Amazing motorcycle exhaust pipe polish and transformation (Do it Yourself)

Watch this amazing transformation from an old, pitted and rusty exhaust system on my MV Augusta F4, to a showroom condition exhaust system. This video will show you some great techniques to clean, polish and protect your exhaust pipes.
Follow me on Instagram @DIYMOTO1

[@Mr.Bearded.Mechanic]

1 important step I wanna add: when assembly the polished exhaust you should use gloves, or after assembly you should clean it with degreaser, cuz oil from your hands easily could burn on if the exhaust will heat up, leaving slight discoloration. Good job on making you MV prettier Sir!

[@diymoto3952]

Very good point! I usually always wear gloves. I did wipe it down afterwards with a methylated spirits mixture. Pipes are still looking great today!

[@HalfdeadRider]

It's titanium you need to do this for or you'll have purple/gold fingerprints on your exhaust, doesn't happen on steel/stainless steel.

[@jonathanrees3765]

@@HalfdeadRider Happened on my stainless exhausts.

[@mark675]

@@HalfdeadRider it does

[@HalfdeadRider]

@@mark675 Never has to my knowledge, maybe I'm just not so greasy 🤣🤣

[@andrejkrecov8997]

Beautiful and meticulous work for a well deserving bike!

[@xelnjare3945]

All bikes are deserving if you care about them!

[@johanloots4646]

Autosol is straight from the gods. Nothing beats it.

[@diymoto3952]

Definitely! I love the stuff, and it seems to leave a protective layer on the steel that lasts. Thanks for your comment 👍.

[@volvogt21]

Nice work and well explained. Btw using the webbing from a tie down strap wrapped around the pipe once makes light work of maintaining the shine.

[@scratchvideo8859]

Nice work - I have polisher stainless in a similar way but the exhaust will start to yellow and stain as soon as you start the engine.

[@ToddCarle-vq4go]

Great job and thanks for sharing your procedures for restoring the exhaust. Your MV Augusta is a work of art

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you kindly for your comment. The MV Agusta F4 is an amazing bike. I love everything about it. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@purebloodheretic4682]

The Bench Grinder looks like a a Hybrid Cutoff Saw 👍

[@diymoto3952]

It’s actually an old lathe 😂.

[@xelnjare3945]

I now have a new project for this winter!

[@BBFazer]

Omg, not normall. What a succes. It looks like new to me. Maybe better! Good video!

[@diymoto3952]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I was really pleased with the results!

[@caboose365]

nice work Mr Australian guy

[@cr45h20]

Just polished up my MV Agusta Brutale 800RR exhaust. Looks good brother.

[@diymoto3952]

Fantastic mate! Beautiful bike too. I love the Brutales.

[@gabrieljohannson6777]

A Ducati & an MV! Exotica mate & congrats. I'll be doing this to my bike this weekend.

[@HalfdeadRider]

Can be done much cheaper with Harpic Power Plus, or without, some very fine grades of sandpaper and metal polish, but nice way to do it if you already have a polishing and buffing wheel at hand already.

[@raystewart365]

And it takes a fraction of the time

[@אדיריוסף-נ4ל]

I watched this video just to look at this beautiful bike idc about the exhaust

[@diymoto3952]

It is definitely one of the most beautiful bikes ever designed, which is why I needed to have one 😄. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

[@AubMar]

Dreadfully annoying “background” music, otherwise good vid

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you

[@EBRAHIM_qtr]

That amazing and high level

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you, I appreciate your comment.

[@ArchimedeanEye]

Awesome job! Trust the Italians to complicate something as simple as an exhaust pipe well after the headers, lol!

[@diymoto3952]

I was actually amazed at how simple it all came apart. Speaking to other MV owners on the forum, I found out that MVs are really easy to work on.

[@drivelogic3841]

Great Results~!!! Excellent work~!!@ cant wait to do it on my Ti exhaust

[@c.g.c2067]

Amazing job, definitely worth it on that bike

[@barryseago7165]

Great video mate 👍

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@tomthompson7400]

looks great

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you 😊

[@lollipopsplaylandgoldengro3365]

Well done, looks amazing!

[@reycaballero2462]

My unicorn bike... thanks for the video

[@SpreadingKnowledgeVlogs]

Instead of having to do any hand work as a final step you could use a 1 or 2 inch ultra fine polishing foam pad on a handheld rotary polisher and get just as good results with less time and effort

[@SpreadingKnowledgeVlogs]

Also to protect that polish work you should ceramic coat them using a coating that can withstand the temps

[@JLK7700]

Nice job!

