To wrap or not to wrap?

[Arnie]

Can anyone give me some advice please, I am thinking of wrapping my exhausts and wondered if anyone can tell me to pros and cons in doing this? I think it looks cool but does it have any benefits or is it a bad choice?

 

[Greyfell]

Can anyone give me some advice please, I am thinking of wrapping my exhausts and wondered if anyone can tell me to pros and cons in doing this? I think it looks cool but does it have any benefits or is it a bad choice?

I'd like to know the thoughts on that, too.

 

[CarlS]

Me, too. Personally, I do not like wrapped pipes.They are, to me, aesthetically unappealing. But I respect those who like them.

 

[Rocky]

Just my personal opinion, and of course you can do as you wish, but I think wrapped pipes look terrible on a street bike.
But that's just me. Do what pleases you.

 

[firemurse523]

I wrapped my pipes. I go through the pros and cons as far as I know. Please feel free to add or correct me if I’m wrong.

Pros:
-classic look, the exhaust on my 2018 T120 is all about looks. The pipes actually go into a catback system so triumph made a fake sleeve to make it look like the pipe goes straight from header to tail, but it’s fake. Even triumph understands looks.
-the wraps are fiber glass and there for protect from heat. Again this is only for the portion from headers to the catback (where the shifter is). So if you touch the front of the pipe the burn won’t be so severe. Lol
-minor protection of your pipes from scraps and scuffs.

Cons:
-biggest one I heard is that, if water gets between wraps and pipes, the heat + water will start to erode the metal of your pipes. I would really consider this if you live in wet areas. I’m in dry SoCal and rarely do Rain driving, so not as bad for me. Somethings I read said that after two years they took the wraps off and the pipes were toast, totally eaten through.
- If you don’t carefully take your time and wrap the pipe methodically it will look jacked. I took my pipes off to wrap them. I made sure each wrap was the same space as the wrap before and I still had a few areas where I wish I could have done better.
-it’s fiber glass!!! That means if you touch it you’ll have tiny microscopic fibers in your skin that will itch for a few days or until you go crazy and cut the top layer of skin off with a potato peeler .

 

[CarlS]

You did a fine job.

 

[Mac Morgan]

Personally wouldn’t wrap. I currently have my son’s Ducati 848 in the garage with wrapped pipes. It increased the diameter to the point that it overheated and warped the belly fairing. So much for wrapping.

 

[ChrisAnglophile]

I wrapped my pipes. I go through the pros and cons as far as I know. Please feel free to add or correct me if I’m wrong.

Pros:
-classic look, the exhaust on my 2018 T120 is all about looks. The pipes actually go into a catback system so triumph made a fake sleeve to make it look like the pipe goes straight from header to tail, but it’s fake. Even triumph understands looks.
-the wraps are fiber glass and there for protect from heat. Again this is only for the portion from headers to the catback (where the shifter is). So if you touch the front of the pipe the burn won’t be so severe. Lol
-minor protection of your pipes from scraps and scuffs.

Cons:
-biggest one I heard is that, if water gets between wraps and pipes, the heat + water will start to erode the metal of your pipes. I would really consider this if you live in wet areas. I’m in dry SoCal and rarely do Rain driving, so not as bad for me. Somethings I read said that after two years they took the wraps off and the pipes were toast, totally eaten through.
- If you don’t carefully take your time and wrap the pipe methodically it will look jacked. I took my pipes off to wrap them. I made sure each wrap was the same space as the wrap before and I still had a few areas where I wish I could have done better.
-it’s fiber glass!!! That means if you touch it you’ll have tiny microscopic fibers in your skin that will itch for a few days or until you go crazy and cut the top layer of skin off with a potato peeler .

Consider giving the a multiple layer of Exhaust Paint , including the Cat Converter. This will not do much for insulation , but might help the Fear of Corrosion.
The Fibreglass Rap , will increase the temperature of the Gas to the Cat Converter , which will keep it clean and make it work better , including start up!
I would not Rap the first 4 or 5 inches of the Header , as it might have the effect of making the Head Run Hotter.

In the Old Dark , people use to Rap the Headers , as it made Rusty Salt attacked pipes look better. Like Paint it Hides a 1000 woes.

 

[Gogreen]

I agree with [U]firemurse523,[/U] he got it about right. I've been around bikes all my life and can never remember a prodution Brit bike with wrapped exhausts. Extra cost and extra work, looks naff IMHO, can hide and promote corrosion, H&S issues of fibreglass.

 

[unclescratch]

From what I have read about wrapping exhaust headers on muscle cars, wrapping the tubes will lead to deteriorated metal of the tubes. Personally, I think it looks awful.