Exhausts and Engine » Polishing headers

Hi all. Has anyone got busy with the metal polish on standard headers ? I used plenty of Solvol Autsol chrome polish on my old R1100RS with its Laser exhaust and it looked great.
I'm being a little more circumspect with my '16 plate RS and I've got some aluminium polish which is a bit gentler. Even then, I thought I'd ask the forum for any issues before I start.
Cheers !

Zitat von Rutland Rider im Beitrag #1

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Hi all. Has anyone got busy with the metal polish on standard headers ? .
Cheers !

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My machine is the basic one with the brushed stainless exhaust. TBH I've no idea what the pipes are made of

I have the standard non-chrome stainless headers with the brushed stainless can. I clean them up a few times each season with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. It takes some elbow grease but works well at removing stains and bringing up a nice shine. Keep in mind no matter how good you get them to look they will slowly turn wheat colored as the exhaust heats them up. Doesn't look bad to my eye but they will not stay the shiny silver that you'll get after a polish.

Here's what mine looked like after a good polish. The tan color is reflection from the driveway.

Polish.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Here's what they look like after a few rides/heat cycles.

IMG_0798.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Cilit foaming sink cleaner is great for removing the tarnish from the pipes.
Brush it on and leave it for 10 mins then a gentle wipe over with a scotchbrite pad and good to go for another few weeks.

Optiglanz is amazing stuff, no rubbing required. It's pricey and I wouldn't want to get it anywhere near paintwork!

Zitat von Jetpilot5 im Beitrag #4

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I have the standard non-chrome stainless headers with the brushed stainless can.
Keep in mind no matter how good you get them to look they will slowly turn wheat colored as the exhaust heats them up.

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Were the chrome ones a cost option and are they chrome on stainless?
How do you tell which ones you have?

BMW calls it (on my new 1250RS) chrome, but it is not- I believe it to be polished stainless

Why? I used a magnet and compared it to the pipes on my r50- there is almost no magnetism
which is exactly right- for stainless.

Zitat von Jetpilot5 im Beitrag #4

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I have the standard non-chrome stainless headers with the brushed stainless can. I clean them up a few times each season with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. It takes some elbow grease but works well at removing stains and bringing up a nice shine. Keep in mind no matter how good you get them to look they will slowly turn wheat colored as the exhaust heats them up. Doesn't look bad to my eye but they will not stay the shiny silver that you'll get after a polish.

Here's what mine looked like after a good polish. The tan color is reflection from the driveway.



Here's what they look like after a few rides/heat cycles.

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I think, the golden color is due to the in-situ heat treatment. Heat treated SS is a brownish gold.

Zitat von M3M im Beitrag #9

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BMW calls it (on my new 1250RS) chrome, but it is not- I believe it to be polished stainless

Why? I used a magnet and compared it to the pipes on my r50- there is almost no magnetism
which is exactly right- for stainless.

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Why do you assume its chrome plate over stainless as opposed to polished stainless?

other than BMW calling it chrome...

There are different part numbers for the standard polished stainless headers and the "upgrade" chrome headers. Price difference too. If your bike came with the brushed stainless can then it has the polished stainless headers and not chrome. I can't say for sure what the metal is under the chrome plate but it seems reasonable to assume it's simply the standard headers with a chrome plating which would mean they are stainless. There is also a visible difference between the chrome and the polished if you get them side by side. Mine polish up to a nice shiny silver but never get as bright as chrome and also my headers don't blue like most chrome exhausts do. I prefer the stainless.

Here's an R1200R with the chrome exhaust that has some miles on it.

R1200R blue.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Part numbers and prices on headers.

18 51 8 555 262 EXHAUST MANIFOLD, CHROME-PLATED 9.35 1 $2439.22

18 51 8 562 190 EXHAUST MANIFOLD, POLISHED (to 08/16) 8.49 1 $2008.77

Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #10

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Zitat von Jetpilot5 im Beitrag #4

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I have the standard non-chrome stainless headers with the brushed stainless can. I clean them up a few times each season with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. It takes some elbow grease but works well at removing stains and bringing up a nice shine. Keep in mind no matter how good you get them to look they will slowly turn wheat colored as the exhaust heats them up. Doesn't look bad to my eye but they will not stay the shiny silver that you'll get after a polish.

Here's what mine looked like after a good polish. The tan color is reflection from the driveway.



Here's what they look like after a few rides/heat cycles.

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I would say that's pretty, but I don't want to encourage OCD tendencies. Untreated, OCD can develop into paranoid schizophrenia.

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