Hi everyone. I have been contemplating getting my exhaust shields powder coated black to match the rest of my bikes powder coated items. Such as my rearsets, swingarm, head cover, bars, levers, clamp, etc.
Has anyone ever done this before and would the heat from the exhaust effect the powder coat at all. Thanks for looking.
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In my opnion the guards being black would completely change the look of the bike.
I haven't done such but powder coating probably is not going to put up with the heat that is radiated off the muffler if the bike is at idle while not moving or moving very slowly for extended lengths of time.
I would sooner have the shields ceramic coated. Not all ceramic coating has the polished aluminum-looking finish most people associated with ceramic coating. It can be done in a matte black finish, matte gray, matte blue, matte white, bronze, etc., etc. I have a set of headers on my car that were ceramic coated matte black because I wanted the benefits of ceramic coating (thermal benefits and longevity benefits - no rusting headers, etc) but didn't want a polished header in the car as I didn't think it would, aesthetically, fit everything else under the hood.
You probably have a local outfit that can ceramic coat parts - you don't need to send the parts off to a big-name outfit like Jet Hot (unless that outfit is close to you). To be clear, I have nothing against Jet Hot (I've bought coated headers from them in the past). I'm just letting you know there are most likely local vendors/services that can do what you need.
Powder coating is tough but it has its limits. I would talk with a local coater (who does powder and/or ceramic) and talk with them about this. I think they'd recommend ceramic, as well.
27 minutes ago, ZCD76I haven't done such but powder coating probably is not going to put up with the heat that is radiated off the muffler if the bike is at idle while not moving or moving very slowly for extended lengths of time.
I would sooner have the shields ceramic coated. Not all ceramic coating has the polished aluminum-looking finish most people associated with ceramic coating. It can be done in a matte black finish, matte gray, matte blue, matte white, bronze, etc., etc. I have a set of headers on my car that were ceramic coated matte black because I wanted the benefits of ceramic coating (thermal benefits and longevity benefits - no rusting headers, etc) but didn't want a polished header in the car as I didn't think it would, aesthetically, fit everything else under the hood.
You probably have a local outfit that can ceramic coat parts - you don't need to send the parts off to a big-name outfit like Jet Hot (unless that outfit is close to you). To be clear, I have nothing against Jet Hot (I've bought coated headers from them in the past). I'm just letting you know there are most likely local vendors/services that can do what you need.
Powder coating is tough but it has its limits. I would talk with a local coater (who does powder and/or ceramic) and talk with them about this. I think they'd recommend ceramic, as well.
Thank you for the advice. I never thought of ceramic coating them but ill look into it. Thank you> :happy:
You're certainly welcome. When I was younger, I had several Fox-bodied (1979-1993 range) Mustangs as well as other vehicles that I put headers on. I never had it (in college or thereabouts) in my budget to be able to splurge for ceramic coated options and never really figured ceramic coating would make that much of a difference. Until, probably, 16 years ago when I put a set of ceramic coated Hedman headers (bought directly from Jet Hot - they used to sell, direct to the consumer, name brand headers that they coated) on a Dodge truck I owned. I was amazed at the difference in heat reduction under the hood going from stock cast iron exhaust manifolds to ceramic coated shorty headers. Granted, in a 6,000 lb truck the butt dyno didn't tell me the combo was making any more power (if it made another 10 lb/ft of torque that's, realistically, all the more it may have made) but to pop the hood when it was at full temperature was a night & day difference. With the stock manifolds, as soon as you popped the hood it was like opening the door to an oven - with the ceramic coated headers, the amount of heat was greatly, greatly reduced and you could put your hand within a few inches of the headers (with the engine at full temperature and running) before you'd feel heat. I realize this isn't scientific nor necessarily what you're going for...I'm just relaying my own experience with ceramic coating.
