That is a very generalized statement with some truth in it.  Checking the spark plug after doing a proper run is the best way to check for a rich/lean condition, next to an actual exhaust analyzer of course.

I have the same problem both my jardine pipe
and just by the bend by the gasket seal is
discolerd. Now i was reading if you put
a #55pilot in it will stop the backfire at
1 to 2 turns out. which is it make it leaner
to stop the backfire or Make it richer to stop'
the backfire. not sure.

There is only one sure way to have a pipe with no discoloring at all...cover the pipe from cylinder head to muffler tip with chromed heat shields.

And that's temporary.  One of these days I plan to have it ceramic coated black... which is an option for you also.  They can even coat it with a silver that comes close to chrome, but not quite.  As long as it's not grey; enough time in the Navy and telecom both have made me less than enthusiastic about grey for a paint color.

I've seen a number of places online that I could ship it to but haven't put any real effort into finding one locally.  Here are a few I found with some web searches a few months back and saved in my bookmarks.


http://www.performancecoatings.com/headercoatings.html
http://www.thermaltechcoatings.com/
http://www.amr-coatings.com/
http://www.engineceramics.com/

tfrawg75 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:


as to the chrome discoloration question, brown is simply an intermediate stage to blue as the temperature chrome is exposed to increases.  So in one sense, rich running is cooler than optimum tune and may avoid the "blues" but is not recommended just for this reason.  In my day a shade-tree mechanic's rule was a blue pipe is the result of a lean-running, overheating engine.  Now there is no simple "color rule" as the pipe header temperature depends on several factors; engine tune, trip length, riding style, air temperature and flow etc..  My bikes pipe is still the original color (I baby it), my wife's has reached honey and I have seen some others with a deep blue.

It may be important to point out that the bluing is not necessarily the result of running lean.  It is the result of excessive heat.  Since running lean means running hotter, this is often the case.  However, I have one that wasn't the result of a lean condition.  I had already rejetted, added a K&N and a MAC muffler and had it running without backfires with a header that was largely white chrome and a few inches of honey coloring nearest the engine end.  I decided to experiment with header wrap for various reasons.  After a couple of weeks I noticed the forward end of my MAC beginning to blue and removed the header wrap to find the entire header pipe a deep blue.  Header wrap does indeed keep the heat in, as designed.