First clean it soap and water cool pipes of course dry well clean with pig spit see how it looks before you go nuts painting.
If you are really interested in VHT I can show you the results and enplane the heating steps. Did it on the exhaust of my 750 Street.
The orange was a joke took it back to black. Things you do when you have time on your hands.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/VCwhMx]
If you are really interested in VHT I can show you the results and enplane the heating steps. Did it on the exhaust of my 750 Street.
The orange was a joke took it back to black. Things you do when you have time on your hands.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/VCwhMx]
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#10
External breathers would definitely keep you from having the issue depending on the air cleaner that you have installed. I know that when I had this issue in my '04 FXD, I pulled the rocker covers and replaced the breather assemblies, and I haven't had a problem since. For cleaning the black heatshield, I'd recommend some form of mild dish soap and water to see if you can get it off with some elbow grease.
The following users liked this post:
motoman172 (06-09-2019)