| Author | Message | ||
     Motorbike |
My 08 XT muffler is starting to fade in color and has a couple small rust spots. I'm considering having it ceramic coated. I will be doing just the muffler, not the header as I like the blue fading to bronze look. Can anyone give me some recommendations for shops they had theirs done at in my area? I live in SE Minnesota and am willing to drive up to 150 miles, if need be. My bike will be in storage in my workshop over winter so that would be a great time to get this done. Please let me know how much you paid too, if you don't mind. Also, is it holding up well? Thanks! | ||
| Court |
Listening . . . time to have mine done as well. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Not exactly on point, but I had a header for a different bike done by Jet Hot in 2006 (I think) and it is still holding up very well (bike was ridden year-round in Boston from '07-'10). | ||
| Andymnelson |
I did my brother's full Force system at New Image Coatings in Centerville. They did a great job. Sean also did both his headers and his pipe there. http://www.newimagecoatings.com/ Really tho, any place that does ceramic coating will be just fine...especially for the not-very-hot muffler. | ||
| Schwara |
Just for reference info, I inquired with Jet-Hot to have both done back in April. They told me it would be $280. If I could find a place within 50 miles of Cincy I would probably do it local to save the hassle and $$ to ship those parts back and forth. To hijack a bit ... if anyone knows somebody in my neck of the woods please pass that info on as well. Thanks | ||
| Nopork |
I had mine done at Race Coatings in Forest Lake, 24232 Greenway Rd. right off of Hwy 61 on Hwy 8. Clinton Houle, 651-325-5845. Mention the guy with the RUSTY Buell muffler sent you. Does a lot of snowmobile and muscle car stuff. Just had the muffler done, but it was really, really rusty and it turned out perfect for around $100. He used sterling silver coating so it has kind of satin chrome look. He indicated it would hold up better with that color rather than black. (Message edited by nopork on November 02, 2011) | ||
| Ejc |
I had the muffler and header done by an outfit in Rockford, IL about 2 years ago. The header still looks great. The muffler was a failure. It had rust on it prior to treatment. Perhaps it was poor prep work or there was underlying oxidation that just couldn't be eliminated. Either way, the rust returned. If I were to do it again, I'd start with a virgin muffler. In the mean time I painted the muffler with a rust converter. It stank to high heaven the first few rides after, but seems to be holding out OK. I did this fairly recently, so the jury is still out. | ||
| Jphish |
See John Deere muffler paint thread from later today. My experience is ceramic coating (like powder coating) is great in some applications. But before I spent $200+ on getting it done - see if anyone has a muffler with 20K mi & 2 years of use that is still holding up. just my 2c | ||
| Jphish |
See John Deere muffler paint thread from later today. My experience is ceramic coating (like powder coating) is great in some applications. But before I spent $200+ on getting it done - see if anyone has a muffler with 20K mi & 2 years of use that is still holding up. just my 2c | ||
| Motorbike |
Thanks for all the recommendations. I have considered removing the muffler and painting it but I am concerned that it won't last. I intend to replace the header-to-muffler clamp and all 3 straps, just to be sure. These get expensive and I don't want to do this very often. I am thinking the ceramic coating would last longer than even the best paint job. What do you think? Thanks. | ||
| Pnw_uly |
I had Jet-Hot Coatings applied to both muffler and headers in July, and remain very satisfied with the results. We're just at the start of the rainy season here, so although I don't have any long term feedback on how well it will hold up to the constant wet, I have rode several hundred miles in the rain. No issues with the coating in the 7,000 miles since application. For those in the warmer climes, I would strongly recommend coating the headers too. My '08XT has the comfort kit and Uly "Maximum" shield, and coating the headers has accomplished more in heat management than the other two modifications - - combined. . . Here's a few photos right after the application - - it's JH2000, which has a texture similar to 80 grit sandpaper. Muffler  Headers  For you purists, don't worry, the bike is filthy now. . . | ||
| Motorbike |
Does anyone here have any reason for me to NOT have my XT muffler ceramic coated at New Image Coatings in Centerville, as recommended by Andymnelson? If so, speak now or forever hold your peace.  I plan to make a trip up to Minneapolis / St. Paul to drop my muffler off this Thursday after I drop my wife off at the Mall of America to Christmas shop. I will post before and after pics of the muffler when done. Thanks. | ||
| Uly_dude |
sounds great Al. I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about it. Ceramic coating my headers is on my list of stuff to do. Probably next winter. Though I'll be getting mine done silver. You're probably going to do your muffler black I assume. Ask those guys if they even do silver would ya? thanks. | ||