The bigger issue with your idea is, as I referenced above, I think the powder might get cooked in that application. I think most powder coatings will only withstand temperatures in the 300* +/- range. Are the mufflers that hot? While cruising, probably not, but I don't know. As I type this, I'm wondering what the surfaces of some of the colored mufflers/cans, such as those offered by GPR, Max Torque Cans, and others use for a media - powder coating or a ceramic? I guess I could inquire. I know some of the GPR white cans specify that the white is a ceramic coating...the black versions I don't know about though.
To the best of my knowledge, ceramic coating (the media/material itself) is but a powder coating media that's been fortified with ceramic components. That's, at best, a rough description of what ceramic coating "material" is. The ceramic components plus (I'm sure) some different chemical components/chemistry allow that material to withstand the heat environments it's marketed for (headers, exhausts, iron manifolds, turbocharger turbine housings, etc.). If I'm not mistaken, I think most ceramic coaters' "base" coatings (i.e. the polished aluminum looking ceramic coating, cast iron gray and some of the colors each offers) are referenced as withstanding temperatures in the 1000*-1200*F range. I know Jet Hot and my local guy offer some higher temp ceramic coatings (for turbocharger turbines and applications such as that) that supposedly will withstand up to the 1500*F range - and I think all I've ever seen those listed in are offerings such as matte black, cast iron gray-type finish, and a very thick white textured finish that Swaintech offers.
Again, I don't know that the cans/mufflers on a motorcycle (or one of our street ridden VFRs, that is) would reach the 300*F+ range that would create trouble for a powder coat finish, but if it were me I'd err on the side of safety and spend the extra bit of money for a ceramic coating on the heat shields you're referencing. Not only will you get the finish I think you're looking for, but the ceramic coating will act as an insulator of sorts to keep the mufflers from radiating heat. On a completely unrelated note, I've considered taking the factory headers/collector off my 2003 VFR (that has 2,200 miles on it) and having them ceramic coated (well, everything but the internals of the catalytic converter, perhaps obviously). I wasn't sure if coating the exterior of the catalytic converter was even feasible given the temperatures a converter can reach. I was considering this for two reasons: 1) to reduce the amount of heat radiated from under the bike/the exhaust, and 2) to prevent the pipes/assembly from rusting/deteriorating with use. (this bike - if not obvious given the mileage - has lived 95% of its life in somebody's garage prior to my becoming the owner in Oct. 2017 when it had 1,800 miles on it). Anyhow, both Jet Hot and my local (Trail Performance Coatings in Papillion, Nebraska) powder & ceramic coater assured me they could ceramic coat the entire unit (obviously not the internals of the cat converter) without problem. Jet Hot quoted me a price that was over 2x what my local coater indicated he could do it for. If I decide to do it, it'll be with the local guy. Again, I have nothing against Jet Hot (I've patronized them several times over the years and have always been happy with their service/products) but I have a relationship with my local guy, he does top-notch work, and given the price difference...JH basically priced themself out of the consideration.
I reference the latter simply to illustrate there's bound to be local (or more local to you, that is) coaters that are reputable and can offer competitive prices. I think a lot of guys hear "ceramic coating" and think it's something only the big-named, highly exposed companies can do. Yes, it's more expensive than powder coating (because the material, itself, is quite a bit more expensive than the plastic powder used in powder coating) but for your two heat shields - I cannot imagine it would be much more than $50-75, if that much.
Why not contact a powder coating specialist and ask them?
I looked into ceramic coating the exhaust on my CCM £177 for the header, so that never happened
Its a very specialist job and expensive
I've used about every exhaust paint out there and they all come off fairly easily
Thank you to everyone that has responded. I am not going to rush into anything quite yet. I’ll look around for a reputable shop that can powder/ceramic coat and ask their opinion. I most definitely don’t want to go with some hack that will ruin the job. I don’t trust my buddies buddy that “can powder coat anything”. Once again thanks for the advice. I just find it odd no one has done this before. It would drastically change the bikes appearance.