Should I Wrap My Motorcycle Exhaust?

I am pondering wrapping my TBR7’s exhaust with a heat wrap. With my past experiences around asbestos and fiberglass, I am not fond of the idea of working with an insulating material. Not taking this lightly, I have been weighing the options of using engine exhaust wrap as a solution to my TBR7‘s overheating issues. Would you please read along and comment below if you have feedback? Thank you.

I seem to be dealing with a frequent overheating issue (A Previous Post: Overheated Motorcycle Engine Problem ); I can feel it will my clutch getting sloppy and the engine power dropping. My TBR7 is air-cooled, and this overheating issue comes when standing still and running at high speeds.

If the engine is trying to cool off, maybe there is heat being directed back to the engine from the exhaust pipe. This made me ask, should I wrap my motorcycle exhaust?

Is My TBR7 Exhaust System Overheating My Engine?

I admit I didn’t have any overheating issues till I did some performance upgrades to my TBR7. Larger Front Sprocket(TBR7 Front Sproket Upgrade), Smaller rear sprocket, up jetted carburetor, and of course, new foam air intake filter. Where are the modifications the cause of overheating? Not directly.

The upgrades I did to my TBR7 made the motorcycle more ridable. Also ridable at higher speeds for longer distances. I am pushing the TBR7 since it’s more fun to ride now than when it was stock. As a result, I am driving it everywhere, and everywhere is the problem.

In the city, the stop-and-go traffic is a pain on heat management. I turn off the motorcycle to eliminate the heat source, but relying on the stock battery is a concern.

We all know the terrible stories about TBR7’s and Hawk 250’s batteries prematurely falling. Some owners made things worse by taking off kick starter or having a kickstarter that didn’t’ work. My kickstarter finally works (My Previous Post: TBR7 Kick Start?), but kick-starting in the middle of the road doesn’t sound like fun.

So stop-and-go city traffic overheating makes sense with an air-cooled bike’s airflow being interrupted. However, I have noticed that there might be something causing the overheating issue worse. When stopped, my right foot stays on the peg, holding the rear brake.

Typically my right leg notices a lot of heat. I have tried to leave my left foot on a peg to test the left side with my leg, and the right side is a much hotter feeling. I can only figure it’s the exhaust. The heat of the exhaust could be directing heat back to the engine or preheating any airflow before it hits the engine cooling fins.

Now for when I come off the highway. The TBR7 motorcycle at highway speeds is working hard, so there is still a lot of residual heat when I get off the highway. When I come to a stop on the exit, I can smell the bike cooking, and coming to a stand is terrible for the bike.

Even when I shut off the engine, I can hear the metal ping and feel the high heat coming off the engine. The right side of the motorcycle is worse than the left side.

So to answer the question, is the exhaust a source of heat contributing to my TBR7’s engine overheating? I feel yes.

If my right leg is ‘cooking,’ the engine must be receiving additional heat from the exhaust.

How Can I Limit My Motorcycle’s Exhaust Heat?

Simple, wrap it. Wrapping the exhaust doesn’t seem complicated, but it will cover what has been going through my head about this solution that might help others decide if wrapping the exhaust is worth it. From my research…

Should I Wrap My Motorcycle Exhaust Pipes?

So, should i wrap my exhaust pipes? The benefit of exhaust heat wrap is to move more heat from the engine and engine area. Exhaust heat wrap traps the heat in the exhaust system till the tailpipe expels it.

Are Exhaust Heat Wraps Worth It?

Wrapping your exhaust is primarily for protecting yourself and your engine from heat. Insulating portions of the exhaust forces heat to travel down the exhaust, primarily by continuously expelling exhaust gasses. By reducing the radiant heat coming off the exhaust, you protect your body parts and portions of the motorcycle from exhaust heat.

What Does Wrapping A Motorcycle Exhaust Actually Do?

Basic school science teaches us that energy likes to travel the path of least resistance. Electricity, water, and heat included. If you wrap your exhaust pipe, the wrap should offer resistance to the exhaust heat from trying to radiate out of the sides of the piping.

Do Exhaust Heat Wraps Increase Horse Power?

Again, this is after several web searches.

The consensus is yes. Wrapping your motorcycle exhaust with heat wraps increases horsepower. This improvement is because the gasses stay hot; they remain less dense and easier to expel from the exhaust pipe. This means that less energy is needed from the engine, which can be conserved for more horsepower being directed to the sprocket.

I don’t know if this happens, but the concept sounds interesting. I am biased towards wanting more horsepower from my TBR7 engine, so I hope this is true. 😀

OK Now, How Much Does It Cost To Wrap My Motorcycle Exhaust?

I found motorcycle exhaust wrap kits for less than $20! Now there are other engine wrap kits of higher cost. Still, I was looking for a good quality DIY titanium-based system—a good quality product with a more straightforward installation process.

Is A Titanium Exhaust Worth It?

As I just mentioned, I am looking at getting a titanium-based exhaust wrap. The price is very comparable with other exhaust wraps, but the biggest plus I found, I can install it dry—no need to soak it in water to install the wrap.

With others concerned about wrapping your motorcycle exhaust is terrible because of theories it traps moisture and ‘road salts’ against the exhaust’s metal parts, I figure a dry installation would be the best to proceed with. So I feel the titanium exhaust wrap is worth it just from reducing the steps needed to install.

Is Wrapping My Motorcycle Exhaust Bad?

There are concerns, so I am going with the titanium exhaust wrap to dry application. This type of wrap will eliminate an installation step where you apply a wet wrap that might trap moisture and ‘salts’ against the metal for a short time.

Update, after I upgraded my exhaust: Another drawback of wraps, my exhaust looks fantastic with the different colors of blue and gold. I will lose the exhaust’s contemporary look by wrapping the exhaust piping. Glad a nicely wrapped exhaust has its pleasing aesthetics.

It’s Settled, I Am Going To Wrap My Motorcycle Exhaust Piping.

I want to reach out to my Hawk 250 buddies. Thank you for much of the information I found about Hawk 250 upgrades. I hope my documentation of my TBR7 upgrades will be an excellent source of information for future motorcycle owners. TBR7, Hawk 250, Raven 250, or any motorcycle, thanks! I will order and keep you up to date about my TBR7 adventures.

Ride Safe, Ride Fun!

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Click To See My Recommended
TBR7 Upgrades

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Motorcycle Exhaust Wrap Good Or Bad Topic Update:

I posted a newer article covering my experiences with exhaust wraps for motorcycles. Been a while since I covered this topic, but if you completed reading this motorcycle exhaust wrap post, feel free also to read my newer post:

Exhaust Wrap For Motorcycles
From My Experience:
TBR7 Motorcycle Exhaust Wrap Installation

I always look for feedback and if you have options on Should You Heat Wrap Your Motorcycle Exhaust? (Pros & Cons), please leave a comment below. Is exhaust wrap worth it?

Looking for information on the long-term effects of exhaust wraps on motorcycle exhaust piping.

Thank you,