| Author | Message | ||
     Coyote_xb12s |
Not to sound ignorant or anything but, what purpose does wrapping the headers serve? Does powder coating them as an alternative do anything for the bike besides looks? | ||
| Lazyme21 |
The powder coat will not stand the high heat, that is why people ceramic coat there headers, which is meant for the high heat. I think the tape is just to keep the heat in. Not really sure though. Check out my profile pic to see the ceramic coated headers | ||
| Cyclonecharlie |
Coyote, Wrapping the headers serves two purposes 1. It keeps you cooler on real hot days sitting at stoplights. 2.Hot exhaust moves faster in the headers (wrap holding the heat in)thus creating a stronger draw thru the throttle body and a slight increase in power..........Later Charlie | ||
| Tarmac_eater |
It helps keep your legs cool and prevents you from torching your pants all the time when you wanna tuck in. As cyclone says it helps keep the exhaust gases hot so it moves more efficient. I run header tape on mine and i love it.Hope this helps | ||
| Rageonthedl |
......  | ||
| Coyote_xb12s |
Thanks for the info guys... I always wondered about that. A little more power is always good!  | ||
| U4euh |
Does Daves sell the wrap or would A.S.B. be the easiest to get it from? It does come in black also, right? | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Does one need to remove the headers to apply to header wrap? What steps are involved to do this project? | ||
| Blake |
I never did, but that is wrt my '97 Cyclone. It would be tough to wrap them off the bike unless you held the headers in a clamp of some sort. | ||
| Hogs |
Blake, Would wrapping the headers help in a lean condition or a fat position in a certain rpm range if you know thanks.... | ||
| Pcmodeler |
You can do it with the headers on the bike, just be a little harder to wrap as you have to keep pulling it through the back. One tip I learned last night from watching "Biker Build-off". One of the bikes featured wrapped headers and the guy recommended soaking the wrap in water first, as it reduced graphite dust from coming off the wrap and that it also gave the wrap a bit of stretch so that it would get a bit tighter once it dried. | ||
| Rageonthedl |
I did mine on the bike, the warp used to be black but i did not put the sealent on them and most of the black washed out in the rain....it does still look good. it would be a pain in in the ••• to wrap them on the bike and have the wrap wet. i have 36ft or wrap on the headers, the wrap it 2in wind with a 1in overlap. the only clamps holding it on are on the bottom near the muffler. and if you do put wrap on wear gloves and a long sleave shirt cuz you will be all itchy for a week when done...not that i was lol | ||
| Cyclonecharlie |
Hogs, If you have a carb.type bike,it would make it richer(with same jets),because of the increased draw on the carb. On a FI bike it won't change AF ratio because the O2 sensor will pick up the need for a mixture change........Later Charlie | ||
| Hogs |
Thanks Charlie.!!! | ||
| Thansesxb9rs |
Rag, That's why you are supposed to soak them first, plus I have heard that they can dry rot if they are not soaked first. Any truth to this? | ||
| Blake |
If anything header wrap would tend towards leaning out the engine. | ||
| Cyclonecharlie |
Blake, All I know is from my own experience on my M2. I had an S&S on it and was having trouble with vapor locking.Put it on the dyno, got the jets right(didn't cure the vapor problem),tried several things,shielded the fuel & rerouted,nothing worked.Was looking thru a Summit book and saw the wrap,bought some,put it on and cured the vapor lock problem,but seemed richer(back to the dyno)re-adj.low speed,chg.med.jet& main jet all leaner. The thinking was that the wrap caused a stronger signal in the carb.and was pulling more fuel. That was my experience,if my thinking is flawed Im all ears..........Later Charlie PS I didn't wet my wrap five years ago and it still looks good,but it got rained on alot that first year. | ||
| Trenchtractor |
http://www.themuell.com/photo.php?id=149 for mine. | ||
| Glitch |
Trench, did you do your's on or off the bike? Looks great! | ||
| M1combat |
I don't know who was riding that XB12SR, but they are always leaning the wrong way in a turn... They're pushing the bike under them like it's a super moto or dirt bike. Lean in  . | ||
| Scitz |
I used the Header wrap to cover a dent on the header when I bought my bike. I found that most auto stores sell it in 50' foot rolls. I only used around 14'ft total, I can't remember the length for each pipe. I wrapped the pipes while on the bike and used safety wire to hold it. I didn't get the silicon spray but would recommend it if you plan on removing the pipes to wrap them. | ||
| Lazyme21 |
