Tach leak / Help with exhaust cleaner/polish

[GregM.]

Any suggestions for a cleaner/polish for my 850's exhaust pipes - (are they called headers where they exit the cylinders?)

This bike has had a tach cable oil leak for quite a while - which was just recently repaired. Oil dripped occassionally onto the #3 pipe (which is right below where the cable goes into the cylinder)... And it has left quite a stain !! This was probably going on for some years (I've only had it 1 1/2 years and it's been there the whole time). But the stain has grown since I've had it.

You can't really feel it, the surface is basically smooth like the untarnished areas of the exhaust system. But the stain is : big... shows where oil would have dripped and run down the pipe... is defined... and is very noticable if you look at the exhaust system.

Has this happened to anybody else?
Anyone have any advice for a product that could clean this?
Or a process to remove it?

I'm not trying to make a show bike here...But it IS a clean all original 850 and I want to keep it nice and improve it where it's reasonable. THANKS

[MichaelHoward]

I would try various cleaners with a steel wool pad first.I think on my old 79 I had I used metal polish and a pad.

[Thomas Kenny]

Get a tube of "Blue Majic" at auto parts stores. This works great on metals. It has jewelers rouge in it and is easy on metals. I use 00 or 000 steel wool. Impregnate a small area of the steel wool with the blue majic and work it lightly over the chrome, then wipe off with a clean rag. The blue turns to black as it removes stains. It has always given me a great finish on dull areas.

[80sGSfan]

Autosol!!!

I've had great results cleaning my pipes with a European (German?) product called Autosol. This works great not only for your pipes but pretty much all other metal on the bike. Great stuff! A guy out of Texas sells it on eBay for a pretty reasonable price - I've bought 3 tubes off him!:-D

The steel wool suggestion also is a good one. I used steel wool (0000 Grade) on my 1100 pipes and they look NEW!:-D

Good luck!

[QuaiChangKane]

+1 for the steel wool.


I used #000 synthetic steel wool (kind of like a more uniform scotchbrite pad) to clean melted plastic from my soft bags off the polished SS Staintune high-mount on my VFR. It left absolutely no swirling or hazing on the pipe, and cleaned all of the plastic off. I then hit it with some Mothers and it was as good as new.

And I've since replaced the bags and mounted a home-made heat shield on the pipe-side bag...


-Q!

[Redman]

Greg,

A really nice 850 . . .

Want to see picture.
Want to see picture.

[feelergaugephil]

I've had great results cleaning my pipes with a European (German?) product called Autosol. This works great not only for your pipes but pretty much all other metal on the bike. Great stuff! A guy out of Texas sells it on eBay for a pretty reasonable price - I've bought 3 tubes off him!:-D

The steel wool suggestion also is a good one. I used steel wool (0000 Grade) on my 1100 pipes and they look NEW!:-D

Good luck!

+1, it's called solvol autosol, I buy it all the time and IT WORKS..