Evidence speaks for itself. Thanks for sharing your evidence.

People with rust issues are probably washing the bike before storing it, and not running it afterwards to dry the tape out. I've wrapped many an exhaust and never had one rust through. I've had cracks, but nothing that I wouldn't expect from a pipe that wasn't wrapped.

sandblast the pipes Clean.....paint them with heat resistant paint.....then wrap....

Had my header heat tape on for 2 years on the drivers side only.. a hole rusted clear through on cylinder 3. The passenger side had no wrap and no rust at all. Live in Louisiana. Very humid.

Anything that can hold moisture will cause metal to rust. Ideally I would say paint them first with a nice coat of header paint. Then clear with high temp clear. Then wrap. This seems as it would keep the metal from rusting on the outside. But it can rust from the inside out especially if you don't run it for very long and then turn it off. But honestly I see people around here get pissed when their header from 1980 cracks apart. I usually just ask what they expected out of 25 year old steel that has not been protected at all. This is why fabrication is so rewarding. Shit all I got left of the pipe on my 125 Yamaha engine is a curve and thats all I need......Well that and my welder.

@underoathfan14 I know its 4 months later, but no. The problem with wrapping irregularly, or leaving areas open is that you have an extreme heat difference between the areas that are allowed to cool to open air and the areas that are wrapped and therefore hold heat. This leads to extreme changes in the properties of the metal. Usually leading to cracks.

Good information Thanks

there are a few reasons, one is for burn protection, also the header runs very close to the radiator, so it's also to keep heat away from there. Also if the exhaust gasses are kept hotter (i.e. higher pressure) as they leave the cylinder, they excavate faster which leads to better breathing for the engine. Faster exhaust equals faster intake equals better performance. That's the theory anyway.

thank you

i think heat tape or no heat tape, the rust will still forms. unless, you thickly coat your exhaust header with ceramic paint and then heat wrap it.

im gonna paint n wrap my drz400....thanks

fuck. those pipes looked fucking huge until you picked one up. talk about optical illusion! ;-)

Are you sure that the flaking isn't just the fiberglass? Because I got the same thing happen to me when re-wrapping my exhaust. The fiberglass heats up from the heat of the exhaust and hardens up and forms to the shape of the exhaust

Yeah, if the humidity and high salt content in the desert sand doesn't get to it then nothing will.

Ah ok, that makes sense.

i think it's pretty much the same if there would be a difference it'll be the 2 stroke who get's hotter

To anyone that has experience with heat wrap: I have a 1997 Yamaha Virago XV535. My exhaust gets so hot that it has changed colour to a dark blue/black. I am wondering if some heat wrap will help to prolong the life of my pipes and visually I think it will look better. I've also melted a few pairs of trousers on it so no more toasted legs with heat wrap?

Will you wrap them again?

Would it help prevent the surface rust if you use high-heat paint before putting the tape on? I actually used some of the Rustoleum high heat in the rattle can on my YZ250 2-stroke pipe, and it has stayed on there pretty dang well. Does anyone know if 4 stroke pipes get hotter or not really?

Great vid man. So what is he main purpose of using heat tape on the headers?

u think it would couse problems with stainless steel ?

Man, your wife must have been pissed when she se that mess on the nice tile floor!!

@AbdullahHaidar no

Skip wrap completely and cerakote them, if your gonna do something do it right the first time.

Yeah don't wash your headers and if your running them that hot all the time You should know better What did you learn to do different

its not good for pipe..

the engine looses heat thru it s exhaust pipes also so if you wrap them you will modify the temp the engine is designed to work.(hotter temp and holds heat longer)trust me :D worst on air cooled bikes