dumb question, what does stainless steel look like?

[bullet350]

 i've just bought stainless headers for my cbr from motad.

 i unwrapped them, all exicted, to find they look like mild steel.

before i ring them up and start whinging, is stainless steel always a golden colour?

 its just a dull grey at the moment, is it unpolished or just not stainless?

  bullet350

[guest833]

Can you get a piccy on? 

[bullet350]

can't get a picture as my camera is 'on loan' at the moment.

the pipes seem to have a silver/grey shine to them rather than a golden shine that i usually associate with stainless.

 bullet350

[bullet350]

here are the same headers on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350317382189&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

un-polished or un-stainless?

bullet350

[guest833]

I never really associated stainless with a golden shine- my kwak z750 has a stainless exhaust with no hint of golden- just the silver brushed look on the pipes and polished bits around each end of the can.

Phone up and check anyway if in doubt.

Does a magnet stick to stainless steel? Answer- depends on grade of stainless apparantly and amount of nickel in it 

[Mark]

Does a magnet stick to stainless steel? Answer- depends on grade of stainless apparantly and amount of nickel in it 

This was my line of thought but I thought I'd try a magnet test at home before mentioning, stuck to some items and not to others!

So try a magnet, if it doesn't stick it'll be stainless, if it does stick it could be either

[Furry John]

Hi,

My newly manufactured, UNpolished, stainless pipe on the DR650 is a lovely golden colour after the Dragon. I think that unless there is a highly polished surface put on stainlees pipe it does just go gold with heat. It looked just like the pipes on Ebay to start with, coloured at the welds and grey metallic between.

John

[guest288]

I've had a few stainless bits, when they turned up they were a sort of dull silver in colour- then I polished them up and they looked shiney. I think heat will make them go a golden hue, a bit like the old Goldie pipes when ridden hard...

[Ian]

Motad are a respected manufacturer and it isnt worth their while to "misrepresent" wherever their goods are sold. I think you wont be disappointed with your purchase. It certainly seems a good price.

Ian

PS I have heard that if you go to the factory with an SRX, they will make you a set of  custom (stainless) headers guaranteed to fit and at a price that will not break the bank. Especially nice if you are building a special.

[Richard]

My stainless pipes have a blue to gold colour, depending how close to the head you look.  The further away the more the gold tint.

Unless chromed they are likely to be stainless.  Straight mild steel would probably be rusty already.

So what was the result of the magnet test, mine are only slightly magnetic, nothing like as much as mild steel.

Richard

[bullet350]

thanks for the help, it seems that they are stainless just unpolished and unused.

 i didn't doubt the integrity of motad, i just thought they might have sent the wrong item.

the price also made me think i might have ordered non-stainless, £110 including postage is pretty good for a set of cbr headers.

i've now got the joy of removing 6 tiny 20 year old studs, just behind the front wheel with almost no mudguard, let the swearing commence!

much easier on the enfield, push fit with one large bolt.

 bullet350