Anyone knows a USA based companies that does Ceramic Exhaust Coating?

[p6x]

13 minutes ago, LowRyter said:

OK

I can say about 20 years ago, at a "bike meetup", I saw a rider on a pretty clapped out late '70's Kaw Z-1000.  The header pipes were jet coated and looked fantastic and little out of place on the old bike.  I chatted with the rider and he told me that he worked at Jet Hot and had the work done there.  That's all my personal knowledge but I was impressed with it.  What I can read is that they're the industry leader.  

At least, they have motorbikes headers' photos in the gallery. Most of the other companies only put car's....

They have several colors available; I was initially going to go with black, because the engine is black. But I am wondering if I should not try something a little less conservative.

They don't have the exact same red of my Le Mans, pity. I think the header pipes would look good in red;

Here's the color palette they propose for ceramic coating;

[p6x]

Here's the quotation I got...

Is the price competitive? It is about the same price as TLM;

 

[p6x]

What do you think? I used the colors from their palette, but did not really try with the "rendering" because it takes a lot of work to get it right.

Original

 

[docc]

Of those three, I would choose the black, but try to get it satin to better match the engine.  Personally, I grown to appreciate the "bronze" [atina of the V11 header pipes. I suppose they have something similar?

 

[p6x]

1 minute ago, docc said:

Of those three, I would choose the black, but try to get it satin to better match the engine.  Personally, I grown to appreciate the "bronze" [atina of the V11 header pipes. I suppose they have something similar?

 

They have some Bronze colors. They could also chrome the exhaust so it would look like the StayInTune terminals. Unfortunately, my sampling tool just takes one single point so I don't get the texture of the tint. I could give it some texture so it would look better. The black is actually the Satin Black. But sampled on 1 pixel.

 

[footgoose]

close to original as possible for my taste. 2037, 2042, or dark with 2072. tough decision

[LowRyter]

Personally, I like the stock look.   Just the worn stainless.   But if your pipes are burning out, go with chrome or dull chrome (2059).

[Lucky Phil]

I like the first one best because.

It's honest and says I'm a SS header/exhaust and don't see the need to hide it.

It has "patina" 

It's not a hot-rod it's a motorcycle

It costs nothing

Being an air cooled engine the the last thing I want to do is insulate the header pipes for aesthetic reasons.

It's doesn't look like the exhaust on one of those hideous bobberised calamities that, Manscaped, mun wearing, rolled up long pant, Latte sipping, inked up barrister's would ride. 

Ciao

 

 

[footgoose]

also consider a clean and polish, like this one. I did mine very close to this and by hand, flitz metal polish, 3m pad, and then cloth. Took a few hours and it will return to tarnish after awhile, but once done it's easier to keep up with. If you use a buffing wheel it's even better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

What footgoose sez. A buffing wheel, rouge, a little elbow grease, and they'll look like a pewter dollar in no time. Wipe them down one last time after installation, and they'll eventually turn golden. Fingerprints, oil, etc. will  have to be looked after, or they'll get splotchy. (technical term)

[p6x]

On 9/13/2021 at 10:55 PM, Lucky Phil said:

I like the first one best because.

It's honest and says I'm a SS header/exhaust and don't see the need to hide it.

It has "patina" 

It's not a hot-rod it's a motorcycle

It costs nothing

Being an air cooled engine the the last thing I want to do is insulate the header pipes for aesthetic reasons.

It's doesn't look like the exhaust on one of those hideous bobberised calamities that, Manscaped, mun wearing, rolled up long pant, Latte sipping, inked up barrister's would ride. 

Ciao

 

 

I also favor authenticity. I would never purchase one of those "reliced/aged" guitar, sold new to mimic a vintage instrument. I enjoy something that reflects its history in its aspect.

All the rest is a matter of personal taste. I was looking at enhancing the harmony between the engine and these header pipes. Something like either contrast or upbringing.

Not disfiguring.

[p6x]

On 9/14/2021 at 12:25 AM, footgoose said:

also consider a clean and polish, like this one. I did mine very close to this and by hand, flitz metal polish, 3m pad, and then cloth. Took a few hours and it will return to tarnish after awhile, but once done it's easier to keep up with. If you use a buffing wheel it's even better

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That looks really nice.

I was looking at something unusual, that is why I was looking at colors. But there is that fine line between bringing up nice features and looking like an old lady that puts too much make up.

[p6x]

On 9/14/2021 at 6:38 AM, Chuck said:

What footgoose sez. A buffing wheel, rouge, a little elbow grease, and they'll look like a pewter dollar in no time. Wipe them down one last time after installation, and they'll eventually turn golden. Fingerprints, oil, etc. will  have to be looked after, or they'll get splotchy. (technical term)

I understand splotchy. Are you in the medical industry?

I used to be a diver, and splotchy is a term that we used when someone has botched his decompression stages. This is reflected in a "splotchy" skin.

[k99]

I had a good experience with Jet Hot if that's the route you decide on.  Good customer service and quality of work, fair price and turnaround time.  They even sent a handful of small coated sample pipes for me to review before making a final decision.

Hopefully the photos still show up in my old post with the end results. https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?/topic/19301-cafe-sport-arrives-in-socal/page/3/

 

A few things I would note:

• I didn't mask anything off so I had to grind a bit off of the coating at the connecting points to get a good fit when reassembling.
• The coating focuses on being heat resistant not scratch resistant.  You can get scratches on the finish.  I have a few from the multiple times I had to remove the exaust system during maintenance.  Nothing too bad, it's not like the coating is delicate.  You just can't easily paint over or polish out scratches yourself.
• Because of the rough matte finish it's a bid harder to clean.  Especially if you get oil or tar on it.  Not as easy as wiping down a smooth surface.  
• The looks have really held up.  Been about 5 years now.  No fading, corrosion or any discoloration at all.
• I've noticed no negative effects on heat retention or performance of the exhaust.

Overall I am happy with the results.