[@R2D2trashcan]

Wow the results speak for themself looks amazing. During the hand Autosol metal polishing process you look like you are using an abrasive pad or is that just a cloth pad?

[@diymoto3952]

Good pick up. Yes, it was one of those slightly abrasive pads used for cleaning metal pots and pans. I needed it particularly for the welded areas and crevices. It helps to make the job a little easier.

[@darylmorse]

Looks amazing!

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you

[@bobolulu7615]

Excellent job. I've found, that while using the buffing wheel, to wear a mask over your mouth or you'll start coughing up shit later on!

[@heinzpospech3261]

Great video although some suggestions Try Autosol Bluing Remover or alternatively Autosol Pickling Agent to removing oxidation on the exhaust as long as it's not a chromed exhaust Goes faster and easier Before using Autosol Metal Polish you can use Autosol Senator This will save you time when polishing with Metal Polish For Super high Gloss use Autosol Metal Super Gloss For extended protection finish with Autosol Metal Guard Effective and powerful degreaser, use Autosol A99

[@diymoto3952]

Hi, thanks for your awesome suggestions. To be quite honest, I have never seen any of those other Autosol products at our local Automotive stores in Australia. Generally, I've only ever seen the metal polish in a cream and a liquid. I'll look online. I'd love to try those other products out.

[@kennyirish5021]

Nice job. Oh and it sounds wicked too... haha ; )

[@Opethfan79]

Amazing job. I just got a used Ducati multi 1200s and the exhaust looks terrible. At some point I am going to pull it all off and give this a shot. Such a big difference.

[@diymoto3952]

Congratulations on your purchase. Definitely give your exhaust a thorough clean, you won’t regret it!

[@aussiemotolife347]

Great job. I usually confine myself to the headers on my Street Triple but my exhaust isn't as visible (sexy) as yours!

[@hughcalder6156]

final polish should be a liquid (even brasso will do..) that autosol is an abrasive (grinding) paste which is a wonderful first polish

[@diymoto3952]

I’ve been meaning to try California purple metal polish. I’ll get some and give it a try to see if it gives me a better finish.

[@hughcalder6156]

@@diymoto3952 i restore enamel and silver (as well as my motorcycles) last polish can be a true mirror finish with a fine liquid ..

[@diymoto3952]

Thanks, appreciate the advice. I just used what I had already. The Autosol I had was probably 15yrs old 😂. I also have the liquid Autosol which I’ll use for 12 monthly cleans.

[@7Scarecrows]

Fekking good job!!!

[@wandering_armadillo]

So much effort and a stunning result! Does the citric acid minimize future corrosion rate? Could I cheat with lemon juice! 😁

[@diymoto3952]

The citric acid will help with future corrosion, but the process I’ve used to apply it is not the preferred method. To get maximum corrosion resistance, it should be dipped in nitric or citric acid baths. Also depends how you maintain it, store it, etc.

[@mikejohnson9118]

Did you consider bead blasting or CO2 cleaning as a first step. These process get into even the smallest areas. Then follow-up with passivation and polish.

[@diymoto3952]

I don’t have a bead/sand blasting machine, but this would be a good option. The whole idea of my video was to do the job for under $100, so didn’t want to go hiring machines or paying bead blasting shops. Appreciate your feedback.

[@terrynicholson9273]

Harpic toilet cleaner from the pound shop will get all that shit off, then you just have to polish them with Solvol. Only doing half the job if you don't do the headers though.

[@diymoto3952]

Yep, the main constituent in harpic toilet cleaner is sodium hydroxide isn’t it, the same as draino? That would definitely work. My pipes had a lot of road rash and scratches, so a mechanical polish was necessary. I take your point about the headers though… maybe a job for another day.

[@patrickvanbennekom469]

Nice job. Can you provide an estimate of time spent to go through with all steps showed till reinstall? Would like to hear from

[@diymoto3952]

From start to finish, it took around 7 hours in total. 3 hrs disassembly + machining, 2hrs hand polish + passivate, 2hrs polishing pipes, cleaning underside + reassembly.

[@dsmithwc04]

Have you considered Ceramic Powder-coating the exhaust? There are ceramic powders that look like polished Stainless, last years and provides performance gains by creating less turbulent gas flow inside the exhaust = faster flowing exhaust.

[@diymoto3952]

Yes, ceramic coating is far superior to hand polishing. However, the purpose of my video is for someone on a budget. You can’t ceramic coat two pipes and muffler sets for less than $100 😄.

