Exhaust pipes different colors

[lsouth3]

Greetings,
I have had this 1980 R100RS for a couple of years and it performs quite well in every way. A buddy asked me about the pipes and I never gave it any thought but one is blue and the other is gold. Must be a mix problem in the carbs, but what is the procedure for correcting it? Thanks for any help.
Lee :bikes

[Lee]

Stainless pipes usually turn gold.
Any chance you have one stainless and one chrome?

[The_Veg]

My stainless headers are dark grey.

[lkchris]

One of the headers--on the cylinder to the rear--has a sharper bend than the other, which could make for more heating.

Unless someone has screwed up the carbs it seems more likely a valve adjustment problem.

Might want to check compression.

Bing does say to put in new needles every 2 years.

[donbmw]

Airhead pipes have always turn colors. You would have to go with aftermarket pipes that are double wall to not have this color change.

Don

[BubbaZanetti]

My stainless headers are dark grey.



mine alwasy were too, but then again, someone chopped off my balance pipe and welded the holes shut with the end of a big bolt jammed in there, lol...........

[Boxerkuh]

Airhead pipes have always turn colors. You would have to go with aftermarket pipes that are double wall to not have this color change.

Don

Don is on the money. The transfer of heat has something to do with it. I would not worry about it. It is much more important what is coming out of your tail pipe. :thumb

[lsouth3]

Cool! Thanks for the information. The plugs burn pretty clean and the pipes don't smoke. I've only got 32K on the Bike and the last 15 are mine. I'll adjust the valves and not worry about it. THe bike really is smooth and powerful and I just didn't think a lot could be wrong. :thumb
Lee

[James.A]

I have a set of new pipes that are turning bluer on one side. I have every reason to believe that that cylinder is running rich.

[PGlaves]

Look for the pipe that glows reddish in the dark when hot. That side will be running leaner than the other one - probably the bluer one. The color progression is usually from silver to gold to blue.

[cjack]

Look for the pipe that glows reddish in the dark when hot. That side will be running leaner than the other one - probably the bluer one. The color progression is usually from silver to gold to blue.

Did you mean the leaner one is the bluer one?

While that makes sense, if there is unburned fuel being burned in the exhaust pipe, wouldn't that pipe get hotter? Or is that not possible? This is not electronics...so...duh.

[James.A]

Thanks for the tip Paul. On my "bluer" side, the plug looks sooty and the idle mixture screw has no effect when attempting to balance the carbs. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[manicmechanic]

Jim, I would suggest it's time to clean the carbs, and check the float levels.

[Lee]

It's been too many years since I had a twin. I understand how you will have different degrees of blue depending on fuel air mixture, but how do you get gold?
I don't remember chrome turning gold.
Like I said, it has been too long.

Just go ride in the rain and the brown grey crud will cover the blue and gold :D

[cjack]

It's been too many years since I had a twin. I understand how you will have different degrees of blue depending on fuel air mixture, but how do you get gold?
I don't remember chrome turning gold.
Like I said, it has been too long.

Just go ride in the rain and the brown grey crud will cover the blue and gold :D

Now that I think of it my R100S ('78) with new pipes on it last year went on reserve. At the time the pipes were gold...nice. Within about 10 seconds, they turned very blue. Even the crossover. Oh well.

And...like YOU ever let your pipes have brown grey crud on them for more than four hours at a time...heh. :)

[Lee]

And...like YOU ever let your pipes have brown grey crud on them for more than four hours at a time...heh. :)

OK you got me on that one :ha