Header looks ugly. What can I do?

[delta one]

sorry I remembered I had better pictures on my computer. that last one was some time last summer.
and everything was polished longer than I thought

this was just after he polished it out

this was a while before I got the bike so a year or more of time and about 1-2k miles after polishing

the weekend I got it maybe 4k miles after polishing

and TODAY playing with my son I think there are 9,000 miles on it since it was polished

 

[kalifornia]

icarus just do what 7Mary3 did, 1,000 grit, I did mine with no fluid it worked fine.

 

[Raisingicarus]

Will try it tomorrow Kalifornia, thanks!

 

[04buell12]

love the advice on here fellas. i think i got my weekend project. Shining up my headers. I'll post a pic and say what i did. sweet pics delta one

 

[AudiXB12R]

Anybody know an easy(ier) way to remove the headers without dropping the engine forward?

 

[303xb]

delta...bike looks great dude--perfect [up]

 

[delta one]

thanks 303

Audi sorry I cant think of a way but if you are polishing you can get most of it or at least all that you can see without removing the header.

 

[jerseymayhem]

What are some options for replacing the header...laid mine down and i have a huge dent/rash on mine, thinking about wrapping it, but a replacement that would look good and free up some power and sound would be great.
Anyone?

 

[delta one]

wrapping is an option, I hear most guys like to pull the headers anyway when wrapping so it should be just as easy to put on a nice used set instead.
check out ebay and the classifieds for buell part outs.

 

[Hammel13]

i have mine ceramic coated and it looks good and they still look good after being done for over 6 months now

 

[flyeboy]

I have an 07 XB12R That I used to just wrap the headers, now I polish the headers with a scotch brite pad and WD40 as suggested, then buff with cloth. No mirror finish, but definately looks good--stands out just as the pics posted suggest. Does last a while and touching them up is a breeze. Just get a good shine on first time.

 

[screamineagle]

Just tried the sanpaper option. Definatly cleaned up quicker but using WD and the greeny weeeny seemed to keep it looking nice longer. Its only been a week and they are starting to spot up.

 

[ridendude]

@ EVILXB, the headers are stainless. When I got my 04 XB12S, the pipes were wrapped, looked good. The ceramic tape started to fray after a while, so I re-wrapped them. Cost about $70. After 2 months, it started to look pretty ratty, so I chose to ceramic coat. $100 later, they look great, run as cool as tape and will last much longer. Even ceramic coating will dull and fade after prolonged hard use, but lasts much longer than tape.

 

[Stevenc150]

For anyone considering it, ceramic coat the inside and outside of the header pipes, it'll last longer and be more effective. (Some shops will just coat the outside and not offer the "inside" option unless you suggest it.

 

[buzzhead8189]

I just had to jump on the bandwagon. Scotch Brite fine scuff pad for metal and some elbow grease.
2004 XB12s.

Before.

During.

After.

After again.

Golden color after a 30 min ride around town.

Looks like this after a week of riding to work everyday.

 

[rideboarder589]

i just started mine the other day...took some emory cloth and went to town...i didnt use WD40..it seemed to come off easier without it...obviously this is about half done

 

[pinball242]

heres my dilemma, had wrap, but started to look ratty, took off the wrap and i have these horrible stains. ive used scotch brite and metal polish but cant get the stains to go away. was gonna rewrap them anyway but until then, want pretty headers! any suggestions?

 

[rusty2004xb]

Wet sand. If you are familiar with wet sanding paint, the same procedure applies to your header with out the repercussions of working with paint! Start with a rough grit sand paper, and work your way through the ranks until you get to a very fine grit. Use a "clay bar" type solution (not straight water) This will avoid the small swirl marks you commonly see with scotch brite. Wet sanding will correct small scratched/gouges/stains, that scotch brite and WD40 might not be enough or too much for.

You have control of the finish you are looking for with the levels of grit you use

It takes time, but you will see the perfection when its all done.

 

[50dro]

Quick Sooth-brite and WD40 job on mine!

 

[dmp0001]

here are mine 30 seconds with a scrub pad. I like it.