Black Mufflers

Well I finally bit the bullet and decided to paint my mufflers black. I had tossed around the Idea for a while and finally decided I would give it a try. I had a extra set of mufflers that one had a couple of small dents so I figured why not. I must say I think they look good. The stock mufflers stick out, being the only thing polished. This makes them look smaller and more blended with the bike. I used some 220 grit sand paper and scuffed the surface, cleaned well, and used some high temp paint. If doing it over again I would use some adhesion promoter first, just to make sure the paint has a good bond. Time will tell if the paint will hold up. My only real concern is how hot the cats get. I guess we'll see.

Hey....I had the same idea and have an extra set of mufflers I was planning to do this to. Cool....since I have the same color bike, it's like seeing the final result without the fuss.

streetrod said:

My only real concern is how hot the cats get. I guess we'll see.

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They get damn hot! I'll be surprised if the paint isn't cooked off the cylindrical section where the cats are housed as well as immediately adjacent to that area. Interesting idea though. Anyone remember the black chrome that was popular in the 80s? My '83 Interceptor had black chrome pipes, they looked good and were durable.

If the black paint doesn't work, maybe you could have them black chromed?

... or powdercoated....

Now.. do the wheels, exposed frame, luggage rack and handlebars and it would look completely STealth.

wjbertrand said:

They get damn hot! I'll be surprised if the paint isn't cooked off the cylindrical section where the cats are housed as well as immediately adjacent to that area. Interesting idea though. Anyone remember the black chrome that was popular in the 80s? My '83 Interceptor had black chrome pipes, they looked good and were durable.

If the black paint doesn't work, maybe you could have them black chromed?

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Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen. I used 1200* paint and I think cats run in the 750-1200* range. I guess I'll test the paint out.

I think it would look good if someone sand/bead blasted the mufflers and then painted just the triangle part, leaving the exposed muffler with the blasted finish (matching the frame).

Mellow said:

... or powdercoated....

Now.. do the wheels, exposed frame, luggage rack and handlebars and it would look completely STealth.

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I would like to do the wheels. Maybe when I wear out this set of tires...

gloss black or flat black?

Onicabbit said:

gloss black or flat black?

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The paint is flat black. Kind of hard to tell in the pics. I can post some more when the sun decides to shine again.

Regular powdercoating melts at 400 degrees. It would never hold up. But the High temp stuff withstands 1000?. I'm not sure how hot you need to bake it when doing it, but here's the high temp powders from the supplier I use for powdercoats: http://www.caswellplating.com/powder/powder_colors2.html and here's the regular colors: http://www.caswellplating.com/powder/powder_colors.html

Definitely a "blended" look, it changes the look that's for sure.

Looks good! I agree, now the frame sticks out, needs to be black. This after I just polished my mufflers this morning.

I like the look. I wonder if the newer Suzuki tri looking mufflers would fit on. I like the look of the twin tri pipes on the Busa and GSX-R1000

iride said:

How about black on red

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That looks good also. What kind of mufflers are those?

I like it a lot on both the black bike and the faster red one. Nicely done!

If I buy a Euro ST do I get the saddle decoration too?

streetrod said:

I would like to do the wheels. Maybe when I wear out this set of tires...

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Thats my plan to have my wheels powder coated black when tires wear out.Main reasons are that i think black on black is sweet and its easier to keep clean. It seems that some of the european bikes come stock with black wheels besides just the 03.Heres a picture of a bike i found on the net that i like ,good luck RIDEWFO.

awesome dude!!!!

Black is not easier to keep clean!

SteveST1300 said:

Black is not easier to keep clean!

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As far as rims go thet do stay cleaner looking as for the rest of the bike yeah its a pain,you just need stock in honda pro polish and a few thousand micro fiber towels along with an industrial washing machine

Or go with an '04. The filth on the plastic is an awsome match with the break dust. :