v85 Alt Cover & Exhaust Pipes

[guzziart]

Hi All,
So, I'm not a clean freak but noticed the alternator cover & header pipes look nasty on my '23 Travel.  The cover was moderately corroded (bare aluminum portion) and I don't really know what happened to the pipes to make them look nasty too.   I got onto the cover with wet or dry 400 to 1500 and and some metal polish, it cleaned up great.  On the pipes I used metal polish but I'm not entirely happy with the way they look.  Anyway, I was wondering what you use maintain the cover and clean the head pipes.  I've heard about acf50 for protecting aluminum but wonder if it would degrade the painted parts of the cover.  And, what do you think can be used to clean or maintain decent appearance of the head pipes?
Thanks,
Art

[Dirk_S]

What kind of roads are you riding on regularly? Any gravel or dirt? If so, I think your expectations for pristine condition should be reconsidered. Even just on paved roads only, a high fender simply doesn’t protect the motor at all. You might consider a low front fender specifically designed to protect the alternator cover and keeping mud/rain from shooting up. Guzzi makes a low fender, but I’ve read that at least some Capanord fenders fit some V85TT. Huzo probably knows more, considering he installed a low fender.

You could also consider recovering the alternator cover in Cerakote for better protection. On the plus side, you get a lot of colors to choose from:

https://www.cerakote.com/shop?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=281243421&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlqTRBhCBARIsANrkrxg80yovaC2jZOmLj-fDby63GeJDgIK2A5bgCR2tG1fTVhxeEhMb7gwaAuXyEALw_wcB

I’ve read toilet bowl cleaner (muriatic / hydrochloride acid?) works wonders to shine up headers—but also can leave micropitting that may damage the headers further as time goes on.

[kingoffleece]

I have the low fender with an extender installed.  Works well.  You can use ACF 50 there if desired.
Do not use it on pipes.  It just burns off.

[Vagrant]

A white Mr. Eraser sponge with any good bare metal polish works well. Buy generic they get eaten up quickly.