As those who have them know RR08~15(?) silencer paint and finish was pathetic and very non honda like. Black paint discolouring, flaking and the steel under it developping surface rust. I am looking at having the original paint removed and then repaint the silencer. Has anyone gone down this path? Sand, glass, bead .. blasting? Ceraminc, high temp coating? Or DIY?
I did it on my '09. Removed the exhaust and then the heat shield/end cap or what ever you want to call it. Gave it a good clean up and removed any rust, it wasn't very bad to be fair. I bought some black heat resistant exhaust paint from a local car shop, you know the type.....little independent business that seem to have everything at a good low price. Anyway gave it two or three coats of that and it looked like new. Not sure it's worth going to any great lengths as you don't see most of the exhaust, it's all hidden by the heat shield. If it's really bad I'd just buy another one. You can pick them up really cheap on eBay.
The surface rust is mostly on the inside (out of sight). So no primer, straight on with the paint? How long has your handywork lasted?
I used fine wet and dry paper, then sprayed with Hammerite high temperature matt black paint from Halfords. No primer, looks great. I did it about 2 months ago and still looks perfect.
Nah.... No primer, its matt black anyway so just give it a few coats! I've not got the bike anymore so can't comment on how long it lasted but its a dead easy job if it needs doing again in a couple of years
Thanks guys. Just a quick recap on removing the silencer: detach the valve cable from the motor under the seat right? How can I avoid the engine check light from coming on when I re install the silencer? Any do’s or don’t’s
When you remove the cable from the servo wheel......you'll need to turn it slightly to give the cable a bit of slack. When you reconnect it all after you've finished, make sure you turn the wheel back to its original position, that will eliminate the error light on the dash.
Don't reconnect the servo cable! The bike will be nicely louder at low revs and run fine. If you don't like the result then reconnect it. Mine's been disconnected for about 10 years now...
This is true, in fact I didn't reconnect the cable as it is well known as the exhaust flapper mod. However you must still return the wheel to its start position to make sure the light doesn't appear on the dash!p
thanks a lot. So I will mark the wheel start position before slackening the cable. And then reposition if aftewards. It sounds like without the cable connected, the valve is open (opening the 2nd chamber) if so, I might try leaving it disconnected to see how it is
Went the DIY route too, removed loose rust and paint using a wire wheel, degrease, alcohol spray. layer of kurust, bake, High temp paint with brush , bake, one final layer, bake. Only used twice in the dry since so cant comment on longevity!
I have stated looking at ceramic coating which appears to be the most suitable finish for exhaust (as per the claims!). It is 80~100£ but if the claim is true, worth it. This excercise is not because I am selling the bike but keep it in good nick as the OEM silencer is xtremely expensive and non OEM getting rarer because of the bikes age.
There is also a little tip that I haven't taken advantage of but keep meaning to do it as ive got an Arrow can on my SP. Secure an elastic band to the servo motor and around the wheel and this puts tension on the wheel and prevents it from over rotating and burning out...... Makes sense I suppose.
That’s interesting, someone enquired about the condition of the OEM one I am selling then said they needed to get a price to powder coat it, I was a bit dubious if the finish would last.
might have been me if it were on ebay. I since found out powder coating is totally unsuitable for this because of the heat! My aim is to use my own silencer if the visual surface rust on the inside is of no concern.
Disconnected the servo cable, did all the bits with the motor position, went for a ride a couple of times to see the results. No light on the dash, there is clearly an increase in sound below 4k rpm as expected but not loud. Acceleration & pick up from below 4k is a little different it feels a little smoother and no jump in performace at the 4k mark. I guess the power/ torque curve in more linear without the famous dip. The silencer has gone for shot blasting & ceraminc coating. I have a question regarding the metal gasket item 8 in the picture. I had to twist and slowly work the silencer away from the down pipe. the gasket looks metalic and has some scratches on it. The handbook say to replace it. ON mine, it feels absolutly stuck in place. Can I leave it in place? If not is there a safe way to remove it? Thanks
If the gasket is stuck on the headers and looks in reasonable condition, I’d say you’ll probably get away with reusing it. If you try to remove it it’ll probably disintegrate.
where it it still on the exhaust or header pipe? If its on the header and not particularly damaged I'd just reuse it. If damaged just scrape it off, I think its graphite or something similar.
