How to Clean Melted Shoes on Motorcycle Exhaust Pipe
When riding a motorcycle, placing a foot or piece of clothing on the hot exhaust pipe leads to the rubber or fabric melting and sticking to the pipe's surface. You can remove melted shoe and other material from your motorcycle's exhaust pipe, but the process will take about 24 hours. If you don't remove the melted material, it will continue burning and can become etched into the exhaust pipe. When removing the melted material, you want to use a cleaning solution that will not damage your motorcycle's exhaust pipe.
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Things You'll Need
- Tweezers
- Latex gloves
- Trash bag
- 3 soft, white cloths or rags
- Carburetor cleaner or oven cleaner (Easy-Off or similar brand)
- Chrome cleaner
Instructions
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Removing Large Fragments
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1
Turn off the motorcycle, if it is on.
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2
Use tweezers to pick off any large fragments of the melted shoe while the exhaust pipe is still hot. Wear latex gloves to protect your hands. Place the melted fragments in a trash bag.
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3
Spray a soft, white cloth or rag with carburetor cleaner or oven cleaner.
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4
Apply the cleaner to the remaining melted shoe fragments on the exhaust pipe. Do not get the cleaner onto any other parts of your motorcycle--the cleaner will damage any painted surfaces on your motorcycle.
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5
Reapply cleaner to the cloth or rag. Continue applying the cleaner to the pipe until the fragments are completely covered.
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6
Let the cleaner sit on the melted fragments overnight or longer if the melted material is heavy.
Cleaning & Polishing the Exhaust Pipe
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7
Apply carburetor or oven cleaner to a clean cloth or rag. Apply the cleaner to the melted shoe fragments to rehydrate them.
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8
Rub off the melted fragments with the clean cloth or rag. Use the tweezers to pick off any loose fragments as you rub the exhaust pipe.
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9
Continue rubbing and picking until the fragments are removed from the exhaust pipe.
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10
Wipe the exhaust pipe with a clean cloth or rag to remove any cleaner residue.
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11
Apply 1 tbsp. of a chrome cleaner on the cloth or rag. Polish the exhaust pipe with the chrome cleaner-soaked cloth or rag.
Repeat until the pipe is clean.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Do not use a scrapper or other sharp tool to remove the melted shoe from your motorcycle's exhaust pipe. Sharp objects can scratch the pipe's surface.
Do not spray or apply a cleaner directly onto the exhaust pipe--overspray can occur and damage your motorcycle's paint and finish.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit motorcycle image by Bionic Media from Fotolia.com
