• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Chrome care: Burned-in bug guts on my header pipes

ploose

ploose

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Nov 21, 2011
Messages
36
Location
Santa Fe, TX
All,
How do y'all care for all that chrome on the bike? Have plenty of burned-in bug remains on my header pipes. Did all I could by just soaking and using a rag to wipe them down. Any care or removal suggestions?
Also, how do you care for the valve covers, they seem to matt/dull down a little as well...any suggestion is welcome. Thanks for all the great feedback. Love this forum.
 
ploose said:
All,
How do y'all care for all that chrome on the bike? Have plenty of burned-in bug remains on my header pipes. Did all I could by just soaking and using a rag to wipe them down. Any care or removal suggestions?
Also, how do you care for the valve covers, they seem to matt/dull down a little as well...any suggestion is welcome. Thanks for all the great feedback. Love this forum.
Click to expand...

Ploose,
I use Mothers aluminum polish on the valve covers and they shine like chrome. Just make sure you don't use polish on the laser etched MG logo or it will fade it.
 
Flitz on the valve covers, and hydrogen peroxide on the headers to remove the bug guts. Interestingly, I get no bug remains on the stainless steel headers on my 1200 Sport, but I always get them on the chromed headers on the Cali 1400. Can anyone explain that?
 
jbhotchkiss said:
Flitz on the valve covers, and hydrogen peroxide on the headers to remove the bug guts. Interestingly, I get no bug remains on the stainless steel headers on my 1200 Sport, but I always get them on the chromed headers on the Cali 1400. Can anyone explain that?
Click to expand...

My guess is the California is a double wall pipe so it doesn't get as hot on the outside as the 1200 Sport. The Sport just vaporizes the bugs!!
 
john zibell said:
My guess is the California is a double wall pipe so it doesn't get as hot on the outside as the 1200 Sport. The Sport just vaporizes the bugs!!
Click to expand...

Yes, the California header is "double wall", actually a chrome plated heat shield. But it gets plenty hot. Hot enough to turn the chrome heat shields blue and brown.
 
I powder coated my covers...They look great and they never get hot enough to effect the powder coating.
 
After a trip to my dealer, there were what appeared to be burnt impressions of a rag the used to hold the headers while they were hot. On a return trip, they rubbed the header with 0000 steel wool which cleaned them. However, I would recommend using a detail spray to lubricate the header just before using the 0000 steel wool to reduce the chance of scratching.
 
I had black marks on my headers from a jacket that got too close while pipes were hot. Used "easy off" oven cleaner while pipe were hot to warm. Left on till pipes cooled and wiped off with a wet sponge. Black marks gone with no scrubbing or discolouration.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top