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To Wrap or Not to Wrap (Headers)

thesideoutrocker

thesideoutrocker

Just got it firing!
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
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Location
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
I'm just curious and wanted to get some of your guys' take on wrapping headers. Especially on the V7's (mine is a 2016 V7 II Stone and I live out in the dry desert region of the US where temperatures reach as high as 115F degrees or 46C degrees during the summer).

Yes, I am aware there is the fascination/affinity with a lot of us Americans wrapping headers on our bikes. Mostly for aesthetic reasons. I want to talk specifically about the headers on the V7's. What adverse affects and/or benefits will wrapping V7 headers cause, if any? Are there specific type of wraps to suggest if one was choosing to wrap them? I'm happy with the way things are with my bike but if for some reason down the road I wanted to experiment and considering wrapping them, I wanted to get some feedback from fellow V7 riders.
 
Congrats and welcome to GT Forum. Downside to wrapping is that it holds any/all moisture against the pipes, so they will look terrible in short order once wrapped. If you don't care about that, the wrap will also fray and look terrible in short order as well. There really are no benefits in wrapping outside if using it where anything that can melt may come in contact with hot pipes. There is zero gain otherwise.
 
I would never wrap pipes that are not stainless steel. If your pipes are not stainless steel I would use a coating like one of the available ceramic coatings out there. Mild steel pipes that are wrapped tend to rust away, as Todd said the wrap holds moisture against the pipe. I like the look of a wrapped pipe but I do not do it to mine. Even stainless pipes do better unwrapped.
 
Considering that Vegas is the desert and there's little ambient moisture, is there still as high a risk of the wrap harming the pipes?
 
Vegas is "high desert" and has plenty of weather and temps. Rain is pretty common.
 
Yeah, I've spent months there working trade shows, but even if they get rain it dries right up doesn't it. It's dry, not Phoenix (where you don't need a towel after a shower) but still dry no?
 
Once the wrap gets wet it holds that moisture against the pipe. Even if it dries out after a day or so, it did damage when wet. That damage keeps adding up, and it the pipe is not stainless steel it typically won't take more than a few years before the pipes are rusting away.
Even moisture in the air, like morning dew, can do it. The wrap seems to pull moisture out of the air and hold it against the pipes.
 
Kev M said:
Yeah, I've spent months there working trade shows, but even if they get rain it dries right up doesn't it. It's dry, not Phoenix (where you don't need a towel after a shower) but still dry no?
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I lived in Phoenix for 12 years. Many people don't realize how humid the summer can get. Especially during "monsoon season" from late June to September where the dewpoint can climb to almost 50 degrees and humidity is at 35-40 percent, which doesn't sound like much but when you're talking 115-117 degrees during the day, at night it dips down only a couple degrees because the moisture retaining all the heat. Blech!
 
I chose to go with Ceramic Coating, based on others opinions and what I have seen. It might look pretty cool after its first installed, but it's going to look like sh*t in short order. I'm hoping the ceramic is going to be a low maintenance and long lasting finish. I think the black will look great too. The new V7III Racer's have blacked out pipes. I haven't installed them yet. Just got them back from the coater and a little custom fitting done (Thanks Jared!)
 
tonUPRacer said:
I chose to go with Ceramic Coating, based on others opinions and what I have seen. It might look pretty cool after its first installed, but it's going to look like sh*t in short order. I'm hoping the ceramic is going to be a low maintenance and long lasting finish. I think the black will look great too. The new V7III Racer's have blacked out pipes. I haven't installed them yet. Just got them back from the coater and a little custom fitting done (Thanks Jared!)
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No problem Andy glad I could help.
 
tonUPRacer said:
I chose to go with Ceramic Coating, based on others opinions and what I have seen. It might look pretty cool after its first installed, but it's going to look like sh*t in short order. I'm hoping the ceramic is going to be a low maintenance and long lasting finish. I think the black will look great too. The new V7III Racer's have blacked out pipes. I haven't installed them yet. Just got them back from the coater and a little custom fitting done (Thanks Jared!)
Click to expand...
Yeah I was looking at ceramic coating too and noticed that the V7 III's now have blacked out pipes. How much did you pay to have yours powder coated?
 
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