[@salvaldivia6072]

Anything you'd recommend for someone that has an oil stain on their exhaust? TLDR: oil got on my exhaust while it was hot and now seems to be permanently stuck on there. Would I need to go through this whole process or is there a way to just remove the oil?

[@diymoto3952]

People have had amazing results with Harpic 10x cleaner, which has 10% hydrochloric acid as the main constituent. Be careful though, and wear gloves. But before trying that, I would try Autosol metal cleaner if it's just an oil stain and only try the Harpic cleaner if that doesn't work. The whole process I've shown in the video is only necessary if you have deeper pitting and gouges in the surface of the metal, but not for stains.

[@salvaldivia6072]

@@diymoto3952 tysm! Will give that a try

[@alexmorgan3435]

Whose got the time or workshop to do all this? Swapping this high maintenance exhaust for a single low silencer would be very desirable. It would save a tonne of high up weight as well.

[@diymoto3952]

Yes, I do not disagree. Someone also suggested ceramic coating the pipes as it lasts much longer. However, my channel is for people who don’t have thousands of dollars to spend, and perhaps have the time and workspace for a low cost alternative. Appreciate your comment though, very valid point. Thank you.

[@mariod8405]

Doesnt take long and it looks like before

[@diymoto3952]

Very true Mario. It really depends where you ride, how often, which months you ride, and how often you clean it. My Ducati remained shiny for years, but I’d clean it after every ride and only ride it on nice days. It also wasn’t a track bike. Thanks for your comment.

[@calvin1mac]

Great video, where did you buy your cleaning equipment from please. Autosol is very expensive.

[@diymoto3952]

Hi, I bought the Autosol many years ago from an Automotive retail shop in Australia. It wasn’t expensive then. I believe California metal polish is also good if that’s cheaper. All the best.

[@TanselGaraj]

Awesome work 👏🏼 but how to keep it like that for long time??

[@diymoto3952]

Wipe them down with methylated spirits after each ride and use Autosol every 6 to 12 months, depending how often and where you ride, and they stay really clean. Good luck!

[@TanselGaraj]

@@diymoto3952 thank you!

[@ajayjohngeorge6118]

What cloth are you using to Polish ??

[@tothepoint4240]

What does the citric do to steel? N does it work with stainless?

[@diymoto3952]

Citric acid is used for the passivation of stainless steel. Nitric acid baths are most commonly used, but I didn’t have any nitric acid baths 😁. Also, it’s better to dip the product in a bath for best results, but again, I just worked with what I had.

[@mucahit-inel]

👏👏👏

[@diymoto3952]

Thank you

[@kokoterider7463]

Watta ah wark af ahht

[@diymoto3952]

Ah I get it… my accent right? 😂

[@ro63rto]

I have loads of food grade citric acid that I use to descale the kettle, espresso machine and shower. Can I use that instead of the non food grade stuff?

[@diymoto3952]

I think food grade should be fine. Remember, spraying the acid onto the pipes is not ideal, so any benefit you get is good. The most effective way to passivate stainless steel is to dip it in a bath of Citric or nitric acid. And a good quality stainless steel will form chromium oxide naturally anyway. So I wouldn’t worry too much about this part of the process. Like I said, any benefit you get is a bonus!

[@diymoto3952]

Have a look at my other video showing my pipes 1 year after polishing them. They’re still in fantastic condition. The best protection by far is to keep them clean, even if it’s just to wipe them down once a week or after each ride.

[@alexgrey9866]

Impressive! You just must to put some carbon fiber on top of that masterpiece!

[@diymoto3952]

I’ve just added a CF belly pan, but I’d love to replace all the plastic parts with CF! Thanks the positive comment.

[@talk2leo]

I thought great all for under $100! Then I saw your tools 😢.

[@diymoto3952]

You've got a point, but I borrowed that workshop from a friend, and there's nothing fancy there. He's got a simple bench grinder that seems to be part of an old lathe, and an air compressor with a dremel air tool. You could probably skip the air tool step and just use any old bench grinder. But thanks for your comment. I will be more aware of this in future videos.

[@ajayjohngeorge6118]

What cloth are you using to polish ??😅

[@diymoto3952]

I’m not using anything special, but it’s not microfibre, as I needed something a touch abrasive. I find microfibre to be the cloth you do a final polish with. I’ve just used the average dishwashing towel, and as you can see it did a decent job! 😁

[@flexjay87]

Job well done. I am not sure about Italian bikes, but Italian cars seems to have cheaply made exhaust. Not in design, but in materials thickness .

[@diymoto3952]

MV Agusta seem to have great quality components in my opinion. Thank you for your comment.

