Pipe Wrapping / spray

[WaterTower]

So I decided to go to the dark side and wrap my pipes.
I understand the the idea to wet the wrap and all and the benefit of the spray
but there were know directions on doing both .I don't want to spray the wrap once on the bike in fear of an over spray mess.
Can I pre-spray the wrap then let dry then wet the wrap with water to apply???

 

[Skeeter]

i just asked bout wrappin my pipes and everyone on here is against it. i like the look.
i say, wrap them then spray them. and by spay your talkin bout that spray stuff they sell. if you spray before you wrap your gonna have a 25 foot strip you need to spary and i think it would crack and fall off as soon as you picked it up and started wrappin the pipes. take the pipes off the bike, wrap em then spray.

 

[dbacher06]

I have my pipes wrapped and i love them. Alot of people say it is bad for the pipes, I have had them wrapped for over a year and everything it perfectly fine. You need to wet your wrap, then wrap the pipes and let it dry. You then need to tape off any exposed metal, chrome, etc... and spray the wrap with wrap spray. Its very easy. I did it in my garage. DEI sells a kit that has the wrap, spray and clamps. I didnt use the supplied clamps as they are very skimpy and difficult to tighten. I bought hose clamps and used them instead. They work perfect and look cool.

 

[WaterTower]

Thanks dbarcher. A strange kind of British Rap will commence shortly

 

[rbirkey]

WaterTower,

I know this may be a bit late, but I've written a few blog posts about this topic and posted photos on my blog:

http://triumphbonneville.org/?s=wrap&submit=Search

I would wrap the pipes off the bike, and spray them then.

I've not known anyone's pipes to suffer because of the wrapping.

Hope it helps!

 

[Texas94fs]

I believe the repeated issue seen with wrapped pipes on these bikes, is that if you have to remove them, you are likely to break the studs in the cylinder head. IIRC it has something to do with the varied rates of cooling of the pipes that are wrapped, to the head studs, and flange of pipe that fits into the cylinder head next to the head bolts.

Now that being said, I broke a head stud and have never wrapped my pipes, although now with the high pipe setup I have, I am considering it strictly to help keep the heat off my leg in traffic

 

[drlapo]

Pipe wrapping must be a hipster thing but it sure is ugly

 

[bluesforchallah]

Alot of people say it is bad for the pipes, I have had them wrapped for over a year and everything it perfectly fine.

Disclaimer...I have no personal experience using header wrap.

My understanding was that the wrap if wet can cause moisture to get trapped and cause your pipes to rust from the outside (under the rap) due to the wet wrap sitting for too long on the pipes before it completely dries. If you store your bike in a heated garage and only ride in dry climate, your pipes may very well look perfectly fine after a year. But if your bike is stored outdoors and/or you ride year 'round thru inclement weather, it may be a very different story.

Myself, I prefer the looks of a blue/gold header pipe.

 

[beemerrich]

I've only wrapped pipes on one bike - a R50/5 BMW racer - which was done to hide the crash damage as much as anything. Life is short. If you like the look, then do it. The stock pipes on our machines are stainless, so I doubt that anything is going to corrode through anytime before your time on the planet is over...

 

[bonZa]

the header pipes on my Bonnie are now well beyond blue, more like burnt surface rust along the front, so header wrap looks like the easiest option for mine

 

[rweb]

the header pipes on my Bonnie are now well beyond blue, more like burnt surface rust along the front, so header wrap looks like the easiest option for mine

My pipes were as you described yours when I bought the bike used 3 years ago, very dark. I wet sanded them with 1200 grit wet-dry sandpaper and then polished them with polishing compound. It was worth the effort.