[CanberraR3]

Discolouration is normal and should be expected. These pipes have gone more of a brown colour and this is what I was referring to as not being the norm. Blue to a blue/grey colour is more normal. I’ve only seen a few go a sort of brown colour that the OP’s seem to have gone. Not a flaw, just not the norm. Only way to stop pipes discolouring at all is never to start the engine.

 

[retjustdad53]

your pipes are stainless steel NOT chrome. Stainless steel will change color with time and heat and the color they look like in the picture is completely normal. Do NOT clean them with WD40 and do not use steel wool. Steel wool will get into the micro brush marks on the brushed stainless and cause an even bigger corrosion and discoloration problem. The safest thing to wipe them down with is rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol will not remove the discoloration but if there is any oils on the pipes you need to remove it with the alcohol to prevent more liver spots. Keeping all oil off the pipes is the key. If you touch the pipes with your fingers and dont clean it with alcohol it will spot with time. If you spill oil on the pipes and dont clean it will spot.

Salt fog in a seaside climate will cause pitting as you know. You could try to pin it on triumph but i suspect they wont do a thing.

If the pipes are pitted from corrosion rubbing alcohol will not fix that. The only alternatives would be heat tape to cover them or get them refinished in a different color of your choice.

What he said.

 

[Trey Cafe]

Most bluing and bronzing on pipes is from high heat. Most bikes now running with computer controlled fuel injection run quite lean, which causes a hotter exhaust temp. You can try Blue Away & other rubs mentioned on this thread, but it will be a temporary fix. A rattle can with high temp barbecue black paint was my best option!

 

[mike MAD DOG]

I assume that your bike is fuel injected and your exhaust will turn some color at the head but that is extreme. I agree appears you might have defective pipes. I have an older Triumph and it is carburetor I treated my pipes inside when replaced them and stop all the discoloration. But yours appears extreme.

 

[bheezy27403]

Again, they are stainless. It's going to happen. Jet coat, wrap, or constant elbow grease with your choice of metal polish are the only solutions.

 

[retjustdad53]

Again, they are stainless. It's going to happen. Jet coat, wrap, or constant elbow grease with your choice of metal polish are the only solutions.

True. Before the technicians started my new bike I had them wipe the headers down with alcohol. I still do after messing around the headers. Clean them with Mothers and life is good, 3+ years.

 

[416400]

My 2017 SC is my first experience with stainless header pipes and these looked bad from the get go. I'm no fan of "brushed" (deliberately scratched) finishes and so polished them a little with a dremel and some compound - the discoloration (and spots) went right away. Some discoloration soon shows up again but it looks like the better polish job you do on them, the less problem you have with that. Plus they do clean up easily. Maybe it also has a lot to do with cleanliness, as mentioned in a previous reply. They may always be a high maintenance item (if you like them shiny) and the bronze (gold) color seems to be a constant, not unlike the bluing on chrome.

 

[markg333]

True. Before the technicians started my new bike I had them wipe the headers down with alcohol. I still do after messing around the headers. Clean them with Mothers and life is good, 3+ years.

what mothers product ?

 

[retjustdad53]

what mothers product ?

Mag and aluminum polish. It is NOT made for Chrome. When the product is used it will generate a black residue on your polishing cloth and the metal when it is working.

For best results I'll cut an old towel or microfiber cloth about an inch and half wide and a couple feet long and put some Mothers on the pipe then wrap the length of towel that was cut a couple times around the pipe and pull the ends of the towel back and forth until a good amount of black residue can be seen. Then wipe down with a clean microfiber cloth and move to a different area.

This works pretty fast and allows you to get into the tight spots .

I'm sure everyone has their own technique that works, this is mine.

 

[SUPERCRUZ]

It is completely normal for these pipes. Super hot stainless steal single walled pipes splashed with dirty water are going to spot like this. Clean cool pipes using 0000 steel wool and metal polish. Once clean, wipe with some solvent like benzine, lighter fluid or naphtha to remove the polish residue and then coat the pipes with WD40 on a paper or shop towel. The headers will smoke a bit upon first startup but will turn to a nice golden brown color over time without the spotting. After each ride, wipe the header pipes down with a bit of WD40 on a shop towel. I have had a number of bikes with this type of header and this is how I have successfully dealt with the issue. This is not a warranty issue.

 

[SUPERCRUZ]

your pipes are stainless steel NOT chrome. Stainless steel will change color with time and heat and the color they look like in the picture is completely normal. Do NOT clean them with WD40 and do not use steel wool. Steel wool will get into the micro brush marks on the brushed stainless and cause an even bigger corrosion and discoloration problem. The safest thing to wipe them down with is rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol will not remove the discoloration but if there is any oils on the pipes you need to remove it with the alcohol to prevent more liver spots. Keeping all oil off the pipes is the key. If you touch the pipes with your fingers and dont clean it with alcohol it will spot with time. If you spill oil on the pipes and dont clean it will spot.

