So, I'm going to convert the TE630 cans ala Brown's post. I also like the black satin powdercoat of the mid-pipe heat shield somebody else posted. Got me thinking...why not powdercoat the stock cans while they're disassembled? Could be a cool look with twin black pipes. Then, that got me thinking about those two stainless heatshields. If you never carry a passenger, they're pointless. They don't even help with side bags since you need a muffler standoff rack of some kind anyway. I'm thinking of losing the two passenger-leg heat shields. Grind down the mounting tabs, smooth it all out and have the stock cans in satin black. Any reason to keep those heat shields that I'm missing?
No passenger or big bag? Lose them. Just take your time on cleaning up where you removed the tabs... Powdercoating is only so thick... When I get a lot of free time, I considered laying up some carbon/kevlar heat shields using the factory shields as molds. Should be fairly simple, I've got access to some scrap weave and a vacuum bag oven setup... ETA: or even fiberglass, it would still shave a couple pounds off the bike and probably be cooler... I would still put a layer of heat insulation on the inside of the midpipe shield.
Well, I'll use bags of some type, but that will involve either side racks or something to hold the bags off the muffler. I think a giant loop is the only type bag that might sit against those shields and I will definitely not be using a giant loop (or mojave loop). And yeah, I figure that getting the surface nice and smooth after cutting off the mounting tabs will take some time and patience.
When you lift the bike, exposed hot parts can come in contact with your clothes. I ruined a brand new pair of Klim pants that way ones. Burned halfway through the knee. I added an extra heat shield on the pipe to extend it over the problem area. You may want to take a careful look over the bike with that in mind.
True -- the right side stainless shield extends to cover the header pipe as it comes out from behind the shock. I'll check it out and see if that header piece will be a potential problem. The left side is not a problem since the aluminum heat shield (that I'm keeping) covers the pipe all the way up to the muffler canister.
My only reservation with powercoating is that it chips and scratches which will show bare aluminum when it does. At least with bare aluminum the scratches don't show too bad. Just a thought. Would look good with the stainless end caps though. Black rims are all the rage but they do show scratches. Anodizing may be another possibility.
I have some powder coated items on my street bike and even there they show scratches really easy. I think a black matte finish on the heat shields would look sweeeeeet. But they wouldn't last long in my opinion, however for a motard that might be something really cool that wouldn't deteriorate so quickly. The mufflerectomy will most likely be winter project for me as well after reviewing the other post on the subject.
Hmmm...so making black muffler cans with powdercoat is not such a good idea? What about those ceramic coatings that people use on headers? Would that be more durable -- ie, hold up if dropped in the dirt? BTW -- I've got my cans all taken apart. Waiting for the stainless tubing to arrive.
Not much will hold up when dropped in the dirt, especially when on a soft metal like aluminum. Now if it was tool steel with a DLC or Ionbond, you might be ok, but just about any coating on aluminum will scratch or flake off. Anodizing is good, and if you get type 3 hardcoat, it'll be pretty tough, but it's still not rockproof...
