Ceramic header coatings and performance.

From what I understand, .002 is about the max limit. You can experience cracking if you go past that. Most places go .001+-.0005" on each side. with time the coat will start to dull but can be re-polished.

How much prep do you have to do if any before bringing it to them? Is it cheaper if they only do the outside?

I'm really only concerned with rust on the outside. When I repaint the header black, the header pipes turn gray right away and then rust starts to show up in about 7 or 8 months. But mostly it's from condensation on the outside from sitting in the garage. The insides don't show much rust at all.

I checked out the link, but I assume you got more info from them directly. They say the coating forms a "sacrificial layer". Does this mean the coating disappears over time?

I had the pipe I built coated. They sand blast before coating just like they would for regular powder coat. I don't know how much of a difference in performance it makes but it sure looks better than VHT paint.

Before:

After:

That does look really nice, though I gotta admit, I start fixating on all of the other details on that green machine! :woohoo:

I wonder what the chip-off factor is like, and if it does chip, how do you fix that? Can they coat small chips and nicks as a repair, or do they have to redo the whole thing?

I've only been riding it since July, about 1600 miles (guessing, no speedo :laugh: ) and so far no chips. I assume it will be the same as powdercoat, they have to do the whole thing. It seems like a pretty tough finish though.

Hay Lou, They told me that they do all the prep work. It is worth to do them inside and out. If you have chromed pipes than just have them done on the inside and prevent them from bluing.

That's a great deal then if I can just bring in a rusty pipe.

I have one pipe that looks chrome, but it's like black chrome. I'm not sure what that is, but it looks great. It still has small rust spots where it got dinged or scraped. But any idea what finish that is? The grab rail on my 550's came with that same black-chrome finish.

That's one pipe I may only want to do the inside.

I am not sure what Kawaski used on the black header pipes. BTW, I got the job at RIM.

The black-chrome header is an aftermarket I think. I bought it off a salvage bike. The Kaw ones I had were just painted, but with some sort of decent paint.

Congrats on the job!

Not a ceramic product, but POR 15 Factory Manifold Gray works fantastic. I used it on the pipes I built for my street tracker, and it is a miracle product. I've used it on cast iron manifolds, with equal success. It requires blasting, to adhere properly, and some careful curing, but I love it. The only draw back, is it only comes in gray. I sprayed my pipes, but it is self-leveling, and applys well with a brush. Not as good as ceramic, but you can touch it up, if/when you chip it. (the inevitable chip, or "Oops, I need to weld a bracket on, are my only gripes about ceramic pipes, or powdercoated frames) They have other products that are black or silver, but I have not tried them. I'm with you on VHT, I wouldn't pain my BBQ with that stuff. It was too spendy at $2.99 per can, let alone the 8 bucks they want for it now. Good luck! Kyle

I too have the POR-15 product sitting here. I just don't like the color. I have also learned to mistrust POR-15 products. I have used every silver coating that they have and ALL of them remained tacky indefinitely. I however love their black products. They are as good as powder coat.