Header Wrap

[spudchucka]

Has anyone here bothered to heat wrap their header pipes? I'm interested in it mainly because my bike has White Brothers headers without a heat screen so the headers tend to burn my leg a bit, however there may also be some minor performance enhancements associated to wrapping headers.

Anyone tried it? Benefits or otherwise?

[What?]

I haven't done it, but... the benefit is that it keeps heat in the headers, which helps keep gas velocity up, which helps cylinder scavenging which helps combustion which helps power output which helps you ego. Or something like that.
But it looks daggy.

[ZeroIndex]

don't bother with heat wrapping the exhausts, BE A REAL KIWI: just pull apart an old electric blanket, and take the asbestos out of the blanket, and wrap it round your leg :D GO BURT MUNRO!!

[spudchucka]

don't bother with heat wrapping the exhausts, BE A REAL KIWI: just pull apart an old electric blanket, and take the asbestos out of the blanket, and wrap it round your leg :D GO BURT MUNRO!!

That is classic kiwiana for sure but I don't own a electric blanket and I think a roll of header tape would cost me less than the cheapest e-blanket.

Thanks What, I also understand it can result in a cooler motor as it prevents the headers radiating heat outwards towards the radiators, (radiating towards the radiators, that sounds fubar).

[scumdog]

About using wraps on bikes I dunno, but word is that used on car headers it can cause accelerated corrosion to the exterior of the pipes.

Why? I dunno.

[spudchucka]

About using wraps on bikes I dunno, but word is that used on car headers it can cause accelerated corrosion to the exterior of the pipes.

Why? I dunno.

Possibly because they can trap moisture between the pipes and the wrap? Not sure really. I also understand there is some sort of ceramic sealer you can use that achieves the same thing without any issues of early corrosion. Wouldn't have a clue at this stage where to source it from though.

[scumdog]

Possibly because they can trap moisture between the pipes and the wrap? Not sure really. I also understand there is some sort of ceramic sealer you can use that achieves the same thing without any issues of early corrosion. Wouldn't have a clue at this stage where to source it from though.

You're onto it although I'm unsure if it's moisture flung up off wet roads or some sort of exterior condensation build up when the bike is cold.

[spudchucka]

Not sure either. I would have thought that there would enough stored heat in the headers to dry the tape out pretty well after use. Perhaps the material used has some property that sucks moisture out of the air when not in use?? Just guessing here, anyone got the true bully?

[SARGE]

go with the HPC coatings and get some boots

[Motu]

I have only wrapped the headers of my car,a system I made myself,so no heat shielding,I needed to get the heat down in the engine bay.I never unwrapped it,so don't know about corrosion,but I really can't see it...unless you didn't use the vehicle for long periods.

I HPC coated the pipes in my XLV750,mainly because they were such a mission to get off I never wanted to pull them off again just for a paint job.I didn't notice any reduction in heat,but they were well tucked away.

[spudchucka]

go with the HPC coatings and get some boots

Got some boots but the heat can even cause a bit of melting on my flash as pants that I scored off Lou.

Whats HPC?

[sAsLEX]

Got some boots but the heat can even cause a bit of melting on my flash as pants that I scored off Lou.

Whats HPC?

http://www.hpcoatings.co.nz/

[SARGE]

Whats HPC?

HPC is a ceramic coating for high heat applications.. they have several coatings .. about $400 for my IL4..

HPC HOME (http://www.hpcoatings.co.nz/index.html)

[sAsLEX]

HPC is a ceramic coating for high heat applications.. they have several coatings .. about $400 for my IL4..

HPC HOME (http://www.hpcoatings.co.nz/index.html)

Repost....sorry couldnt help it.......


Maybe have a look on dare I say it.....Boy Racer forums as they are bound to need this sort of stuff with turbos et al

[spudchucka]

Thanks. I like the look of the semi gloss black finish, will look into it.

[FROSTY]

To the origonal point of your question --I think
Wrap the header in the stuff is it gonna help my leg.
Short version YES
Long version--In the same way as it is keeeping the heat in for the exhaust its keeping it away from your leg
Another possibility would be to make up a couple of Stainless heat sheilds for the right spots on the zorsts and have attachement L brackets spot welded in place to support em -If you did it right it wouldnt look ugly

[F5 Dave]

I have wrapped 2 stroke pipes, first with woven fibreglass tape wrapped neatly around & a bit of careful safety wiring & then hi temp foil tape.

Worked its purpose in that it kept the temp constant so the bike wouldn’t run cooler pipes at speed (which is the other way around to how you want it BIM wave travelling in a tube is affected by heat). Either way I wouldn’t do it for a 4 stroke & is not always the answer on a 2.

But the scary thing is both the different pipes rusted so badly they were not long for the world. Got one of them HPC coated, but not sure it reduced the external heat that much.

[spudchucka]

I managed to find a few pics of XR's with wrapped headers. It looks pretty horrible actually, I much prefer the look of the white bike in the fourth picture.

[Lou Girardin]

You could put forward controls on it. Scummy will even lend you a tasseled jacket for the ISDE