[@TheRealIsaiahWake]

Yea because we all have that exact equipment for a diy 🤣

[@diymoto3952]

Hey I didn’t have much either. Used my father in laws bench grinder, which looked like it was from the 60’s! 🤣 I was lucky he had the air compressor and dremel, but you’ll still get great results without it. Good luck!

[@MrTpain1945]

You really should wear safety glasses when polishing and maybe a mask so you don’t breath in all the dust

[@diymoto3952]

Yes, I definitely agree. I was not wearing safety glasses when testing the polishing wheel, but during polishing you will notice I had glasses on. The wheel was turning anti-clockwise, so pushing particles towards the floor, but you’re right, I should wear a mask. Appreciate your comment, thank you.

[@bertma6647]

wenn ichdas schon sehe mithandschuhen

[@diymoto3952]

Appreciate your comment

[@yveslegrand9826]

If you consider your bike a piece of art, you should make perfect even it's most hidden parts. Otherwise it is just pretending... Before passivation with citric acid, you must clean the surface and remove any greasy material. Acid must wet the surface and not make drops... And citric acid is no poison...it's edible...and even fun if you mix it with backing soda...

[@diymoto3952]

Thanks for your reply. I agree with some of your comments, but there are specific reasons why I did it this way. Firstly, I’m time poor. I have young kids who play sports, so I don’t have time to polish the entire pipe, and there are no performance gains. It is completely aesthetic. Before passivation, I did clean the surface, but didn’t show it on the video. In terms of wetting the surface, I did explain that baths of nitric acid are the best way to passivate, but I don’t have an acid bath setup at my place 😂. In any case, even if spraying the surface helps 10% in the formation of the chromium layer, it is better than not doing it at all. And finally, Citric acid is a generally safe acid, but as I explained, I have children and it can still cause irritation of the skin or eyes, especially for children and exposure to sunlight. So I’ve taken caution to label it, even though it is a safe, food grade, mild acid. I’m planning to do a video to show everyone my pipes after more than 12 months. I have not polished them again at all and only clean them with a damp rag, then a dry rag, after every 2 or 3 rides. They still look fantastic and have not discoloured at all. So you might not like my method, but it works and works well! Have a nice day 😁

[@hairyparatestes1183]

The final result on the pipes looks great 👍 but the annoying electronic soulless music gets 👎😡

[@diymoto3952]

Yes I’ve been getting slammed for the poor choice of music. I will make sure not to make the same mistake again. Thanks for the feedback.

[@jerryberry65]

nerve deadening music - better off without

[@diymoto3952]

Appreciate your comment. Will keep this in mind in future vids.

[@UnburdenedByWhatHasBeen]

Looks good but i bet they are a bitch to keep clean

[@diymoto3952]

Wipe them down with methylated spirits after each ride and use Autosol every 6 to 12 months, depending how often and where you ride, and they stay really clean. Good luck!

[@rtg8point858]

Why can't people use better music instead of this 1980's computer game annoying stuff.

[@diymoto3952]

There’s limited free uncopyrighted music to choose from. I’ll keep this in mind with any future vids. Thanks for your feedback.

[@rtg8point858]

@@diymoto3952 I get it. It wasn't personal, just saying. Perhaps you could do no sound, speed up the video a little and make voice over commentary when wanted or needed to explain any part of the process. But what do I know, I haven't made any videos before. It was a good informational video however, thanks.

[@malexder0082]

I commend you on choosing what is no doubt the worst soundtrack ever devised by a machine. This shit isn't watchable because of it.

[@diymoto3952]

All the non copyrighted music is rubbish. It’s the best I could find at the time 😄

[@АндрейМарк-ч1х]

I hate videos like this. "Do iT yOurSelf" and then you show 40k worth of equipment?! When we search for DIY its because we don't have a garage, let alone all the other crap

[@diymoto3952]

Appreciate your comments and perhaps in future I will explain the equipment I used. I actually borrowed a friend’s workshop and equipment included a very simple bench grinder, air compressor & dremel air tool. If you don’t know anyone with the equipment, there are workshops you can rent for an hour or so, but by that stage you could just get the pipes ceramic coated, so I completely see your point. It was my first video, so many lessons learnt. Thanks for your comments.

[@kondziu911]

Will it work with titanium 🥲 ?

[@diymoto3952]

Titanium pipes normally discolour from the exhaust heat, so I can’t guarantee they’ll remain polished. Most people love the discolouring, as it adds some nice shades of purple and blue, etc. Are yours coloured, or are they black and disgusting like mine?

[@kondziu911]

@@diymoto3952 yeah they are rusted and black :( beacause they are on touring motorcycle