Retouching exhaust and engine & rust

[Lord Derosso]

Iwould appreicate any advice on how to go about retouching my exhaust and a small part of the engine where some of the paint has flaked of at some stage prior to my buying the bike. I have been told I can use a steel brush on the surface rust on the exhaust and I know of engine paints but which is the best and can I use it for both jobs? Also I have been getting the odd bit of rust on the disc brakes even though the bike is covered and in a carport. I have only used the bike twice the last two months which doesnt help but in the past I have always sprayed CRC on them and wiped off the excess before covering the bike but a member in an unrelated thread says this is a bad idea. Why ? Or is there actually a proper product I can safely use to protect my disc brakes from surface rust. Please refer to the pictures. Cheers, I am off for a much welcome ride since its fine at last on my day off. !

[Motig]

I've read somewhere that a good finish can be had on the exhaust with the paint they use on barbecues. Might have to see if you can get some. If you got gloss it would probably work on the engine as well.CRC on the disc, are you mad? Thats going to work really well when you go to stop NOT!

[T.W.R]

VHT Flameproof Headerpaint is good for pipes, 2000-3000 degree F rating, ceramic coating.
lols don't clean the discs with CRC. Specific brake cleaner is the item you need. Disc rust used to be the sign of a good disc many years ago, high Iron content in the disc material causes it, Older generation Brembo discs & Kawasaki discs used to rust up heavily in short periods of non use.

[imdying]

Don't worry about surface rust on the discs, as soon as you use them once it'll go away. Don't use CRC anywhere near your brakes, it petroleum based and will fuck the seals in your calipers in short order.

Wouldn't worry about the exhaust too much, but you can get header paint and use that.

If the last picture is an oil leak, that's the one thing you should be worried about.

[Lord Derosso]

No CRC is only used to clean the surface and then cleaned off dry with a another cloth. The picture of the small patch on the engine is paint only. The brakes worked extremely well today after using a CRC cleanoff as in the last 25 years use on other bikes.Obviously I check my tires and brakes entirely before road use so cant see the problem. Wouldn't having rust spots going through them them be worse?

[Lord Derosso]

VHT Flameproof Headerpaint is good for pipes, 2000-3000 degree F rating, ceramic coating.
lols don't clean the discs with CRC. Specific brake cleaner is the item you need. Disc rust used to be the sign of a good disc many years ago, high Iron content in the disc material causes it, Older generation Brembo discs & Kawasaki discs used to rust up heavily in short periods of non use.

Thanks TWR. It's just that I haven't used the bike much lately whilst many years ago I was never off one. Of course disc brakes weren't always on bikes of course. Cheers.

[imdying]

Wouldn't having rust spots going through them them be worse?

I'm sorry, I am misunderstanding you. Rust spots going through what? Worse than what?

[R6_kid:Me]

my R6 back brake will form some light surface rust after one or two days outside. But as said it'll be gone by the time i arrive at my destination next time i ride.

[Lord Derosso]

I'm sorry, I am misunderstanding you. Rust spots going through what? Worse than what?

I was always told to avoid excess rust because it can damage your pads in time. Sounds silly but its only really a problem as I havent been able to use the bike much lately. I stuck the camera in close to shoot the exhaust and on closer inspection there doesnt appear to be much real rust. I suspect a wire brush prior to repainting and light going over with wet and dry?? Does SUzuki have a proper paint you can buy for GSX's?? Is it much of a hassle to get these exhausts off? I presume its a one peice unit from what I have been able to see which is another reason I am planning to remove the fairings come summer so I can get a good look at everything and do the touchups. Spend a nice hot day in the sun checking her all over and will get a proper workshop manual beforehand from the guy in Otaki. I will go and get me some proper brake cleaner and use the CRS for metal use only. Thanks for the advice so far too.

[imdying]

Well, I guess I'd be more worried about the pads rusting to the disc, and leaving an 'etch' (for want of a better word) in the disc. Can't say I've seen it happen on a bike yet, but it does happen on cars. Pads are a disposable item, I wouldn't be too concerned about those accumulating too much rust over time. The pads leaving an etch in the disc can suck, it causes a thickness variation which manifests itself as a pulse through the lever.

As far as CRC and brakes go, if you sprayed it onto a rag and wiped it over the disc, that would be better than potentially getting CRC near the caliper seals. by spraying it on. I'm not sure what effect over time CRC would have on the pads, but I've seen bikes with fork oil literally soaking the pads, and they didn't fail (immediately).

Your exhaust paint is limited by your wallet. If you were to HPC (ceramic coating, HPC or Jet Coat do similar work) coat the headers, they'd always stay the same finish, and last for longer than the rest of the bike. Of course, that isn't the cheapest. If it were mine, I'd do nothing, headers rust, exhaust gas is corrosive, and I'm lazy. The cheapest and easiest option is to have them sandblasted, and then VHT header paint spray them. It'll keep them looking nice and black for a few years at least.

[Lord Derosso]

Yes I wasn't spraying the crc anywhere near the brakes themselves, just on the disc and then wipe it completely off. I was thinking about getting a quick sand blast anyway as the better the finish the better the result once resprayed. I am more interested in stopping any rust getting worse rather than looks because you dont actually see most of the exhaust on this model anyway. Have to wait until I get some $$ and a few days leave in warmer weather. Thanks for all the advice.