How to clean the stainless exhaust system

[MIUC]

Thanks!

Excellent tip!!!

The pipes went from yellow and rust to shiny :D

Did not do the entire job today, but here are a couple of pics...

BEFORE...


AND AFTER


[/img][/url]

[HappyMan]

What brand of cleaner did you use?  Just curious.

[MIUC]

Lysol.

I went looking for the one from the Dollar General Store with 16% Hydrogen Chloride, but they were out of them.

Walgreens next door had Lysol, with only 9.50% Hydrogen Chloride, but it worked. I had to scrub, though. I used the green-scrub side of them Scotch-Brite sponges to get the rust out.

It is very easy to do.

[HappyMan]

Lysol.

I went looking for the one from the Dollar General Store with 16% Hydrogen Chloride, but they were out of them.

Walgreens next door had Lysol, with only 9.50% Hydrogen Chloride, but it worked. I had to scrub, though. I used the green-scrub side of them Scotch-Brite sponges to get the rust out.

It is very easy to do.

Interesting you had to scrub.  I used Lysol and all I had to do was run the rag over it.  No scrubbing at all.  Kind of like watching those commercials for lime removal. :roll:

[JetdocX]

If you don't want to clean the stainless, then consider a ceramic coating like Jet Hot or similar.  Pretty cheap considering.

I like the blackout look anyhow so take my advice with a grain.

[pletdj]

I just cleaned mine with autosol
Came up with a mirror finish.  The secret with the autosol is to apply it with newspaper then buff with a clean dry cloth.  Not sure why this works so well but the results are amazing!!

[matttys]

I tried the toilet bowl cleaner on my exhaust with mixed results.  Many of the surfaces were rejuvinated, but with 29k miles on my bike and the abuse of the previous owner certain stains and blemishes did not come out.  I worked at it for a about half an hour before giving up.  Even tried a buff wheel on my RotoZip without much success.  This is a good cleaner for a new exhaust, but it's not going to take out all the stains on older exhausts.

[MikeBenzon]

Wow, what a great tip. I just cleaned mine and they look fantastic. The areas near the motor are not as clean as I would like to see, but the bike has 24K on it and I doubt anything will clean them up like new.

[Yukon]

Lysol.

I went looking for the one from the Dollar General Store with 16% Hydrogen Chloride, but they were out of them.

Walgreens next door had Lysol, with only 9.50% Hydrogen Chloride, but it worked. I had to scrub, though. I used the green-scrub side of them Scotch-Brite sponges to get the rust out.

It is very easy to do.

Interesting you had to scrub.  I used Lysol and all I had to do was run the rag over it.  No scrubbing at all.  Kind of like watching those commercials for lime removal. :roll:

I just found "The Works" brand at the local Wal-Mart.  It is a 20% Hydrogen Chloride solution.

[blacktiger]

I don't see the problem with the brown pipes. It's what stainless does when it gets hot.

[HappyMan]

I agree about the brown pipes but it's sooooo easy to clean it doesn't make sense not to.  It's literally wipe on and it's done.  And it does look better.

[MikeBenzon]

I don't see the problem with the brown pipes. It's what stainless does when it gets hot.

I was once told that cleaning my bike helped me inspect the bike for problems. Well, it was a good thing to clean the pipes this time, because I found that the last person to remove and install my front wheel did not align the speedo cover with the nub on the forks, allowing my cover to float. It could have ended with the speedo cable catching the front wheel and damaging the cable. So, I guess it's alright to clean the bike once in a while.