Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet Electra & AVL => Topic started by: tooseevee on July 16, 2013, 04:28:10 pm

Title: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: tooseevee on July 16, 2013, 04:28:10 pm
  This question is related to the discussions we've had on these two threads about baffles & jets & header pipes & it's come about because when I have a bike that isn't running (waiting for gaskets) I get twitchy & can't just leave it alone.

     I'm thinking of wrapping the header pipe black & spraying the Brit bottle muffler black with wood stove or BBQ paint.

      I want to use the Brit bottle because I have a baffle that will fit into it in case it's too loud (or untuneable) with the header pipe hot tube removed (I hope NOT to have to do this). The Brit bottle "silencer" is totally wide open - no baffling of any kind.

       Anyway - my question is to guys who have changed their whole exhaust to black - have you been happy with it? Anybody wish they hadn't? Any comments appreciated.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: rural earl on July 16, 2013, 11:51:24 pm
That should be a workable finish if you thoroughly sand the chrome first.  The paint probably won't last too long regardless, but it'll stick better if you abrade the chrome substrate.  Plan to renew the paint at least annually.  Maybe the automotive products available are better than the BBQ enamels, maybe not.  My wife's scooter pipe needs repainted at least once a year.  I use Krylon BBQ enamel, flat black.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: tooseevee on July 17, 2013, 01:17:51 pm
That should be a workable finish if you thoroughly sand the chrome first.  The paint probably won't last too long regardless, but it'll stick better if you abrade the chrome substrate.  Plan to renew the paint at least annually.  Maybe the automotive products available are better than the BBQ enamels, maybe not.  My wife's scooter pipe needs repainted at least once a year.  I use Krylon BBQ enamel, flat black.

            Thanks, Earl, but I should have been clearer, I guess.

             I was more looking for comments on the "look" of black on the Enfield from people who've done it & whether they're glad they did it or not rather than how to do it. I've done other bikes with spray black & I know it goes grey after a while. I can deal with that.

            And as you can see from my pictures on the other threads, I Scotch-Brited the chrome off long ago. Krylon's pretty good as you say. Dupli-Color is also good. I even used brush-on wood stove paint on a muffler back in the mid-'70s.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: mplayle on July 17, 2013, 09:06:42 pm
I have the D&D exhaust in black on my C5 Military and really like the appearance.

For painting your own, I would recommend using the high-temp header paint - available at most auto parts stores.  I used the silver on the exhaust header of a classic Mini and saw no discoloration after several months of driving.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: rural earl on July 18, 2013, 02:57:55 am
Gotcha.  Flat black always looks good to me.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: tooseevee on July 21, 2013, 01:56:17 am
  Well, I did the two pieces black this week after I cut the hot tube out. I mounted everything this morning. It's so bloody hot I was sorry I started.

   The system is totally open now with the hot tube removed so I knew I would go lean (& loud). I left the needle at the same height, traded the 15 Pilot for a 17.5 & set the mixture screw to one (1) full turn out.

    Two kicks with no enrichener & she started & was purring like a kitten. I let it run 'til it started smoking & shut 'er down. Went up & drank a gallon of water & went back down in an hour. Started & purred first kick. Ran it again 'til it smoked.

    Put some clothes on then (hated to) & went for a ride. Rode for about a half hour in 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th up & down & around. No flat spots, no bogging down, no popping or farting, just silky smoothness. I'm very close. Just might need some fine tuning on the mixture probably.
Title: Re: I See A Tailpipe & I Want It Painted Black
Post by: High On Octane on July 21, 2013, 08:13:16 pm
Nice!  :D

Scottie