muffler rot

[williamemack]

I finally found some excellent used OEM mufflers and since these are hard to find and expensive, I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation as to how put them away for the winter. Dry them out well with a hairdryer?

[Altritter]

I'm not an expert on this subject for bikes, but the wisdom of the ancients regarding cages is to avoid repeated short trips when possible. As you imply, it's internal condensation sitting in the muffler that causes muffler rot from the inside, outwards.

Perhaps the simplest way of dealing with this problem is to pre-plan your last ride of the season so as to make it a long one. If your engine and exhaust are nice and hot when you power down for the winter, there should be little moisture to condense in muffler and pipes. (At least, that's the thinking with cages.)

[montmil]

I finally found some excellent used OEM mufflers and since these are hard to find and expensive, I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation as to how put them away for the winter. Dry them out well with a hairdryer?

I didn't get if you had the mufflers installed or just wanted to preserve them. Anyway...

I'm not a "cat person" but there may be one or two on this forum. I had read somewhere that there is a cat litter product that has the same ingredient as the crystal meth that comes in the little bags stashed inside electronic product packages, etc. Supposedly sold at WalMart and other locales. Need some help with the product's name.

Maybe buy a bag of the cat litter -I'd recommend unused- pour a big slug into the toe section of your wife/girlfriend/mom's panty hose, then bag 'em up for the winter. I'm referring to the mufflers here...

I don't know where these ideas come from... but I do listen to my Rice Crispies.

Monte

[MrRiden]

Why not a shot of hi temp paint for the inside? Allow to dry and plug. A schemer of light oil for the outside and bag em'.
rich

[montmil]

Why not a shot of hi temp paint for the inside? Allow to dry and plug. A schemer of light oil for the outside and bag em'.
rich

Sound thinking on the paint, Rich, if you could get it past the baffles. I might suggest not plugging the muffs as temperature changes might still generate a bit of condensation inside the mufflers - depending on where the hardware is to be stored. Best laid plans and all...

[williamemack]

So far, the best sure fire idea is to slip the mufflers off and bring them into your heated house and set 'em down with the skinny end up. They slipped on nice and easy and I used a dab of anti seeze to boot so removal should take about 10 minutes.

Will

[montmil]

So far, the best sure fire idea is to slip the mufflers off and bring them into your heated house and set 'em down with the skinny end up. They slipped on nice and easy and I used a dab of anti seeze to boot so removal should take about 10 minutes.

Will

Now all you need do is secure the open ends of the headers to keep from rusting up the inside of the heads, cylinders and such. One thing leads to another...

A local buddy rebuilt his R100S in his living room. Took a couple YEARS. No weather worries and no wife either.   [smiley=idea2.gif]

Monte

[Altritter]

All this leads to a question based on an informed(?) guess: Given the upward rake of airhead mufflers of the R65 generation and later, is muffler/pipe rake a significant contributor to muffler condensation, which in turn causes rot? I recall pipes of bikes of an earlier era having a slight downward slope. And though I was a little kid, I vaguely recall seeing tailpipes dripping water cold mornings when engines had not yet reached operating temperature.  :-/

[steve hawkins]

It is generally accepted that OEM mufflers are crap.  Frankly I would throw them away and get some stainless steel ones.

There is a very good reason that they are difficult to find.  And that is because they rust out quickly.  The only way you will get them to last is not to fit them.

Most stainless manufactures do a muffler in the same style as the originals.  They are by far the best option - and most people think that a stainless replacement is a sensible modification that can enhance the value of the bike.

I know if I was buying a bike and it still had an OEM system on it I would be factoring in its replacement when I made my offer.  At least I would know it was a very low mileage machine or it had spent its life in the desert - else it would not still have an OEM system on it.

This is, of course, speaking from a UK perspective.  If you have a set of OEM silencers and the bike was in regular use - 3 years max from new.  Then get a stainless replacement set for the rest of the life of the bike.

Steve H

[trolle]

Hi

Steve, do you know any stainless mufflers manufacturer?

greetings from a sunny but really cold north

[steve hawkins]

There are a few.  Keihan come to mind, but they are expensive but very high quality.  You can get them from Motobins or Motorworks.  Both Motobins and Motorworks also do cheaper chrome plated systems that are still an improvement on the OEM systems, some UK made and some Italian made.

Armours (Bournmouth) do them as well for a much more reasonale price, both chrome and stainless.

Having said that I have a set OEM headers fitted to my Cafe Racer, but they are thin and will not last much longer.

Over in the US of A there are several other manufacturers - perhaps someone will chime in from there.

[trolle]

Thanks.

Often when you ask a question, the answer presents it self: Google. And the first hit on google was one of Duane's pages
http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/muffler/slash5_muffler.htm

greetings from a grey, moist and foggy north - abominable driving conditions

[steve hawkins]

A very useful link.  I am still undecided on what to do with my R100.  But having a choice is useful.

I wish I could find a RHS 'Green and Breakwell'  to match the on on the LHS.  Not that the one on the LHS is completely unblemished.  I am not sure I want to stretch to a Keihan set though - as the cost will be almost as much as the bike is worth.  And will eat into my insurance 'fix-up fund' significantly.

Armours do a 2 into 1 for the larger airheads, but it is of the 'Siamese' style.  The headers are either constructed to go down the LHS or the RHS, which ever way, the headers will be of differing lengths.  I understand that the system uses their standard muffler/silencer.  I think there will be performace implications on this system.

Pickings on Ebay have been very sparce recently with only one set of 40mm Keihan's recently.  A good deal for someone - but as mine is 38mm not ideal for me.

Hey ho.

Steve H

[trolle]

Hi

I've emailed Armours for an offer on the mufflers but have not recieved anything yet. If or when they react, I will let you know.

On the German E-bay there is one Keihan muffler on auction see http://tinyurl.com/6psxhn

greetings from a now sunny north with wet roads only suited for careful riders

[aussie]

When I finally get the readies together I'm looking at staintune

http://www.staintune.com.au/exhausts/bmw/index4.htm