Salt fog in a seaside climate will cause pitting as you know. You could try to pin it on triumph but i suspect they wont do a thing.

If the pipes are pitted from corrosion rubbing alcohol will not fix that. The only alternatives would be heat tape to cover them or get them refinished in a different color of your choice.

Completely disagree but each to their own. 0000 Steel wool is not going to diminish the brushing marks when used with metal polish like mothers mag and wheel polish. WD40 maintains the pipes. Yes, they will take on a golden brown color but better than spotted and discolored using nothing. I used this method on my Honda CB1100 and on my 16TTR with no issues whatsoever. Interesting the gentleman who owns Meerkat also advised of using a light oil similar to WD40 on the header pipes. Do a search as this topic has come up in the past.

 

[saddlebag]

I have had bikes for 45 years and never had headers go like that yet.

Mine were chrome and developed some kind of crap build up on them. I used a chrome polish and light steel wool and mine came off. At the time, others were complaining of similar issues. As I recall, it was some chemical from the plant baking in. If you cleaned them before you ran it, it apparently wasn't an issue. Who knew?
I don't think he wants to use polish, but I'll bet some kind of cleaner and light steel wool would remove it.

 

[chim chim]

This is the typical norm: Chrome pipes blue, Stainless steel pipes brown.

Your bike is not running lean and causing the pipes to turn brown, your pipes are doing what all stainless pipes do.

 

[saddlebag]

This is the typical norm: Chrome pipes blue, Stainless steel pipes brown.

Your bike is not running lean and causing the pipes to turn brown, your pipes are doing what all stainless pipes do.

Does look like he's got some crud on them too. It looks like the crap that was on mine initially. Probably burn off after a long hot ride.
BTW, love your moniker. That's what I named my first cat.

 

[Ashman]

This is the typical norm: Chrome pipes blue, Stainless steel pipes brown.

Your bike is not running lean and causing the pipes to turn brown, your pipes are doing what all stainless pipes do.

Not all chrome pipes blue, I got a new set of header pipes bent up for my Norton 39 years ago from a car muffler shop who had a mandle bender and next door was a chrome shop who did the chroming, to this day my pipes still have no blue in them a nice light goldy colour near the head and first bend but no blue at all and this was a everyday rider most of its life, I also got a set of SS header pipes bent at the same shop a few years later for my Triumph and the only browned up at the header and first bend and polished the rest of the way.
The Triumph is long gone but the Norton I still own and ride, the pipes are showing their age now and one has had a rust hole brazed up but still hanging in there and still no blue.
I still remember the price Ian Toy the shop owner bent them up was very good and only took 15 minutes to bend each one up each side so 30 minutes work and charged me $20 and the chrome plater also charged me $20, not bad $40 and there still on the bike and coming up to 40 years old.
By the way I worked at a chrome shop for 1 year after leaving school, I washed the chrome pieces as the came out of the chrome tank, workmanship and prep plays a big part in good chroming.

Ashley

 

[Ashman]

As well my 2013 Thruxton don't have any blue in the header pipes, it started to blue up a few days after buying it new but as soon as I blocked off the AI hose it stopped blueing, they also have a nice goldy colour just around the head area to the first bend, it has 40k on it now and no blue at all.
My 16 model Thruxton has no sign of blueing as well but am running a Meerkat and opened up stock mufflers, so not all pipes blue and have never had a bike yet that has in over 45 years of riding.
Accessive heat is the biggest problem for blue pipes.

Ashley

 

[416400]

I've never had chrome pipes that didn't blue a bit at the clamps on the air heads, but minimizing idle time really seemed to help keep them nice, esp in the desert summers.

 

[Chris Fletcher]

dont know if you can buy it in the USA but in the uk quite a few of us use harpic toilet cleaner .just dont get it on the paintwork .and wipe off with water after it has removed the discoloration.been using it for about 8 yrs now first on my 865 se and now on my 2yr old street twin with no side effects

 

[markg333]

I just saw a post on instagram triumphspeedtwin that a guy shows before and after pics of bronze headers and then nice silver

the pipes look amazing

I asked what he used and said autosol its available on amazon for like $10

I think Ill try it

 

[Andrew Shortt]

Hi all -
I am a brand new Street Twin owner and I’m absolutely loving the bike.

Question about the coloring of the exhaust pipes. How long should the beautiful bronze color last?

I live in Southern California by the coast (Long Beach area), so the air definitely has some salt in it. And I am seeing quite a bit of discoloration on pipes. Bike has about 5,500 miles on it.

Is what I am seeing here one of the following, or something else?

• Standard and expected corrosion from exposure to elements. Happens to everyone and I just need to learn to love it.
• Permanent damage from oils. Could have been avoided, but now I need to learn to love it.
• Corrosion that can be cleaned with proper solvent. I might be able to improve it.
• Bike running lean/hot. I need to get this checked out.

Thanks in advance for your input!