Blue headers - once and for all

tuquoque

tuquoque

Scooter
Ok, I've been trying to search the information about blueing pipes issue a lot. There are tens of threads and thousands of posts about the issue all around the web. Very very confusing for a newbie like me. I decided to collect the solutions to one post. So, here it is:

SOLUTIONS FOR BONNEVILLE BLUE HEADERS - ONCE AND FOR ALL
VERSION 2011/02/05

The problem of Bonneville header pipes is that because of single walled design the pipe headers get colored to yellow, blue or brown. Coloring is caused by extreme heat. Some of the Bonneville riders like the blue pipes but others do not. There are ways to decrease and slow down the blueing and there are solutions to get rid of the problem.

1. DOUBLE WALLED HEADERS
There is at least one manufacturer who makes double walled headers for Bonneville. They have headers for stock mufflers and some full systems.
http://www.raask.se/ind-eng.htm
PROS: perfect solution, no more blueing !
CONS: expensive, headers are made of 2" pipe and look fatter compared to stock pipes

2. HEADER SHIELDS
Once upon time there was some unknown manufacturer who used to make the metallic heat shields for the Bonneville. Noone is manufacturing similar product at the moment. I wonder why, there is a huge market out there...
http://www.napaliprop.com/2008-T-100.html
PROS: looks good, cannot be very expensive
CONS: covers only the first curve, pipes still get blue, discontinued

3. COATING
You can have your headers coated or you can buy new coated headers. Ceramic coating comes in different colors.
http://www.british-customs.com/triumph-bonneville-thruxton-ceramic-coated-headers.html
http://www.jet-hot.com/motorcycles.html
PROS: black is beautyfull, durable
CONS: no real polished chrome option, no way to DIY

4. WRAPPING
Headers can be hidden with header wrap that comes in different colors.
http://www.heatshieldproducts.com/colored_exhaust_wrap.php
PROS: easy to DIY, instant RAT-look, colors!
CONS: wrap is causing corrosion, difficult to keep clean, will turn grey

5. PAINTING
There are heat resistant paints that are used to paint barbeques but work equally well on Bonneville header pipes.
PROS: easy to DIY, cheap
CONS: will eventually wear off

6. CLEANING / POLISHING
There are many different ways to polish the headers. You can use different materials but beware, some will take the shine away and none of them will not help the pipes get blue again afterwards. You can use chemical compounds like Blue-Away that is said to remove heat-caused discoloration or blueing from chrome, stainless, and precision metals which have been exposed high temperatures.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/blue-away/
PROS: keeps you busy with bike, brings back some of the stock shine
CONS: time consuming hard work, doesn't really solve the problem, compounds are poison

7. SLOWING DOWN THE PROCESS
The blueing happens because the metal can't handle the extreme heat. There are some ways to reduce the heat. You can replace the mufflers to ones that let the engine breath more freely. Bonnevilles are running stock very lean (=hot). Rejetting will help the engine to run cooler but pipes will stay blue. One efficient way to reduce the heat is to remove the air injection with the simple solution provided by many manufacturers.
http://www.british-customs.com/british-customs-air-injection-removal-kit.html
PROS: as a side effect you get more power, helps to decrease the blueing
CONS: doesn't solve the problem

8. IGNORING
You can always try to ignore the blueing or beging to like it.
PROS: cheap, blue is a "badge of honor"
CONS: doesn't work for everyone

9. HARLEY DAVIDSON / HONDA
You can always sell your bike and buy some other brand.
http://www.harley-davidson.com
PROS: no more blueing!
CONS: you name it...

--------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I'm not responsible any actions you take.
Sorry about bad English, I am not a native English speaker.

I will edit the post later after some feedback, if any...
 
Last edited:
S

strokerlmt

Moderator
Not confusing......you got it here.....either have the blueing OR pick an option....you forgot one option.....take your headers off, clean, lightly sand and spray with BBQ black paint 3 times.
LMT
 
Easy13

Easy13

Street Tracker
I lean toward option #8. Buy cool-looking stickers for your side covers, chrome and billet doodads and colorful handgrips; they'll draw your attention away from the headers.

Or you could try the "go with it" approach: Paint your tank, fenders and side covers blue to match your headers. Get a blue helmet to complete the ensemble...
 
mark66

mark66

TT Racer
Nice write up, I guess I'm stuck with number 8 because I don't like any of the other options.....except maybe the Raask headers.
 
em_dot

em_dot

Street Tracker
I liked the bluing until mine blued with some grease monkey's finger prints all over my pipes. There was no fixing it, so I used Jet Hot, ceramic coating.

Jet Hot is right here in NC so they were there and back in a week. I used Extreme Sterling which is not quite as shiny as Silver Sterling, but can stand higher temps. I only want to do this once. Coating was about $200.00 with ceramic coating inside and out. They say the pipes are about 300 degrees cooler, but frankly what's the difference between 1200 degrees and 900 degrees. You'll still burn yourself!

It's a crappy pic. The pipes look pretty good up close. A lot better than another man's finger prints in blue!

056.jpg
 
PieMan

PieMan

Two Stroke
tuquoque said:
7. SLOWING DOWN THE PROCESS
The blueing happens because the metal can't handle the extreme heat. There are some ways to reduce the heat. You can replace the mufflers to ones that let the engine breath more freely. Bonnevilles are running stock very lean (=hot). Rejetting will help the engine to run cooler but pipes will stay blue. One efficient way to reduce the heat is to remove the air injection with the simple solution provided by many manufacturers.
http://www.british-customs.com/british-customs-air-injection-removal-kit.html
PROS: as a side effect you get more power, helps to decrease the blueing
CONS: doesn't solve the problem
Click to expand...

Not true, they come from the factory running rich, the air injection sometimes makes them appear to be running lean.
 
dschief

dschief

750cc
PieMan said:
Not true, they come from the factory running rich, the air injection sometimes makes them appear to be running lean.
Click to expand...

Maybe in your part of the world, in the US they are so lean they barely want to start when it's cold. (Cold air = denser x lean mixture = hard starting)
 
mikenva

mikenva

Rocker
PieMan said:
Not true, they come from the factory running rich, the air injection sometimes makes them appear to be running lean.
Click to expand...
Its kind of strange over here most are to lean I wonder if they tune them the different for epa reasons.
 
A

Aussie_T100

Banned
When I first fitted the A/F gauge to my Bonny it only had Norman Hyde Toga's fitted and it had 115 mains. In that configuration it was running rich and I estimate that the original 110 main jets would have put it closer to the mark.

Based on that observation I would have to agree with Pieman that in stock trim with the original 110 mains these bikes run rich not lean. I found that with 115 mains & Toga's I could get the A/F closer to the mark by removing the snorkel.
 
PieMan

PieMan

Two Stroke
dschief said:
Maybe in your part of the world, in the US they are so lean they barely want to start when it's cold. (Cold air = denser x lean mixture = hard starting)
Click to expand...

Why would any manufacturer send a bike out that lean? They can't know the weather conditions a bike is going to endure. As you say it would get leaner in the cold and what if the air pressure was really high as well, it could be so lean engine damage could occur. Every Triumph twin I've tested comes from the factory averaging about 12.3AFR, which gives plenty of room for changing weather conditions.

Maybe your bike needs 1/4 of a turn out on your pilots to help cold starting.
 
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