Stainless or Chrome ?

[GuzziNZ]

Looking at new header pipes for a 850T. Can get single wall stainless or twin wall chrome pipes so wondering what would be the best in the long run ?

[oldbike54]

 Stainless .

 Dusty

[Lumpy Idle]

 :1:

[wirespokes]

 Agreed, stainless. Do you have some picked out already?

[Old Jock]

Reckon Stainless (if ever a material was misnamed it this one) will last longer but will stain at the headers more than twin walled Chrome

Like the others I would not hesitate and go stainless.

If the staining annoyed you, you could get them treated by a company specializing in exhaust coating

[GuzziNZ]

Have not picked out a set yet wirespokes, just been looking at the usual suspects offerings.
Don,t mind them turning blue so I was leaning towards chrome I was just trying to stay away from having to keep them polished like my 1200 Sport headers which are made of stain-a-lot.

[JJ]

Stainless...and as the legendary River Bottom HD crew from Tempe, AZ used to say....

"Chrome Don't Get Ya Home!"  :1:

[wirespokes]

So you know how to clean them up and looking new again. And yes, the chrome might be a little easier to clean up. The dual wall headers are heavier, and the inside diameter is smaller. Frankly, I prefer single wall headers.

I've been considering Keihans from England. They fit perfectly on the BMWs and aren't expensive. What are the alternatives you've looked into?

[charlie b]

stainless turns a brownish yellow color.

[oldbike54]

stainless turns a brownish yellow color.

 Golden Charlie , golden 

 Dusty

[pmillar]

If you go with the SS (and you should for reasons provided above) be sure to wipe them down thoroughly to remove any fingerprints, etc. before firing up the bike for the first time. You don't want ugly prints and smudges burned onto your nice new pipes. SS = gold, Ti = a gorgeous blue hue. Ti would be silly but it sure does look good.

[ITSec]

Ti would be silly but it sure does look good.

Ti is never silly - ask any Blackbird pilot! 

[GuzziNZ]

Hi wirespokes, looking at headers from MG Cycles, Harpers and Scrambler cycles. I am importing a bike from the States and will be bring a few spares in with it namely a new piston/barrel set so will get the lot from the same supplier..

[jumpmaster]

Stainless doesn't (usually) rust, pit or flake.  Even double-walled chrome pipes have the potential to turn/corrode right up around the heads if run too hot for too long, & then they can't be readily polished out.  Stainless, if not let go too long, will polish out to a beautiful slightly softer/deeper look than chrome for about 1/10th the effort of polishing aluminum.   Or, you could just let them go and eventually turn a nice gold color - altho the stainless headers on my old truck turned pretty black up next to the heads, skipping the gold phase entirely...

[malik]

Have not picked out a set yet wirespokes, just been looking at the usual suspects offerings.
Don,t mind them turning blue so I was leaning towards chrome I was just trying to stay away from having to keep them polished like my 1200 Sport headers which are made of stain-a-lot.

The Italian chrome on the twin walled headers of the V7 corrodes & pits badly over time, the larger diameter single walled stainless seems the breathe slightly better (subjective? Optimistic?), but it does turn brown. For the T, I would be tempted to have a set of singled walled headers made up locally in steel, and have them ceramic coated. Lots of colors available these days. Had it done to those on the Enfield V Twin, and it seemed to resist colour change, although I had them done in matt black so hard to tell. Next time I'd have it done in clear or silver. There must be ceramic coaters in NZ, with all the racing that occurs over there - mine were done by HPC in Leongatha, Vic by the way.

Mal

[GuzziNZ]

Hi malik. There are companies over here that will ceramic coat headers, I did not know you could have a clear coat though.

Looks like I will go stainless then, don't mind a bit of elbow grease to keep them looking good as I have found POLARIS stainless steel reviver from the Supermarket works a treat on the !200. 

[n3303j]

My '77 850 T3 has the original double walled chrome pipes. They have 90,000 miles on them so far. No longer pretty but still completely serviceable.

There is a pour in coating you can use on NEW pipes that stops the outside from discoloring when heated.

[jumpmaster]

I've used the pour in products several times on single-walled headers with only limited success.  The pipes didn't discolor as quickly or as badly as not using the product, but they did still discolor.  I never tried the products on double-walled headers, so maybe they work better on them.

The issue isn't really serviceability - ugly, rusty pipes will still be perfectly serviceable as long as there are no holes in them.  Some of us, undoubtedly through some genetic defect, like our bikes to be "pretty" as well as serviceable, though.  I've tried to rid myself of that weakness, but I always end up reverting to washing, waxing & polishing eventually.