Does anybody have any good recommendations for a brand/type of exhaust wrap?

Also, I live at the beach and the salty air/fog is ruining the paint so i pretty much have to repaint the tank, rear fender, and handlebars. I know that for the exhaust I need a high temp paint. My bike is a standard flat black and I want to keep it that way.

Exhaust - It lives a hard life.....lit is an awful lot of heat for paint.  The paint will usually get little tiny cracks from the heat cycles....then throw some salt laden air on it and it will not hold up for long.  If you are going to paint it yourself use a High Heat 2,000 degree type exhaust paint with Ceramic......most auto parts stores or Big Box stores carry it.  Be sure to prepare the surface (sand blast) and cure it properly if you want it to have any chance of being durable.  I don't know anything about brands of heat wrap - but the pipe will rust underneath the wrap.....guaranteed.  The heat wrap holds the heat in and the pipe will get hotter than the paint can withstand.

If you want the exhaust more durable than you can do yourself and don't mind spending a little bit......having it professionally coated is the best.  This company is very affordable and they have excellent reviews.  They charge $ 14.00 a foot for pipes up to 2" diameter.
http://boneheadperformance.com/

Paint - For your tanks and fenders.....if you are just using flat black primer it is not durable.  You need a flat black paint with a primer underneath.  I used a 2 part epoxy paint called Hot Rod Black on a trailer and it holds up well - but does require spray equipment.

If I lived in such a hostile environment Id probably not wrap a pipe. But then, I dont think carpet makes any sense at all, either,,I mean, I wear clothes, they get dirty, I wash them.. aint no waaaaay the vacuum is dragging all the syuff UP that goes down, SOOOO,, Way on down in there, crud is accumulating,, Now, if that crud is accumulating on a chromed pipe that gets Hotternhell & wet, what are the odds it aint gonna rust all up, wrapped up & lookin good? I can rub on a pipe & keep it from goin all to heck, IF its not hidden from me. Orr,, If I was a rich feller, Id get a ceramic coating.


Ohh yea, theyve changed the name of Ospho, its only about $8.00 a quart. I usually get a coupla years out a quart.Kelly Moore or any paint store has it. I dont think Lowes does. Dont get the gel.


Looks to me like the battery is protected. Seems to be sitting in a metal
U shaped thing.
What beach is it?
I keep Ospho around. Its a dilute phosphoric acid. The chemical reaction with iron oxide changes it to iron phosphate. Kills surface rust. Brass brushes dont scratch chrome. Those annoying dots creeping up[ in the chrome can be dealt with.,

justin_o_guy2, I live in Encinitas, CA (San Diego County)

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Go ahead and wrap your pipe if you want. will it rust faster? absolutely. will it significantly cut down on the life of your bike? probably not. it might make a pipe only last 15 years instead of 20 or 25 though. For saving your boots/skin/gear, wrap will work. Be careful of some cheap brands though: black wrap won't stay black and white will get dirty real quick.

There is also 'enamel' paint you can get that works well for body parts. something like:
http://www.amazon.com/PlastiKote-229-Clear-Engine-Enamel/dp/B000CPC5P6/ref=sr...

will work. a two-parter paint will always be better though. most of those require spray equipment, though a few are available in rattle cans if that is your style. i think they are called 2k urethane paints.

keep in mind that 80% of a good paint job is prep work. make sure all your parts are super clean and there aren't any particulates (dust and the like) that will get on your drying parts. I've had very good success with a rust-oleum primer, semi gloss, and then that dupli-color engine enamel on two gas tanks. I wouldn't trust it to withstand a lot of gasoline spillage, but it works if you are careful.

Rustoleum 2000 degree primer and paint from Auto Zone. About $20-25 for both. Mine has lasted about 1500 miles, so far. Preperation is the key.

Nice ride, Spicoli!