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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #16  
Old 9 Jun 2009
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Originally Posted by Stephano View Post
Indeed.

As well as some sort of heat shield, consider wrapping your exhaust from the headers to the end with exhaust wrap. It's not that expensive on eBay and can also save you from a nasty burn or singed trouser leg one day.

You also get that professional, rally-prepped look...

Here's one I made earlier...



Stephan
PS As another DIY mod, I picked out the best-looking finned computer heat sink from work and I think it would work pretty well jammed between the exhaust and the plastic. I've got adhesive insulating material on the underside of the plastic which is much thicker than the thin stuff that Honda glue on at the factory.
That XR makes me feel all warm inside......

I miss mine... I hope my new DRZ fill the hole a little.

A quick note on the exhaust wrap though... Keep a very close eye on it.

Exhaust wrap

If you get holes, it superheats it and causes FIRE !!!!!!!!
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  #17  
Old 9 Jun 2009
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Originally Posted by tedmagnum View Post
That XR makes me feel all warm inside.....
Look a bit closer, Ted. It's a CRF 450X.

I've had no problems at all with the exhaust wrap so far and I've never heard of these issues before. I'll keep an eye on it and promise to repost if there's a conflagration or the header cracks.

Anyway, to keep on topic, if you use soft luggage make sure it's secure and kept away from the exhaust pipe.

Stephan
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  #18  
Old 9 Jun 2009
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Originally Posted by Stephano View Post
Look a bit closer, Ted. It's a CRF 450X.

I've had no problems at all with the exhaust wrap so far and I've never heard of these issues before. I'll keep an eye on it and promise to repost if there's a conflagration or the header cracks.

Anyway, to keep on topic, if you use soft luggage make sure it's secure and kept away from the exhaust pipe.

Stephan
So it is.. Shame on me.. (especially as I used to have a CRF450R lol)...

I just saw the tank and got all excited thinking about my BRP.

The exhaust on my DRZ is looking very rotten so im going to sand it down, coat it with exhaust paint then use heat wrap on it.... I like the look of it and have never used it myself.. Looks cool
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  #19  
Old 23 Jun 2009
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BTW, another tip - we didn't use bungees but straps with buckles to tighten, then you don't need to worry about it pinging off and catching you a bit unawares!
'Zackly, straps with plastic buckles are the way to go.

It's easy enough to build a brace to keep the right-side pannier off the exhaust. I used two lengths of light steel bolted together, and bolted to two places on my DR650. Less than $10 at Home Depot and a couple hours in the garage.

I used hard panniers previously and much prefer the soft.

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  #20  
Old 23 Jun 2009
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Ted - re exhaust wrap, I've been using it on the exhaust of an old 60's Lotus for the last 15 yrs, trying to stop manifold heat splintering the glass fibre bodywork.
Each application lasts about 2 - 3yrs before it falls off bit by bit but I've never noticed any parts of the car going up in flames (and with Lotus's build quality in the 60's putting out flames is part of the maintenance schedule ).

What I have noticed is the wrapped part of the exhaust corrodes badly. My guess is that the stuff holds moisture - either from rain or condensation or wherever and the metal rusts away out of sight. On a bike it's likely to spend a lot of time wet.

The other thing is that it doesn't stay that nice sandy, rally prepped colour for long. Rain, dirt and heat turn it into a colour close to the rust that's forming underneath. Use it for your SA trip but stick to paint for the UK
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Old 23 Jun 2009
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Originally Posted by backofbeyond View Post
Ted - re exhaust wrap, I've been using it on the exhaust of an old 60's Lotus for the last 15 yrs, trying to stop manifold heat splintering the glass fibre bodywork.
Each application lasts about 2 - 3yrs before it falls off bit by bit but I've never noticed any parts of the car going up in flames (and with Lotus's build quality in the 60's putting out flames is part of the maintenance schedule ).

What I have noticed is the wrapped part of the exhaust corrodes badly. My guess is that the stuff holds moisture - either from rain or condensation or wherever and the metal rusts away out of sight. On a bike it's likely to spend a lot of time wet.

The other thing is that it doesn't stay that nice sandy, rally prepped colour for long. Rain, dirt and heat turn it into a colour close to the rust that's forming underneath. Use it for your SA trip but stick to paint for the UK
Cheers for the advice. I'll give it a miss then. My pipe is so rotten it might be worth me just getting a new stainless one ! AHHHH expense, expense , expense

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