Cleaning downpipes?
 

Want to clean up my downpipes as they are a little bit corroded. Wondered if there were any tips to get them cleaned up and keep them that way? It's a SK3 if that makes any difference...

Thanks very much!

Re: Quick question:
 

Elbow grease is well recommended

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Bar Keepers friend from Asda and elbow grease.

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follow all Dizzys tips for a shiny downpipe. Loads and loads of threads have been done on this.

Quick answer to quick question
Get what Dyzio says from Asda. £1.98, mix to paste slap all over. Go for brew, scrub off with green scourer and water. Rinse.Dry.
Autosol, on scourer topped sponge. Place on downpipe, wrap sponge onto downpipe with a rag, and pull it back and forth in rubby type motion.
A lot of elbow grease..but theres the quick picture.

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Tip 3, dont bother, it will be the same in about a weeks worth of riding

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I beg to differ.

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+1

No point, just ride it.

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As an extra to Dizzy B's suggestion.....if it is REALLY bad, I happened to have had at the time a Halfrauds multipack of different wet and dry grades. I simply started at course and worked my way down, using a paste of Barkeepers with it.

Then finally, autosol to shine.

Happy days.

Re: Quick question:
 

^^yup missed that bit ;-)
240 to start with then,400, 800 down to 1200 off the top of my head, followed by fine wire wool and autosol to get any slight scratches that the 1200 didn't get out.

Works on SV downpipes, but Raptor ones need slightly more than all this and elbow grease :-(

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And you have a wife as well! Poor her ;)

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I t was her old bike I learnt the trick on!!!! :D

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Stotchbrite or wire wool as dizzy says. I prefer stotchbrite, us it at work lots so free too. Light brown course and green med/fine.

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+2

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Knock it on the head , just ride it

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I was in the same situation as you with my downpipes. After seeing what TamSV managed to do with his I used his method.

Wet and dry paper (as fine as you can get away with), keep going with it untill you're on the finest grade, then Autosol and lots of elbow grease. Mine go a bit discoloured after a ride but clean up dead easy with more Autosol and limited elbow grease!

Clean em!

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Waste of time polishing it. I just let it get bad then spray some S Doc 100 on it and that takes away most of the crap

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Nothing wrong with taking pride in your bike and keeping it looking shiny!

Cue yorkie chris weekly "toby is a puff and his bike is too clean" p!ss take :D

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

+1

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I used Hammerite Rust removal stuff and it worked great and completly removing all rust without any real scrubbing at all.

I plan to do a proper job of it soon by removing the complete exhaust. Then cover the whole lot in this green goo and wait.
Then rub all crap off with wire brush and finish with Autosol.

This lasted for me for 3-5 months. Its only since the rain started again that the rust makes a rapid appearance.

If you want to keep it looking well then a weekly clean is probably the only way. Ill leave that sort of scrubbing to posers and Harley riders. :p

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I've never had much luck with the search function, so appreciate it.

Never heard of Bar Keepers.I take it, it's some sort of metal polish? Got some wet & dry so looks like I have a job for the weekend.

I've only had it a couple of weeks, so really want to get stuck in about it. Overall it's very clean but downpipes, lower yoke, and bits of the forks are all a bit mingy. The allen bolt is all chewed so I can't get the front fender off so thought I'd move onto something else that I can do. lol Also gonna polish up the heal plates cos they are all scuffed.

Maybe it's sad but I like just pottering about with the bike, taking things off, cleaning them and putting them back on. lol :D

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I get it too. I take care of the body, Chris takes care of the mechanical.
We take pride in our bikes and clean our pipes, and get the pee taken. I'm used to it...no biscuits if he starts ;-)
Oh yeah we ride em too!
I think sometimes what you take pride in can show what sort of person you are...clean, tidy, organised, a bit of self pride. If you have it mechanically maintained properly as well, then all is well.
Unlike, shabby, mucky, untidy, broken, no pride and above all not to be taken seriously....wether its completely mechanically taken care of, the untrained eye can't see that.


As the housewife who found Barkeepers friend by accident and passed on my little tip for the whole org to enjoy, take pride in your vehicle, you'll enjoy it much more riding it, after you've made an effort. Just remember the mechanical side needs taking care of too!
Barkeepers friend is a powder that cleans a multitude of things from Bar brass, to ovens to downpipes;)

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Anyone one here who knows me will probably be wetting themselves laughing about now. I'm far from any of those things!!!

My view on it is, it's nice to have something which looks nice and also if you keep on top if it it saves alot of time and hassle when you come to sell the bike

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

LOL, well sure there is always that one too :-)
I've just learnt the hard way looking after a dog of a bike, so these days all bikes get looked after all the time. Even the work bike, is spotless.

Much better to have 'ere mate, nice looking bike' than have one that makes people puke ;-)

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Thats my point of view! By all means look after your pride and joy and keep it mechanically sound, but those wheels and that engine are there for a reason!!

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

No, it's far better to have "ere, that gets used" or "how the **** is that still running"


You know what, I'd rather have working suspension and do this http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile...1600_160_n.jpg than a shiny bike.

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Get your knee down in the 80s? :D

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

No, do it in liverpool. They are officially shellsuit leathers.

FFS... I'm going to have to spray them black and do another trackday now ;)

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I have to be honest, and even yourself may mock me for this, but I like them!

I will still take the p!ss about them though

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

f***in 'ell. You are actually a faggot.

That missus of yours is just hired help as some sort of elaborate cover up.

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Now that DID make me Laugh out loud! :D

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Damn, busted. We could be together Chris

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

For all those that hate seeing a shiny downpipe close your eyes now. ;)

I nipped down to Homebase and picked up a pack of assorted wet 'n dry. 1x P240, 2x P400 and 1x P600 and also got some fine wirewool. Spent about 15 minutes or so scrubbing and it's come up alright. Still got more work to do on it but I'm going to try and take it off to make the job easier.

Sorry about the rubbish picture but the bikes in the garage lacking a rear wheel and being held up by a wooden beam.

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/6007/dsc00896jt.jpg

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

did you use anything other than wire wool to finish to this standard Seggons?

15 mins rubbing sounds like a good compromise on riding to cleaning time.

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Just fine wire wool and some autosol metal polish. :)

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Give the oil cooler grille a wee blast of some high temp paint whilst you're at it Scott...........

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

Thanks for the tip, I'll move onto that next. :D

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

could you just wrap it in the heat tap stuff?

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I also use stuff at work called ali shine.my pipes were red rusty and aplyed this stuff with a paint brush plus little bit of wire wool and branddd asss newwww :)

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

I've been wondering how to get the headers on the KTM clean after looking at them today.
Years of cack and horse sh!te thrown at them from the front tyre has left them looking a bit iffy.

Re: Cleaning downpipes?
 

http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...2/DSC_0909.jpg

http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...2/DSC_0880.jpg

ta daaa lol

requires 1 dremmel with wire wheel
and 1 sheet of 1200 grit
and some metal polish and a rag

job done in about 2 hours

oh and that had 25k worth of cr&p and rust on it ;)

and onther thing they have gone blue now lol like titanium