Stainless or Chrome exhaust

[UncleD]

Morning all,
I'm up for a new set of pipes and mufflers for my 58 SR.  The current pipes are bodged up poor fitting copies and I won't be going down that cheap and frustrating path.

My question is, Stainless or Chrome?  What are the advantages / disadvantages of each.. How does a stainless exhaust look against Chrome guards & rims etc?  Is there a different note?  What about maintenance / cleaning differences?

I've looked into a stainless exhaust manufacturer (highly recommended) here in Oz and the full replacement system will cost nearly $1000AUD (paying for quality is fine by me).

Thanks for your great insights.

[muskrat]

G'day UncleD.
Go the stainless. The pipes on my plunger have been on there for 37 years. It was either Overlander or Reband, can't remember which. Back then cost $320 so $1K now is quite reasonable.
SS don't blue as bad as chrome, don't rust and polish up a treat (OK I never polish anything).
Cheers

[UncleD]

$824 plus postage is the Overlander price.  Cheers

[Rex]

I recently paid under four hundred quid from Armours and (to my surprise) it's a perfect fit. Very heavy construction too.
Maybe you or a mate are coming this way soon and could collect one for you?

[coater87]

I recently paid under four hundred quid from Armours and (to my surprise) it's a perfect fit. Very heavy construction too.
Maybe you or a mate are coming this way soon and could collect one for you?

 I also bought mine from armours. It did not fit for a damn.

 It took torches, prying, swearing, and finally a custom exhaust shop to get it to fit under a small but still there amount of tension. Add in 150 additional US dollars to get the heat straightening and tooling marks polished out of the metal, and it was a perfect fit.

 The mufflers fit straight on after I made brackets.

 Lee

[A10 JWO]

Got my new one from Armours, it all fitted very nice. Same price as Rex and good finish.

[muskrat]

G'day all.
The beauty of buying local (well in the country) is if things go pear shaped you can get your hands around the suppliers throat.
Cheers

[Colsbeeza]

Hi Uncle D,
I fitted Overlander mufflers and exhausts on my 1966 Lilac 500 flat twin about 20 years ago. I gave Barry old ones to copy. He did them all in stainless, but chrome plated the exhaust pipes, as he said they go yellow from the heat. The mufflers tended to yellow slightly where they fit the exhaust pipes but polished easily.
The bike is in storage now, but I know I will never have to replace them.
Cheap at A$824.
And yeah the modern blinkers were a cool idea at the time. I have now got some bullet-shaped ones from Paul Goff, but not yet fitted.
Colin

[BSA_54A10]

Barry has made quite a few pipes & mufflers for me over the years.
Big problem with buying from Armours down here is damage in transit.
Unless the pipes are packed in a wooden ( or steel ) crate the chances of them getting to OZ without being bent out of shape is slightly higher than winning Lotto.

[Butch (cb)]

Yes, I have an all stainless system on my Veefer and they do tend to yellow/brown - even the silencers. I too will never buy from Armours again. Ever.

[Greybeard]

Yes, I have an all stainless system on my Veefer and they do tend to yellow/brown - even the silencers. I too will never buy from Armours again. Ever.

I had a look at the Armours site. They say that the yellowing can easily be polished off.

[coater87]

Yes, I have an all stainless system on my Veefer and they do tend to yellow/brown - even the silencers. I too will never buy from Armours again. Ever.

I had a look at the Armours site. They say that the yellowing can easily be polished off.

 "easily" is an opinion.

 I almost wish I would have had mine ceramic coated on the inside, but I have heard horror stories about that too.

 So I guess stainless is going to brown out, chrome is going to blue and eventually rust. Pick your poison.

 Lee

[Ted_Flash]

Daft question?  Can stainless pipes be chromed?

[muskrat]

G'day Ted.
Anything that can conduct electricity can be chromes. Even plastic if you coat it in carbon powder 1st.
Cheers

[Colsbeeza]

G'Day Ted,
My reply #7 above - The Overlander exhausts on my Lilac were chromed over stainless. It has been very successful - no sign of lifting off. The mufflers were not chromed, and they do yellow slightly - more so near the exhaust where they are hottest.
Cheers Col