exhaust question

Hi guys, I have an 82 xj650 seca and I have a question or two about exhaust. I'm wondering if anyone is running an aftermarket exhaust system like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-XJ-650-7 ... 1564wt_906
My pipes are pretty rusty and I think black would look cool. Would I have to rejet the carbs for something like this? If so, I'll just stick with the stock system. I've heard that steel wool can clean up surface rust on the chrome pipes. Is there any truth to this and if so, do I just rub the pipe with it? Thanks

 

Need to re-jet for it?

Maybe. Maybe just "tweak" for it. You'll need to ensure everything else (valves, float levels, carb sync, etc.) are correct and then see how it runs before and after the mod.

I too have a 650 Seca with rusty as heck head pipes. I'm still weighing the options for refinishing; but I don't plan to get rid of the original system. My collector box is solid and the mufflers are quite decent.

Personally, I prefer the symmetry of a muffler on each side.

 

Yeah, thanks for your advice Fitz. I'm surprised nobody has an aftermarket exhuast. If everyone has stock pipes I'm curious how they get rid of the surface rust. I'll do some online searching.

 

i have a mac pipe on my 750 but not a mac muffler. it probably will change the jetting. that mac muffler is kind of loud and heavy
you can paint the pipes with bar-b-q high temp paint or similar but it will need touched up every year depending on how picky you are. the trick is to get off all the rust, ALL the rust. acid or sand blasting is the only way i know of

 

Cool, thanks Polock.

 

Diet Coke and Aluminum foil works for rust.

Coke, like most dark soda's has phosphoric acid in it (the bite most people attribute to carbonation) it's also one of the more often acids for dipping rusting metal.

The Aluminum foil is smooth enough that it wont scuff chrome but rough enough to scrape off the rust, an diet coke is "sugar free" so it wont be so sticky afterwards.
I used it to clean up the surface rust on my fork tubes exhaust tubes. Also you can look up videos on youtube of people doing it if you want to see it work before pouring soda on your bike.

 

Great, I'll try that. Thanks khellandros.

 

coke and aluminum foil might work for fork tubes and chrome that you want to keep but for paint to stay on the rust has to be all gone and the chrome has to be dulled, muriatic acid does both. carefully, outside with a paint brush, keep it wet for about 15 minutes. when it's done you should not see any rust and it won't bead water.
aluminum foil oxidizes to make aluminum oxide, the black stuff you get is the stuff wet/dry sandpaper is made from, it scratches chrome

 

Personally, I wouldn't bother. In MY OWN opinion, based on plenty of reading, and experimenting, the whole soda/phosphoric acid removing rust/dissolving nails/etc.......is a bunch of hooey and wives' tales.

It may happen to work for some people.....hooray for them. If I'm gonna buy a bottle of soda, I'm gonna DRINK it.

Dave Fox

 

You could just wrap them.

 

...and if it's Coke, I'm putting Rum (Lambs Navy) in it !!

 

Tried the diet coke and aluminum foil. It worked a little but the header pipes are too far gone. Wrapping them is an idea, or I'll have to replace them.
I'm having my father in law paint it over the winter so some of the bike will look really good. The trouble spots are the exhaust pipes and the wheels. Also it needs new grips. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

Polock, are you talking about using muriatic acid to strip the chrome off so I can paint the pipes black or just to remove the rust from the chrome?

 

the acid won't strip the chrome. it'll just dull it and make the paint stick better.
some guys sand the chrome before they paint it. i never had the paint come off the chrome doing this but the rust tried to come back after a year. just touched it up with a q-tip.
by the time the rust is gone the chrome will be dulled enough