Thermal tape for motorcycle mufflers: varieties and purpose

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

If your motorcycle's exhaust system is rusted and looks very unsightly, you should think about how to restore it. Muffler tape is an affordable and inexpensive consumable item that will help improve the appearance of your bike. It's fairly easy to get now, at almost any motorcycle parts and accessories store.

Varieties

Muffler thermal tapes are made on the basis of silica, expanded clay, bas alt, carbon or ceramics. Such materials withstand temperatures from 850 to 1100 degrees. These products are produced with a strip width of 25 mm or more. For motorcycles, 50 mm wide tape is most convenient to use.

Until quite recently it was possible to purchase stripes in only two basic colors: white and black. Now such products of various colors have appeared on the market. You can choose the tape that best matches the color of your motorcycle.

Depending on the material and manufacturer, a 10 m long coil costs from 1000 to 3500 rubles.

Destination

The main purpose of muffler tape is to improve the appearance of a motorcycle. Over time, the components of the exhaust system rust, chrome elements lose their luster (and sometimes this coating is damaged or peeled off). By wrapping parts of the motorcycle with a special tape, you will not only hide all defects, but also give it a brutal look. The second useful function of this material is to protect the legs of a motorcyclist from parts of the exhaust system that heat up to very high temperatures.

From a technical point of view, according to experts, tape winding reduces the cooling rate of exhaust gases, and, as a result, increases the speed of their exit to the outside. This leads to an increase in engine power (albeit insignificant, only 2-3 l / s).

This coating increases the sound insulation of the exhaust system, although it is unlikely that any of the bikers is embarrassed by the roar of the engine of his "two-wheeled friend".

Wrapping process

The process of wrapping the muffler with thermal tape is quite simple and does not take much time:

• First, remove the muffler and exhaust manifold from the motorcycle (the removal technology depends on the specific bike model, but, as a rule, disassembly begins in the direction from the engine to the rear muffler mount).
• Then carefully clean the entire surface from dirt and rust (using a metal brush or a nozzle for an electric drill). For a more thorough cleaning, we use special liquids forrust removal.
• Place the thermal tape for the muffler in a container of water (for 1-2 hours). Wet strip can be wound much tighter than dry strip.
• We fix the beginning of the tape with a clamp (or wire) and carefully wind it around the pipes (with an overlap of ¼-⅓ from the width of the strip). We fix the second end of the strip.

• After finishing the winding of all parts, install the silencer in place in the reverse order of dismantling.
• Start the motorcycle and warm up the engine. The wound tape dries completely and adheres tightly to the exhaust pipes.

Note! Some motorcycle owners prefer to wrap only the exhaust manifold, while others prefer to "pack" the entire exhaust path.

How to paint if necessary?

If you couldn't find the right color of thermal tape for your motorcycle muffler, and you wrapped the exhaust system with the most common (by the way, the cheapest) white stripe, then it can be painted. For this, special silicone heat-resistant paints are used. They are usually sold in 400 ml aerosol cans.

One container will be enough. Price: 420-450 rubles apiece. As a result, thanks to savings on the cost of the tape, the overall budget for restoration work will not be affected. In addition, such a coating will create an additional protective layer against moisture, gasoline and oil.