Didn't even think of wrapping the header to cover a dent, I am actually selling my old headers on ebay that have a dent in them. | ||
| Hogs |
Was to Summits page and they seem to use hose clamps to hold the wrap on , Hmmm,.. What other methods are there to keep it from unwinding at where you start the wrap and where you finish the wrapping ??? Are there better materials for wrap also, better means to install than others??Thanks | ||
| Trenchtractor |
'Trench, did you do your's on or off the bike? Looks great!' Thanks Glitch... I did it on the bike... Took a couple of hours to do it properly... 'I don't know who was riding that XB12SR, but they are always leaning the wrong way in a turn... They're pushing the bike under them like it's a super moto or dirt bike. Lean in.' LOL, M1... That's me, and I'm sure you'll remember my last bike was a KTM SM that I built... Those pics were taken last year, I guess it's just a transition thing... Why do you think I fitted MotoX bars?!?!? | ||
| Glitch |
Thanks Trench, looks like StealthXB and I are doing this next. | ||
| Trenchtractor |
Hi guys, I just got a sapre 5 minutes and thought I'd add some more points... 1. Long term side effects... I didn't even consider the long term effects on my headers, I'm going to replace them with an aftermarket pair I've got my eye on, Aero units as listed on the Trojan site... So I figured I'd be the test dummy after the last time header tape was discussed and flogged as being bad for your headers... So, once these new headers are released and I get them ceramic coated I will report back on the condition of my headers. But I suspect that since they are stainless they will be fine. Blake has already said he's had his done for years and they are fine... 2. Improvement... Well, with the Jardine silencer on, I noticed the bottom end was improved a lot, 3,000rpm and bellow was better out of site. There was less popping and carrying on on the overrun, and the DDFI had a definate period of trying to tune itself, so it will change your mixture. 3. Application... I recommend lightly soaking the tape. By this I mean, unroll it, get a bucket full of water and dip the tap in for no longer than it takes to submerg the whole lot and pull it out again. I did this and there was a light brown colour to the water, so there is some sort of chemical or something that will get washed off. I suspect that soaking for any amount of time will reduce the amount of this 'brown stuff' to the detriment of the tape later. The hardest part is to get the tape up in around the O2 sensor fitting on the rear header. PATIENCE IS THE KEY. You really don't want to have to do it twice, once is always going to be enough!!! 4. WRAP IT TIGHT... Pull the tape on HARD. I had my foot on the headers and pulled every run of tape as hard as I could. The first section of 3 or 4 wraps I didn't do this and it's not as firm as the rest. I just used SS hose clamps I had laying around (unused), oh and I got the tape for nothing, too... Off my little brother (who just happens to be bigger than me!!) 5. It's fiber glass based and will leave fibres in your skin if you do not wear approriate PPE. Having said that, I did mine without gloves cos it was just too fidly and I felt I needed the control. The fibres washed out the next time I had a shower. I recommend a hot shower to open the pores of you shin and allow the fibres to come out, followed by a cooling shower... 6. I painted my header tape after it had been on the bike a week and I could be sure it was totally dry and set. In it's raw white state it was prone to 'fluff' and the fibre that were hanging out made it look like the tape would not last... Besides that, it looked like a bandaged teddy bear and it was apparent that it would look 5h1thouse pretty soon. When you paint it, the paint will soak right into the tape. I had to recoat mine (with high temp paint, of course) three days in a row because everytime it gets hot, the paint soaks in better. It's been over a month now and there are a couple of places where it's evident to me there is a little less paint than elsewhere... I hope this has helped... Before I painted the wrap... http://www.themuell.com/photo.php?id=145&gid=1 After I painted the wrap... http://www.themuell.com/photo.php?id=152&gid=1 | ||
| Rokoneer |
Trench, Outstanding 'how to' on wrapping the headers! Thank You! | ||
| Jan_lee |
Here is mine I wrapped. That is my force pipe.  I also replace both triple trees and head bearings.  | ||
| Scitz |
'I've got my eye on, Aero units as listed on the Trojan site' Trench Tractor I want that Pipe also. I think the the TI pipe is to much for a daily rider and I like that you can keep the chin spoiler. | ||
| Glitch |
Thanks much Trench. I am curious also on how they look after you take the wrap off. |
