Exhaust pipes wrapping

[Julian]

I think on the pre '21 model the exhaust tubes look rather good coming down together in parallel uncovered. 

On my 2021 however, the pipes are really short, meeting right away in the catalytic converter located at the front and covered by a silver shield which stands out like a sore from the otherwise blacked out engine. The rest of the pipe is covered in unsightly weld marks. 

I am thinking to discard the shield and wrap the pipes and the catalytic converter in black wrap, from the headers to the muffler. I would do this primarily for looks and secondarily for burn/heat protection. I am not after HP gains or any other claimed benefits. I am aware of the pros and cons from reading, but do you have any hands on experience? Would that interfere in any way with the normal functioning of the exhaust? If I wanted to restore the OEM look when selling, could the wrap leave any permanent marks? 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Julian

[M. Hausknecht]

Over twenty-five years ago I used exhaust wrap on my race bike's headpipes. It made the motor run leaner and, therefore, I went to larger main jets and richer needles (yeah, carburetors) to get the jetting right. The wrap also resulted in the steel head pipes developing pin hole leaks as the extra heat stressed the steel and caused them to eventually fracture after two years of racing. I never determined whether the motor developed any additional power with the wrap. I wouldn't use it on a street bike because of the damage it does to the pipes, and I don't use it on my 07 race bike. It could be that covering only a two-three inches of headpipe wouldn't cause problems (I did that on a Ducati rear cylinder's titanium headpipe to try and keep heat out of the shock for a few years with no problems).

[Triple Jim]

It took quite a few years, but I've learned that the best way to solve the problem of ugly parts is to learn to love them.  

[klx678]

You could consider having the heat shield ceramic coated in black or any of a number of colors.  Stuff lasts for ever, although the colors like black can scratch leaving the silver undercoat showing.    I've used it on a KLX650 exhaust system, it doesn't require any upkeep and it radiates less heat.   I asked about the colors and was told they put the natural silver coating on then put another coat over top.   The silver can scratch some, but the ceramic has a galvanizing effect that will heal over smaller scratches.   S&S uses it on their Indian FTR1200 high exhaust heat shields, son-in-law has one and the coating keeps heat down and really doesn't get very hot.  

I've had work done by both Jet Hot and Aesthetic Finishers, I prefer Aesthetic Finishers, because they were a bit faster and they were closer to where I live.  

Edited August 22, 2021 by klx678

[shinyribs]

Can you use earlier pipes on your bike to circumnavigate the issue altogether? I don't know if that would have any affect with ECU's, 02 sensor locations, etc. It's all the same engine, but other things may be different. 

[Julian]

1 hour ago, shinyribs said:

Can you use earlier pipes on your bike to circumnavigate the issue altogether? I don't know if that would have any affect with ECU's, 02 sensor locations, etc. It's all the same engine, but other things may be different. 

I think that the changes were in order to be Euro 5 compliant so I would lose that. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Julian