Original 400 4 exhaust

[Ken4004]

I have two exhausts for my 400 4 restoration, the first one is the original which has a lot of surface rust but seems solid.
Has anyone tried to get an original exhaust re chromed ? I have heard that the platers are not keen to touch these because they are too dirty and will contaminate their equipment.
The second exhaust a bought in Japan and it’s in excellent condition except for scrapes on its under side where it has grounded by the owner, this is the one I intend to fit back on the bike.
I have a similar issue with the original chain guard , in a poor state and has a lot of surface rust and previous owner painted it light grey not nice and also has a few dents is it worth getting these re chromed ? Let  me know your thoughts.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I had my 400 chain guard re-chromed as you know they have a couple of indentations as standard iirc.

The Chromer reduced the price when I told him it was more than an aftermarket new one, cost £150 in Nov 2021 including removing one small dent - it was an A1 job.

[K2-K6]

Recall a Suxuki GT 750 set being done recently, and they're really mucky inside.

Thought it was a recent Henry Cole programme that had a visit to the chtomers to observe too. Can't recall the business though.

Can anyone else identify  ?

[Ken4004]

This is one problem with restorations it’s very easy to get out of hand with regards to spending , I can’t see anyone really making money out of a restoration unless your in the trade and you can do things like chroming yourself so for me it’s the enjoyment of problem solving and hunting down parts I like a challenge.
Unfortunately to get a bike looking good there are certain items that need to be right and exhausts and anything chrome make the bike a they are the things that draw your eye .

Very impressed with the chrome finish on the exhaust collars someone posted recently but hate to think how many hours were spent on the prep work to get that immaculate surface finish.

[Laverda Dave]

My BIL had the 4-2 exhaust of his Kawasaki Z400J re-chromed at a place in Gosport about four years ago. It cost £650 and in my opinion it wasn't a great job, a lot of pits were still clearly visible and tbh he could have got away with cleaning it with wire wool/oil followed by Solvol but he lacked the all important elbow grease and patience to do it properly. The only reason they agreed to re-chrome it was because the bike only had 350 miles on it from new and therefore their baths wouldn't take a big hit with mucky carbon deposits. This particular chrome plater has now gone the way of the others, closed down :-(.
You could try Ashford Chrome Platers in Crayford S.E. London, they do excellent work but I dont know if they would do an exhaust, if they do you'll need to sit down when they give you a quote, quality is very expensive these days.
Whilst it is always nice to have an original set the DSS replica set is pretty good and a lot cheaper than a re-chrome.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

My rule of thumb is if you enjoy doing the work, overcoming the challenges on the way, your labour charges for the many hours spent over many many months of labour @ £0.01 per hour, if at the end if the build you get a return in value of 50% of what you spent on parts & specialist services your are doing well.

It's all about the build, when you run out of storage space selling your labour of love can help finance the next project. If you can't bear to sell then you need more sheds. 

[Laverda Dave]

My rule of thumb is if you enjoy doing the work, overcoming the challenges on the way, your labour charges for the many hours spent over many many months of labour @ £0.01 per hour, if at the end if the build you get a return in value of 50% of what you spent on parts & specialist services your are doing well.

It's all about the build, when you run out of storage space selling your labour of love can help finance the next project. If you can't bear to sell then you need more sheds. 

Very well said Ted.
I received an offer out of the blue today that bears out what you have just said. I have been offered a VFR400 for free from an old work friend. It was used as a track day bike but is all there with all the original parts. It just needs putting back together, its in Derby and she needs her garage back asap so it has to be moved in the next week or so. Its tempting but I don't have the room especially as yesterday a mate asked me to restore his Honda TL125 for him and I said yes to give me something to do over the winter! I need to find a lock-up somewhere!
To cap this off, only last week I turned down a free Brough Superior SS100 because I don't like old bikes

[Athame57]

Whilst it is always nice to have an original set the DSS replica set is pretty good and a lot cheaper than a re-chrome.

The last thing I heard is that the DSS replica is not prone to blueing so maybe they are double skinned? Is it correct that new environmental laws have put the price of chroming through the roof?

[Nurse Julie]

Whilst it is always nice to have an original set the DSS replica set is pretty good and a lot cheaper than a re-chrome.

The last thing I heard is that the DSS replica is not prone to blueing so maybe they are double skinned? Is it correct that new environmental laws have put the price of chroming through the roof?

Yes, complying with the updated UK regs is costing Chroming companies fortunes, the cost has to be passed onto us, the customer.

[Laverda Dave]

As far as I am aware George the DSS system is single skinned hence the issue of blueing and the reason why Honda made them double skinned. The DSS full system I purchased in 2017 was single skin. I remember a thread on here recently posted by Nurse Julie of a replica double skinned system being made in Japan but it was expensive and didn't include the import tax.
Chrome plating has become so expensive now due to a) platers being closed down due to enviromental issues and b) the chrome platers that are left have more work then they can handle and can therefore increase their prices.
Johnny got some great results with the spray chrome a couple of days ago, maybe the way forward?

[Laverda Dave]

Here we go, I found the original post by Nurse Julie..........
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,31144.msg299923.html#msg299923

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

The stupid UK  Environmental Laws put  my best mates profitable firm out of business, he sold the manufacturing process to India if  iirc.
It all hinged around the waste/effluent water from the plant that contained something like 5.5 ppm of Iron when the legal limit was under 4 ppm. The plant used water from a reservoir within the grounds of the plant site that was fed by a ground  spring with 7.5 ppm of Iron from the spring. The only way to meet the regulations would have been to  have water supplied by STWA who wanted something like £200k to install a suitably sized pipeline. So as well as forking out the cost of a pipeline instead of free water they would have had a metered supply to pay for. As all the directors were all  over 60 they sold the site for just over £3.1 million making the staff redundant in an area of high unemployment.
Now India is the effluent pipe with little or no controls.

PS He isn't a millionaire though as there were quite a few shareholders - he is what I would describe as comfortable in his retirement.

 

[ozzybud]

Whilst it is always nice to have an original set the DSS replica set is pretty good and a lot cheaper than a re-chrome.

The last thing I heard is that the DSS replica is not prone to blueing so maybe they are double skinned? Is it correct that new environmental laws have put the price of chroming through the roof?

I bought a DSS reproduction  for my 400f for my restoration. I understood they would blue right away. I have put over 500 miles on them since spring and they are absolutely beautiful. Zero amber or blueing to speak of.
In the meantime I had my original downpipes re-chromed at a place in California for $450. I am not going to put them on and might consider selling them.

[Athame57]

Here we go, I found the original post by Nurse Julie..........
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,31144.msg299923.html#msg299923

Didn't work mate! 

[Bryanj]

Just worked for me