I'm thinkin about wrappin my pipes and wanted to know if there is anything (other than maybe soaking before hand) that I need to know before hand. Has anyone did any spray on or any other kindprotectant after finished or is it not necessary? Will the black wrap start to fade and look a little tan or not?

 

Black is gonna fade, wear you some throw away gloves cause if you dont your gonna have black all over your hands, it's easy to do, just take your time. When you start it's smoke like crazy the first couple hundred of miles, after that it will be ok.

 

Make sure you have enough wrap. I bought a 2" x 50' roll and had plenty left over. Also make sure you have hose clamps or whatever you're gonna use to secure the ends handy. I got my wrap from DEI http://designengineering.com/index.asp. They also make a high temp paint that they recommend spraying over the wrap. I used it to repaint my pipes before I wrapped (the ceramic blackfinish from Thunderheader sucks), but didn't spray the actual wrap. It has started to fade a little, but still looks pretty good. It started out as a dark gray and haslightenedslightly. I figure I can always spray the wrap if it starts to look too faded.

I used DEI wrap because it was cheap and I could order it from the local auto parts store. I've read on this forum that others are happy with wrap from STI, http://www.sesametech.com/automotive.htm, because it doesn't fade as quickly.

I was also warned that wrapping pipes may make the bike run lean, so you might need to adjust your fuel mixture. I've not had any problem, though.

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I agree with you on poor ceramic coating on black thunderheader. A warning on 2 into 1 pipes - if you wrap the double pipe section tight it may change location of pipe ends. I spray pipe and wrap with 1500 deg flat black paint from auto parts store.
I had to make some heat guards to protect the wrap from boots as they were getting beat up quick. ss safety wire to secure ends.
Wrap from back to front after wetting tape so tape dosen't catch air under wraps. WORKS GOOD - LOOKS GOOD!

 

You don't need to "soak" the wrap before hand, just spray it down with water as you go.

 

Wrap is available in grey or black from Thermo-Tec with their Cool-It paint (recommended) to spray over wrap once installed. Prolongs wrap's life and looks a bit better plus adds a little extra heat insulation (perhaps?). They have a website you can order from.

http://www.thermotec.com/

Also can be found in the Summit Racing on-line catalog (search catalog for 'exhaust wrap') plus try local race shops in your area - pretty common brand that a lot of racers use. Stainless T-Clamps (hose clamps) are also pretty common, I got mine from from an industrial supply company www.mcmaster.com for about $3-$4 a piece - I can't find my receipt but I measured the pipe's diameter (without the shields!) and added wrapping's thickness to get the clamp size.

Chip

 

just did mine this weekend, took 2 hrs top. i soaked my wrap and it seemed to mold to the pipe better.

 

wow, chipstah - my St. Bob looks just like the hot rod -red rims and red motor top ends - VERY COOL !

 

Thanks tireater -
Been thinking of some powder coated wheels myself - but black is winning me over from original thoughts of red - decisions, decisions. Won't be for a while, though, so may change my mind again, and again, and again - LOL! Got plans for lower forks and a few other things in black and that should get me through the season up here once the mud and snow go away.
Chip

 

May be a stupid question but did you remove pipes first or wrap them while on. Also does the wrapping affect anything with the engine or running too lean like phreak posted on either short or long trips?