Chain and header cleaning

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

Well, after a long day installing a lift on my buddies truck, i figured i have been neglecting the old fz for too long, decided to clean the headers up and do the chain real nice... then gave her a bath... headers came out OK, i had hoped for better results, the first one wiped off with almost no resistance, but as i went across, they came out worse and worse. The last one i went over about 10 times with no changes... Used mothers chrome polish....

The chain came out real nice, Just sprayed it off with some Simple Green, kept spinning the tire till it was fully covered, then let it sit for a few min. Got the old metal teeth brush and went to town on them like i was scrubbing my teeth before a dentist visit :thumbup:. Then after they were all scrubbed, (10 min) i just wet a rag with some simple green, and wiped em off. Real easy...

 

[Wolfman]

Man, i feel your pain re the headers not cleaning up....mine look like poop...and i keep em pretty clean most of the time...am figuring that after 30000km's there aint much we can do about the stains that have been burnt into the chrome finish....

Would love to know whether there is a way to fix this, other than having the pipes re-chromed????

I have tried everything, rotary polishing tools...work the best, but takes forever, and have tried Autosol, Blue Job, etc, etc....

Anyway, your headers look a lot better after being cleaned...bit dubious about cleaning chains though...worry that when you re-lube them, the lube wont get into all the places it needs to, and hence, you effectively shorten your chain life.

 

[Sawblade]

Take them off and use a bench grinder with a buffing wheel attached. They're stainless steel, not chrome.

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

thats one step past my effort level... ill just try a different polish next weekend... :thumbup:

although, the idea has arose a few times to putt a little buffing bit on the old dremmel for the hard spots...

 

[Sawblade]

Taking off the header is actually very easy. Just take off the flange nuts, a mount bolt, and the clamp that holds it to the midpipe. Just don't lose the copper gaskets from the engine side.


Here's what I use to keep it from getting that bad though...

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=206927450&listingid=34615393&dcaid=17902

am i reading this wrong? $70??? its on ebay for $3.99

 

[Wolfman]

Take them off and use a bench grinder with a buffing wheel attached. They're stainless steel, not chrome.

Cheers, i never knew that till now.....might try the bench grinder option...

 

[djsegura]

When I bought my bike mine were in the same shape and I also tried many cleaners with no results, but someone else on here suggested sandpaper I was not sure I wanted to try it but I was tired of looking at them so I gave it a shot. Well they came out great and I didnt have to remove them. I used like 1400 grit paper and wet sanded them and after I used the blue magic to help protect and keep the shine hopefuly. I have only riden about a hundred miles since then but they seem to be ok still.

 

[OneTrack]

When cleaning/polishing the headers on the bike, Autosol applied with 000 steel wool works wonders. Polish it off with a good cotton cloth and your headers will gleam.

 

[dbz_fz]

Noxon Metal Polish 12 Oz : 00117 - Buy.com

am i reading this wrong? $70??? its on ebay for $3.99

Nope... $71.18 To the door at that site. Less than $10 on ebay TTD.

 

[Wildcard]

Dude Advance Auto used to sell that Noxon. I got a bottle myself for $7. Check around.

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

Nice, ill have to check it out, im gonna give it another round this weekend. see if i can get'r sparkl'in

 

[Sawblade]

Yes, it's a few bucks at Advance. If you want to spend some money, go for some Adam's polishes.


I'm trying this stuff next time I get another gallon of detail spray.
Adam's Metal Polish

 

[necrotimus]

For my wifes vstar we use never dull for touching up all her chrome... it is great because it comes in a cotton wadding and you just rip off a small piece and use it until it turns black... there is no way it will be able to 'restore' our headers but if you used it frequently enough once you get them shiny then you can do a very quick polish then wipe with a rag

 

[Jake]

Great looking headers!

You mentioned using a "metal teeth brush" on your chain... do you mean a wire brush? If so, I believe that would be better done with a non-wire brush, something with like a Grunge Brush with plastic whiskers. I don't use anything metal for chain cleaning due to the possiblity of damaging the seals.

My $.02

 

[RyanK]

You mentioned using a "metal teeth brush" on your chain... do you mean a wire brush? If so, I believe that would be better done with a non-wire brush, something with like a Grunge Brush with plastic whiskers. I don't use anything metal for chain cleaning due to the possiblity of damaging the seals.

Exactly. A metal brush will NOT be good on your o-rings at all, and will actually get the cleaner down under the o-rings, where you want the lube to stay.

If you used SimpleGreen full strength, you just ruined your chain. Simple Green is very powerful and gets many places you don't want it (esp. since you used a wire brush). I had it ruin many sealed bearings (bicycle bottom brackets & wheel bearings, motorcycle bearings) before I realized it . I use it only on non-oring chains now. Sorry for the bad news, but you really shortened its life

 

[McLovin]

metal brush on the chain doesnt sound like a good idea..

 

[SovietRobot]

I fully recommend the "grunge brush". That and WD40 got my chain looking new.

My headers.... still look like ****

 

[Yatz86]

didnt know cleaning headers could be so tiresome...I tried doing it & spent 4 hours trying to get the polish as the one here...

but after looking at how it shine ...

It was well worth it

 

[dean owens]

When cleaning/polishing the headers on the bike, Autosol applied with 000 steel wool works wonders. Polish it off with a good cotton cloth and your headers will gleam.

those do look nice. but wondering, any particular autosol? just looked on amazon and there are a few different ones. thanks.