Chrome pipe restoration

Does anybody know anybody who can restore chrome pipes that are scratched and are not rusted. They are discolored near the engine kind of a purple tint. Thanks for all the help. In Wisconsin?

What KZ750 is it & are these the stock header pipes or aftermarket? Most if not all aftermarket are single-walled & probably
almost always discolor. I'm not certain, but chrome shops might not do used exhaust pipes as the internal rust, soot & whatnot
will contaminate their chemicals tanks.

Alternative to re-chroming, ceramic coating is an option. It's been a while since I've seen anyone who's done it, but the ones I saw
came out pretty nice. Jet-Hot is one place that does it & they do a Classic Polish coating.

martin_csr wrote: What KZ750 is it & are these the stock header pipes or aftermarket? Most if not all aftermarket are single-walled & probably
almost always discolor. I'm not certain, but chrome shops might not do used exhaust pipes as the internal rust, soot & whatnot
will contaminate their chemicals tanks.

Alternative to re-chroming, ceramic coating is an option. It's been a while since I've seen anyone who's done it, but the ones I saw
came out pretty nice. Jet-Hot is one place that does it & they do a Classic Polish coating.

I agree with martin_csr on both points. Also, even if you did find a chrome shop that could redo your pipes, you might find the cost to be out of reach.

The ceramic-type high temp coatings are perfect for exhaust systems. Very "chrome-like" in appearance and durable. Here's a link to the Jet-Hot company that martin mentioned: www.jet-hot.com/classic-polish/ . Also, I've attached a pic of the Kerker system on my LTD. It was coated inside and out when the system was brand new and still looks great 20 years later. The company that did it was HPC. Not sure if they're still in business as I couldn't find any contact info.

Good luck with your project.

Mike

Thanks for the pic. Looks great! 20 yrs is amazing. That system may never rust.

A while back guys that owned BMW K1600's were ceramic coating their exhaust systems in an effort to reduce heat from the head pipe area. I saw some pretty nice work done by some different shops, but the Jet Hot Classic Polish pictures have me thinking about doing the exhaust system on my KZ-1000. While it doesn't have the complete appearance of chrome it certainly comes close to it. Anyone have any experience in ceramic coating an older used motorcycle exhaust system? I wonder how the stock exhaust system would look if it were ceramic coated in matte black? Any thoughts?
Rick H.

I had my KZ750 exhaust coated. It looks great but the coating doesn't take well to knocks and is prone to chipping.

Buff them. Like buffing aluminum. With a real buffer 3400 rpm's. Use a finishing compound. That's if you have room to maneuver all around the pipes. Don't know what they look like? If scratches are deep? Do the old aluminum foil rub on the scratches.

Keep in mind that chrome plating has a thickness from 0.0002 to 0.0006 inch. That ain't much! Ed