[eatabullet]

im not experienced with wrapping at all.. but what is the point of it?

it looks badass!

but it keeps the headers hotter, and the exhaust gasses remain hotter. hotter = less dense, which = faster moving gasses that help evacuate the cylinder, which frees up a little hp

 

[eatabullet]

I've come this far I might as well go on with the Exhaust wrap... Exhaust wrapping your headpipes can dramatically alter the gas flow & even the reversion pulse waves, especially beneficial for most stock exhaust headers when used with a slip-on as it tends to allow you to run much stronger in the mid-range (after rejetting). It keeps the exhaust gasses hotter longer which makes them easier to expel out the pipes. We all know that the hotter something is the easier it flows... problem is it is extremely difficult to get the jetting right after the wrapping mod & usually require main jets & needles outside the typical range of off the shelf jet-kits... Also wrapping a Stainless Steel headpipe will rapidly deteriorate the pipe & if you wrap a ceramic coated header, it will turn to ash within 3 months! So in the event any of you follow up on this stuff I only suggest wrapping the stock headpipes due to their heavy construction... The extra heat generated inside the pipes by the wrap will eventually destroy the stock headpipes too, but you can always find stock headpipes for sale just hanging in someone's garage... & to me the added useable horsepower (mid range)is worth replacing the stock headpipes every 3 or 4 years (if you even keep the bike that long) NOW THE KICKER: Although I have experienced gains by doing this mod on many different bikes with inline motors, I have not experienced any appreciable gains with it on the RC51. Now to clarify that statement let say that my first attempt was without the benefit of the PCII to alter the fueling & there were zero changes registered on the dyno with the addition of the exhaust wrap. I do have intentions of trying it again this summer & I'll post my findings at that time. Let me also say that many RC51 owners have found it very beneficial to wrap the rear headpipe where it is in close proximity to the rear shock in an effort to keep the shock cooler from radiated heat & reduce fade. On a related subject & since I am copying most of this from posts I had made on one of the many online forums I frequent earlier today, let's discuss Jet Hot coatings: I do not have any actual experience with the jet-hot coating & the reviews I get from credible people that have had it done are diverse to say the least. I am relatively sure it is a worthwhile investment as in theory it should work great, but for me it's hard to beat a $50 roll of exhaust wrap & maybe some new jets & needles...

stolen from rc51.org

 

[eatabullet]

you can use a vinyl/flexible measuring tape like jvanguard did in his DIY post, see post #9 of this thread for the link.

 

[eatabullet]

off the bike, since you're wrapping them, it will give you more room to work.

 

[eatabullet]

I heard wrapping headers can over heat the engine cause it keeps the heat in, don't quote me on that, just saying what I heard

you should find the person who told you that, and hit them with a hammer.