| Schwara |
I've only heard good things. One guy I spoke with did have one comment in asking me about where the muffler was located and where I road. He said it should hold up a very long time, unless I did a lot of off-road and/or gravel. Gravel hitting the ceramic could potentially chip it. Assuming I got the ceramic and then assuming I planned a trip with a lot of gravel I would probably add the Touratech lower engine guard for the Buell. I wouldn't honestly be that worried though. If this were common I think we would have heard from some people out here. Let us know how it turns out. | ||
| Motorbike |
Uly_dude, Yes, I will be getting my muffler done in satin black. Leaving the header stock. And yes, I know they do silver as it is on their web-site: http://www.newimagecoatings.com/ Also, I will drop it off Thursday but will not be able to pick it up until next time I go up to visit my daughter in college. The bike is stored in my shop right now for winter so it may be a while before I can post any results. Thanks. | ||
| Motorbike |
I just took a closer look at the web-site. Now I'm not so sure about whether they do silver, it almost looks more like chrome in the ad. I will ask about colors when I visit this week and will let you guys know. Thanks. | ||
| Pnw_uly |
5 1/2 Month, 8500 Mile Update Here's a few supplemental pictures to my initial ones posted above, after several months and miles... If you go with the black coating, and ride in the rain, you'll probably get some discoloration over time. Has not affected the ceramic coating, other than appearance. Some of this is just road grime, but even after a rare winter wash, the headers and muffler still have a gray tint - - doesn't revert totally back to black. . . Headers  Muffler  (Disregard the oil, got little sloppy on my filter change earlier this week) Still worth it ? ? ? To me, you bet. Once the rain stops here (mid-to-late May), I'll just hit it with a quick spray of BBQ paint. | ||
| Motorbike |
Thanks for the pics Pnw_uly. Even though your muffler is discolored, I don't see any rust and that is my main goal. I mostly ride just for recreation so I can kind of pick and choose the days I ride. I rarely get caught in the rain, but it does happen. Since my bike is pretty clean most of the time, I'm thinking this ceramic coating will work good for me. Thanks. | ||
| Uly_man |
Motorbike The SS straps are about best quality I have ever seen and the clamp is fine as well. Why change them/what would you use? The headers are SS so will not rot but coating them helps to keep in the gas heat, which is what the coating was designed to do in the first place. The higher the grade and level of coating the better the insulation of the pipe. Thicker costs more as do colours. White is the cheapest. Polishing them looks good and you can DIY so why not. The can. You could coat it but why? Surface rust is normal and the metal is so thick it will last a long time. Clean and use BBQ paint if needed. Your in the US so buy an Albert can. Very good, cheap, lighter, will not rot, better power, sounds great, not that much more money and you will get most of it back if you sell the thing on. | ||
| Motorbike |
The SS straps are about best quality I have ever seen and the clamp is fine as well. Why change them/what would you use? I will definitely replace the front strap and exhaust clamp with stock new parts, mostly because I have heard of many people having problems if they re-use the old ones. The jury is still out on the rear ones. They still look like brand new and new ones are around $20 each. The headers are SS so will not rot but coating them helps to keep in the gas heat I am not doing this to improve performance or to keep exhaust external heat down. I am perfectly satisfied with this bikes power and the way it runs now with the EBR ECM. As far as heat coming off the header, I really don't have a problem with that. I have the comfort kit and Odie's heat blanket and that combo works for me. Keep in mind I live in Minnesota where 80 degrees Fahrenheit seems really hot. The can. You could coat it but why? Strictly for looks. This is a big muffler and I notice it every time I walk past the bike. I could paint it but I think ceramic coating will last longer. One more thought. Someone on here mentioned replacing the Torco front clamp with a regular automotive exhaust clamp. I would never do that because that kind of clamp actually crimps the pipe. It will crush a ring into the neck of the muffler around the header pipe and the muffler will be very difficult to remove if the need arises. On cars, I use a torch to cut the old muffler off but I doubt anyone wants to do that with their Buell. Thank you to all who have replied. I enjoy this web-site almost as much as riding my Buell........nahhhhhh! (Message edited by motorbike on December 14, 2011) | ||
| Snowhoney |
just enjoy our stay at this site!! | ||
| Onezeno |
Performance coatings plus did my headers much cheaper than the Jet-Hot price. | ||
| Smorris |
for anyone wanting to use POR-15--free shipping thru cyber-monday code "THANKS2016"... shipping usually cost about as much as the spray can. crazy good products at relatively high price. but far less than powdercoat. |
