Guys,

While I was working on the air filter element, I noticed the exhaust manifolds were pretty rusty. In the past I don't remember experiencing this on J-bikes. I thought those pipes were double-walled so that the heat doesn't oxidize the outside. At least all four pipes look pretty much the same. Is this normal, though?

Could be your 'San Jose" weather doing it.Condensation when she sits after a ride?It looks...'normal'...if not a tad more.

Grn called it. Yes, normal. No matter how you look at it, we live in a fog. Sometimes you see it, are in it, sometimes it's a clear day: ain't no way around it... Unless... WD40 wiped on a new set from the getgo...Stops the rust. It's a Pain in the A you do not have [better] access after so many rides. More like seasoning the oil pan like you are prepping a cast iron skillet. So you every so often cure it.

To keep the patina that it has now, warm up the bike, oil it off. Engine oil is a detergent. WD would do the same. The rust is going to ruin any kind of cloth. Paper towels is all day long. A rag to throw away is going to rough up more surface rust and that's all she wrote, do not wipe off the oil. Now, let it burn off.

That, or leave it alone who cares. Correct. Those days are over is an exposed exhaust all chrome, pipe within a pipe. Today, these are hidden, have to be light, durable, so these are pretty thick to begin with.

"we live in a fog"...Hub, I didn't know you lived in SF Bay area. We must be neighbors

Grn14, I guess you are right. While San Jose is much drier than SF or some other areas, but still close to Ocean and Bay. When I go up to Hwy9/35 in early morning, I often ride in dense fog.

I will try using WD40 at my next opportunity.

I just walked out to mine. I live more south of you where it's dry. We could match pipes. I was more thinking about breathing a liquid in this vacuum we live in. More science is that compress the air out the lungs and then release; you see this condensed little cloud/fog out the lips. So it's nature in a constant rot mode or decomposing itself back to a natural state... cannot create or destroy matter, that's why they can rot on my end. Those pipes will out live us both we add up the century.

Mem is going, so if you passed his name across me, yeah, that's the guy's pipe name too. It might pop in the head as I explain that, he was the guy who showed me that trick. He would make sets of pipes for me, had a pipe making business when that pipe era was happening. Of course he's probably retiredied; don't hear his [name] brand anymore. The better setup is ATF.

But his procedure went like this. As we mounted the pipes onto the bike, I lit the bike off, began to cook the pipes, he'd have a rag with ATF and it would smoke off the pipes as he wiped it on. That's what is what I remember about the curing process. Maybe it was engine off and now begin? The safer way is to start and stop. Then I'd start in on the ATF wipe=down. That's how I [seems like yesterday] I cured a set of chopper pipes for that raw-industrial kind of trend going.

I'm guessing Kaw uses standard steel on the stock head pipes? I have a Stainless Yosh full system and have no rust whatsoever. ( just dirt and crap because I'm too lazy to clean under there...)

Mad

Had mine ceramic coated, inside and out. Performance Coatings Link

Normal for stock header. Mine was getting ugly after the first year.

I'll have mine shot by our Niton analyzer someday for verification but I'm pretty sure the 14 exhaust is a "stainless steel".

Before you club me over the hade with "what about the rust, hag?... you fucknut" not all stainless classes are "zero rust".

"Rust" is the yield of Fe and O. While we tend to attribute that reaction to dampness and wet, in reality, all that's required is iron and oxygen.

What speeds up the reaction is thermal energy... intense heat. The addition of Ni makes the pipes more creep resistant under thermal change and aids in controlling oxidation... just not completely in this instance.

It's a tad unsightly but the factory header material will endure admirably.

Fun Fact: "hot side" turbine engine components are derived from nickel-based "super alloys" that exhibit superior dimensional stability over a wide range of thermal energy levels.

Good info Hag....;)'Stainless Headers'...yup...factory.

Paste Formula:
Use a paste of 6-Tablespoons of salt/2-Tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, one dry cloth to wipe away the rust.

You know those barn find cars that are outside with trees growing thru the engine bays, or broke thru the windshields and all that patina rust? Salt on the roads kind of cars rotting, or Hawaiian soil and that rot. No heat involved. Just saying.

Hrmmm... you're right!

I wonder if there's anything different between those scenarios?

304 stainless?

Behold: the facts are nigh.

Via x-ray fluorescence I have determined conclusively that the material of my Ninjee's headers is in fact 434 stainless steel.

AK Steel Corp. got you covered, yo.

Take note of the corrosion and formability properties.

I'm not seeing the kind of enthusiasm I'd like, gentlemen.

Just got back from a nice cruise on my H2....pipes look nice and blue....if that helps;)

ZX-14 headers are low grade stainless. They do get surface rust. I believe the H2 system is titanium.

434 is not low grade SS

"I believe the H2 system is titanium"...ya know,I never even questioned what they are.Is there such a thing as polished Titanium?These as you know are VERY shiny.Like chrome.All the Ti stuff I've seen has a dull finish to it.

If only we knew someone in the Ti industry. We could ask them...

Jack talk Ti....Jack talk Ti very well.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/17/2015 @ 6:36 PM *

Well?

Introduce us!

* Last updated by: alg8er on 8/18/2015 @ 2:21 AM *

the H2 header is stainless
the H2-R header is titanium.