Discolored exhaust pipes

[alke46]

Finally got my 79 GS1000 running like it should after the PO sold it with a lot of small problems. Finally road ready, now to just get some decent days to ride will be the next problem. No sweat, there will be quite a few good ones here and there.

Question to the forum: Are there any tips or tricks you can pass along to help me get the blue coloring off the exhaust pipes? I think the bluing was caused by the carbs running way too rich.
Does running lean cause a different color on the pipes?
Thanks for any help you can pass along.

 

[rudy]

Yes, they will cause different colours. There's blue and goldish brown. Not much you can do once it's turned. Bike shops sell stuff to get rid of the colouring, but it just keeps coming back. All single walled pipes will turn colour after a certain amount of time. Not too much you can do about it other than maybe ceramic coat the insides when the pipes are new.

 

[bwringer]

Ride the snot out of it until the pipes are covered in filth and bug guts...

 

[Alan Schlosser]

Yeah, I bought a kit to remove the bluing. It would change it from blue to a sort of golden brown. But, after a few rides, the blue was back. So, I just didn't bother with it any more.

 

[BigLou]

Ride the snot out of it until the pipes are covered in filth and bug guts...

Smart man.

 

[hampshirehog]

I like blue pipes - makes it look as if you've ridden it hard!

 

[TheCafeKid]

Blueing, while almost unavoidable in aftermarket single wall pipes, can also be a sign of a Lean-ness problem in side your combustion chamber. Blue pipes generally mean the exhaust is too hot, which is a sign that the air/fuel mixture is not right. Depending on how far DOWN the pipe the blueing goes, the more concerned I'd be. If its more than, say, the first inch and a half or so of the header pipes, I would be looking at the posibility of jetting changings. Just my .02...

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

If you really want the blue gone, this stuff works the best.

http://www.blue-job.com/

It's takes some effort, but is much better than all the other products.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[alke46]

Thanks Mr. Basscliff. Winter has landed in my little spot of North America for the time being so I will have plenty of time to work on this project. Good thing is, the weather will change back and forth a lot over the next 4-5 months.
As I write this it is now 37 degrees with a westerly wind blowing at 26 mph for a real feel of 19 degrees F.
Sucks being me at times.

 

[Dogma]

A leaky intake can cause this too, no?

 

[Guest]

A leaky intake can cause this too, no?

Yes, an intake leak will cause a lean condition which causes excess heat.

BlueJob is the best. I have tried everything, and it does the job.

 

[Florida Guy]

BlueJob is the best. I have tried everything, and it does the job.

I used Blue Job on my bike. Be advised it takes a lot of rubbing, but it really works. Depending on how blue pipes are, it may take an hour or more on each pipe. It comes in a tiny plastic can with very little powder in it, but you don't have to use too much, so it's enough for at least one bike. You can find it on ebay for about $10 and I even saw it at my cycle shop (where I bought mine).

 

[rudy]

Blueing, while almost unavoidable in aftermarket single wall pipes, can also be a sign of a Lean-ness problem in side your combustion chamber. Blue pipes generally mean the exhaust is too hot, which is a sign that the air/fuel mixture is not right. Depending on how far DOWN the pipe the blueing goes, the more concerned I'd be. If its more than, say, the first inch and a half or so of the header pipes, I would be looking at the posibility of jetting changings. Just my .02...

Not the be-all end-all explanation. The pipes on my 650 are blued. They're single thick walled pipes from Mike'sXS. That thing runs a perfect tan on the plugs, but them pipes still turned. Even ran them through a few quick heat cycles as suggested by many. Said annealing them would make them resist the blue. Ha!

 

[Guest]

Not the be-all end-all explanation. The pipes on my 650 are blued. They're single thick walled pipes from Mike'sXS. That thing runs a perfect tan on the plugs, but them pipes still turned. Even ran them through a few quick heat cycles as suggested by many. Said annealing them would make them resist the blue. Ha!

I used an internal coating on my new Jardine pipes, the bike runs perfect, and they still turn a bit gold.