Exhaust and Rust

[sign216]

Putting my old BMW R50 back on the road.  The exhaust has some rust freckling. I've gotten it off w bronze wool, but how to protect it?

I imagine most treatments burn off (ex. chrome wax, ACF50, Boeshield, etc).

Any ideas?

Joe

[Dirk_S]

When I had my TU250, I noticed the tip of the exhaust was getting rusty. I cleaned and sprayed it with Rustoleum clear high temp engine spray, and it looked clean for a year before I sold the bike. Granted, I know the tip is cooler than the headers, but perhaps worth considering if you’re simply looking for a protective cover.

[2dogs]

Autosol is a great metal polish and leaves a protective coating that lasts a while

[Perazzimx14]

The outer coating (assume chrome) is breached exposing the base metal to rust. There is no protecting it from future corrosion short of having the coating/finish reapplied. The short answer is all you can do is keep after it when it appears. Good news is it only takes a few seconds every now and then with a wad of aluminum foil and some sort of light lube like WD-40 or PB-blaster to quickly scour over the affected areas.

[berniebee]

Don't ride in the rain. 

Pretty well any anti rust wax/oil/paint is going to burn off and some might leave a horrendous stain on the chrome. Useless, except maybe at the very tip of the exhaust.
The only permanent solution is replacement or rechroming. (Well, not quite permanent, right?) Otherwise, keep the exterior surfaces as dry as possible and dry off quickly after a wash or rain ride. Avoid parking/storing the bike in a damp area. For long storage periods, you might consider waxing/oiling the pipes, but then you'll have to remember to remove said coating before getting it back on the road.

Pipes also rust from the inside thanks to the corrosive exhaust gases and water generated by the engine. Short rides will exacerbate the pipe interior rusting. So you should (Aw, shucks) take long rides!

[sign216]

Wow, some tough love here.  But it's good to know there's no real answer for hot pipes

It's too good to re-chrome or replace.  I'll just have to keep on it w the bronze wool.  Maybe use some wax on the cooler end parts.  I'll try autosol there.

Joe

[TN Mark]

Many waxes will leave a residue that will burn into the hot metal. The same principle as fingerprint grease on a halogen bulb.

Simply spray some spray polish on a microfiber cloth to wipe it down. Then use a completely dry microfiber cloth to remove the wax residue. Otherwise you’ll leave worse marks than you have now.

[geoff in almonte]

Check out places like JetHot for ceramic coating.

I did the SS headers on my Superhawk and it worked a treat.  No more blue-ing and it cleans up with a wet rag.

G